Aidy Bryant Does Big Things in Hulu’s “Shrill”

Produced by Elizabeth Banks and Lorne Michaels among others Shrill centers on Annie Easton Bryant whose story is based on a memoir of the same name written by Lindy West writer comedian activist and executive producer of this series and was adapted for TV by Ali Rushfield also an executive producer amp160Simply put Annieamp8217s a big girl and sheamp8217s tired of being constantly confronted and judged because of her weight amp160Sheamp8217s also a writer at amp8220The Thornamp8221 a fictional Portlandbased news publication and while sheamp8217s got the passion her vocation requires sheamp8217s yet to be given the opportunity to really showcase her skills amp160As we go through this surprisingly short sixepisode season we follow Ms Easton on two main journeys amp160One professional one personal both revolving around how she feels about herself and how she lets people treat herFirst of all I love the casting choices made here amp160Bryant whoamp8217s also a coproducer on the series is perfect as Annie amp160She brings a sweetness and vulnerability to the character thatamp8217s unbelievably endearing amp160Her SNLhoned comedic chops are on full display as well amp160Then we have Fran played by Lolly Adefope and Amadi played by Ian Owens amp160Fran is Annieamp8217s housemate and best friend and Amadi is Annieamp8217s amp8220work husbandamp8221 more or less amp160These two are definitely her main source of support and friendship and they are both cool as hell in that way that only TV best friends ever are amp160Fran has a snarky straightforwardness to her that I canamp8217t help but love amp160My favorite quote from her amp160Itamp8217s a tie between amp8220Get an abortion before it becomes illegal or somethingamp8221 and amp8220I donamp8217t apologize to white peopleamp8221Annie is also dating a guy amp8230 kind of amp160Does having sex under the cover of night and then sneaking out the back door before anyone sees you count as dating amp160If so Annie and Ryan are dating so hardPlayed by Luka Jones Ryan is lovable as lovable goofs go amp160Maybe amp8220lovableamp8221 isnamp8217t how Annie would describe him amp8220a disrespectful baby but a man who knows betteramp8221 is how she puts it I believe but thereamp8217s a genuine sincerity to his shock and remorse when confronted with how heamp8217s hurt her at any given time that leads me to believe there isnamp8217t a malicious bone in his body even if he is kind of a dummy amp160Jones very easily conveys whatamp8217s unappealing about his character and what Annie sees in him at the same time which is probably why I spent a lot of time rooting for Ryan to get his shit togetherThere are other supporting players Patti Harrison and Jo Firestone are both hilarious and John Cameron Mitchellamp8217s amp8220Gabeamp8221 is integral but Iamp8217d say none are more important to Annieamp8217s overall narrative then her parents Vera and Bill who are played by Julia Sweeney and Daniel Stern respectively amp160Both of them are legends in their own rights and itamp8217s so great to have them back on TV in great roles amp160Sweeney steals every scene she is in as the passive aggressively controlling Vera and Stern is an absolute joy to watch as Annieamp8217s everoptimistic cancerfighting DadThe best moments in this show are when Annie whose modus operandi is normally a metaphorical tail tuck finally decides to stand up for herself amp160Her amp8220feel goodamp8221 moments genuinely made me well feel good amp160Same thing on the flip side when people belittled her or were outright disrespectful I found it both enraging and sad amp160The people who seem to echo those TeamAnnie sentiments are mostly people like Fran who doesnamp8217t even understand the concept of biting her tongue and Amadi who like Fran does and always will have Annieamp8217s backIn the episode amp8220Poolamp8221 Annie is invited to the amp8220Fat Babe Pool Partyamp8221 an event meant to be a safe place for large women to have fun and be body positive in a world that is anything but amp160I loved this episode for many reasons but mostly because of the effect the party had on Annie amp160Long story short she was being all tense and reserved when she first arrived at what seemed like a pretty baller pool party one she wore jeans and a buttondown to by the way but before long she relaxed ditched the extra clothing and then jumped directly into the pool with everyone else who was enjoying being in their own skin in a way she never had before amp160The release of all that tension was so cathartic not only as if sheamp8217d been holding back much more and much longer than anyone had realized but also because for a moment at least she was free from the mental prison of societal expectationamp160 Pure joy is rarely seen on TVamp160 Who would have expected it in a show titled ShrillFatshaming is a serious issue one thatamp8217s more hurtful than most people realize amp160Why does anyone feel itamp8217s okay or their place even to challenge or mock someone about something so personal amp160Is it because of the implied autonomy we all supposedly have over our physical appearance amp160I donamp8217t know but I feel like the point of Shrill is that none of that matters because itamp8217s nobodyamp8217s damn business amp160No one has to be what another person wants them to be nor do they have to look the way another person thinks they should look amp160Confronting someone about their weight is like asking a woman amp8220Why havenamp8217t you had any kids yetamp8221 amp160Maybe she doesnamp8217t want to amp160Maybe she canamp8217t amp160Who cares amp160Leave amp160Her amp160AloneAnnieamp8217s journey is ultimately about owning it amp160Own who you are and tell anyone who doesnamp8217t like it to go to hellIn an industry riddled with male voices Iamp8217ve got to say that Iamp8217m a huge fan of this new wave of female written and run shows amp160Russian Doll Better Things Broad City and even going amp8220backamp8221 to shows like Girls The Mindy Project and New Girl every single one of these shows used its platform to make the world a little less ignorant make TV a little bit funnier and make women feel a lot more empoweredamp160 Shrill is a very worthy addition to the group amp160My biggest gripe in fact my only gripe is the fact that the season is only six episodes long amp160There should have been ten but Iamp8217m sure theyamp8217ll fix that during the inevitable second seasonClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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Aidy Bryant Does Big Things in Hulu’s “Shrill”

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Ainsley Andrade

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Aidy Bryant Does Big Things in Hulu’s “Shrill”

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