I said I wouldn’t do it. I didn’t think I would find myself invested in the Netflix original show “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” but six episodes in and I couldn’t turn away. Just a little over a week ago I finished the second season, and while watching the show this time around I realized how appreciative I was of all that Tina Fey has done with the show. Forewarning: this article has spoilers for both seasons, so proceed with caution.
Fey is known for being a funny woman who doesn’t tell the stereotypical jokes. She killed it as the anchor for Weekend Update on SNL, and her partnership with Amy Poehler has made her part of one of the most hilarious female duos ever.
With “Unbreakable” Fey has pretty much struck gold. What she does particularly well is use stereotypical characters, but then give them a twist that makes them unique.
Take Titus Andromedon, for example. Played by Tituss Burgess, Titus is the show’s token gay character, and he is flamboyantly gay. But he is also black. And he jumps around from man to man. Until he finds Mikey, a “man’s man” sort of guy, who works in construction. One of the more interesting parts of the show comes from the struggle that is their relationship. Titus is the first person Mikey came out to, (way back in season 1) and so they often have to deal with Mikey’s friends and family not knowing he is gay. The show does a wonderful job of letting Mikey be Mikey. At one point he makes a pop culture reference and Titus is very proud of him, but he then goes on to say something about football, telling Titus, “I’m still gonna say stuff like that.” This shows does a wonderful job of letting people be people, instead of stereotyping. Mikey and Titus do not go out shopping together, nor they do they order fancy drinks at a bar. They go on walks together and take care of each other when they’re sick, just like any couple would.
The show doesn’t just mess with gay stereotypes though. One character is a Native American, and she does not fit the stereotypes at all. Jacqueline is a woman who left her culture to become “like the white people.” She dyed her hair blonde, got blue-eye contacts, and left for the big city. Native Americans are usually seen as “savages” or drunks in film and TV shows. Jackie and her family are neither, and she even goes back to them to help them when she realizes how cruelly people treated and still treat them. She even, at the end of season 2, plans on taking down the team the Washington Redskins when she begins dating a man whose family owns the team. She is trying to make a name for Native Americans besides the name of “savages.” It’s really cool to see someone trying to fix such a social issue by working on the inside of the problem.
Those are just two of the things that make this show pretty unique. I didn’t even touch on the subject of Kimmy or all the pop culture references that are in the show. Maybe that will come in next week’s article. My point, though, is that Fey has created something very unique with “Unbreakable.” It brings up unique issues and questions that no other show dares to ask. If you have the time in between studying for finals and crying, I would definitely recommend binge watching it.
