I saw two episodes of a Showtime show called ‘Kidding.’ Jim Carrey plays ‘Jeff,’ a Mr. Roger-ish character. One of his twin sons with ‘Jill,’ a nurse played by Judy Greer, died unexpectedly in a car crash. The other twin son and his now separated wife survived. The cast is exceptionally gifted actors. Besides Jim and Judy, there’s Catherine Keener, Frank Langella, Cole Allen, and Juliet Morris.
I don’t know why my Hulu Showtime algorithm recommended ‘Kidding’ to me but it’s likely this is a sign we’ve passed singularity.
Dave Holstein’s writing is terrifyingly authentic. Jeff’s anger and grief are so true to life. Because it is entertainment, Jeff will probably go on to become the PBS strangler or some other dramatic twist but, as of the first two episodes, it is very real.
If you are reading this and you are grieving and you don’t enjoy it or by the time you read this it has gone wildly off the rails, I apologize. Perhaps you’d like ‘The Fall’ or ‘True Detective’’; they are also quite dark.
Some of those around him treat him in ways that are infantilizing and demeaning. That’s certainly happened to me. Watching it, I thought of some of the terrible reactions to Constance’s passing that I received that immediately ended those relationships.
Jeff’s need to help turn his trauma into a way to help the community in which he exists while being patronized and undermined by people who think know what’s right for him. Paraphrasing Jeff, this might not have happened for a reason but, in this happening, we can give it purpose and meaning.
Day 182 is at https://www.wantmybabyback.com/blog/day-182.