Some people may find it strange to be thinking about love during a time like this. People these days tend to be taking more tests to check for a viral respiratory infection than an STD. While some have been concerned about what the dating scene will be like Post-COVID, others are experiencing it. Whether it's a masked date to an outside seating restaurant or a virtual tet a tete, people are finding ways to keep love alive in the midst of all this death and sorrow.
Those words speak only of romantic love, however. When you really think about it, love is one of the most logical emotions to have in your mind during times like these. We think about how much we love our friends, families, even our mild-acquaintances like the mailman or a neighbor. We love our pets for giving us hugs and comfort when we are unable to receive it from others out of fear of community spread. We love our hobbies for they keep us sane and we love our coworkers for they stand in solidarity with our fears and apprehensions regarding the present as well as the uncertain future. We love our healthcare workers for their continuously brave sacrifices, and we love politicians because...actually, we don't, never mind. The point is, love has been in lock-down with us, in quarantine, even in the hospital bedside for far too many when their loved ones were forbidden to be. Love hasn't just kept us company during these last several months, in one way or another, love has sustained us.
"You can't quarantine love." is a sentiment expressed in the recently released limited series Love in the Time of Corona. Shot during the month of June, the series examines the lives of several people in Los Angeles during the lock-down period of late March and April. Creator Joanna Johnson went to impressive feats in order to accomplish what is essentially a Gary Marshall movie set during a Global Pandemic. Firstly, she had to cast before writing, as the series storylines depended on which actors were available to film in Los Angeles inside their own homes. Once assembling the cast was complete Johnson and her all-female writing team began the process of fleshing out the storylines based partially on each individual's personal life situation.
The series was shot inside the real homes of each cast member and features two real-life married couples, one of which includes their teenage daughter in her debut television acting role, Ava Bellows. It also includes real-life close friends Tommy Dorfman and Rainey Qualley who acted inside Dorfman's apartment. A minimal crew was used with only one individual entering each respected household to assist in camera set-up. Actors did their own hair and make-up as well as provided their own wardrobe and most of the props. In the age of Corona, actors have a much more hands-on approach to the filming process; one must wonder how much of a humbling experience this was for many of them.
The four-part series is rightfully being compared by many to Love Actually (2003) in terms of structure, style and tone. This is rather accurate, the series never takes itself or this situation too seriously, which can be both problematic and refreshing. Its intentions, after all are to inspire and instill hope and positivity. You want to be depressed and informed, go watch Contagion (2011) like everyone else.
The script sometimes feels overly reliant on references that are pressed firmly on the "hot topic button" such as the usage of slang like "sus" in the dialogue and a notably unapologetically queer Tik-Tok montage. You can pretty much guess where each story will end by the conclusion of the first episode and the split-screen video calls, though a technical safety necessity does get old after a while.
The show further suffers from an extremely short runtime in terms of television endeavors with such lofty ambitions such as this. By alternating between four different plot threads, the characters never have real room to stretch amongst the clutter. It is only a half-hour show, and we feel as confined by the brevity of the runtime as the characters are by their predicament itself. We get glimpses of narrative growth sprinkled throughout but nothing that really concludes in a satisfying whole. For example, we never dive very deep into why two brothers are estranged from one another. Additionally, in the first episode, we see Ava Bellow's character, Sophie getting broken up with by a guy she has such fundamental differences with, it makes zero sense why she was even remotely interested in staying in the relationship at all. Yes, she's a teenager, but she's also not a complete idiot if she can spew all these scientific and social justice facts out on request. Later her plot does touch upon the ignorance that many young people have had by attending large gatherings despite being instructed not to. She is convinced by a character using many of the placative excuses we see regurgitated on the internet by anti-mask and virus-deniers: it's safe for young people, you'll just get the cold, it's not even that big a deal, etc. While this is relevant the way, her friend convinces her ultimately comes off contrived because we know she knows better. Despite the immense threat that she puts her family in by going out, she receives no repercussions for it, and the family does not even try and get tested even though they've been put at serious risk. This sends a message that breaking the rules of quarantine as a child or adult is funny and forgivable rather than serious and selfish.
Whenever the series does touch upon interesting and nuanced subject matter such as this, it doesn't have the time to devote to giving it the complex examination it deserves. There is an elderly character in a nursing home. Yet, no discussion is had on the persistent rapid infections that are occurring inside them across the country. We have a Black Lives Matter plotline, but this too ends up feeling more referential than substantive. One conversation between a black mother and her son on the topic of police brutality is summed up essentially with the notion that they just need to live with it and find the joy in life despite this oppression. Uh, what? This is the most glaring missed opportunity of the series as a whole. At a time when we have two pandemics ongoing, one viral, the other systemic, both deserve to be treated with greater reverence than this series is capable of providing. It's much like socially-distancing to see your friend. It's nice enough, but far from ideal.
It is not the most compelling piece of television you will have watched this year, especially when you consider how much free time so many of us have had to watch television in the last few months. It is an accomplishment in itself; however, giving early indications of how pandemic productions can function safely and efficiently as well as allowing for a psuedo-cinema-verite style of creativity that would otherwise likely never even be attempted. Still, if we are going to make reflective art from this absolute mess we call life on earth right now, surely we can find something stronger to say than this? The series doesn't have to be all about the sorrow, but it can't ignore it or wipe it away with a disinfectant wipe either. Yes, to some degree we want escapism but we also want some sense of solidarity and understanding from the entertainment industry if they are going to dive into this current subject matter. None of these characters are impacted by COVID, not really. More than anything else, they are inconvenienced by it. That is not the case for so many out there who may have wanted their strife represented on screen more accurately with some welcomed laughs and lovable moments sprinkled about as well.
In the end, it's okay if you don't like Love in the Time of Corona, or even if you hate it. If you get no entertainment value from the programming and are no more or less inspired to find love in all the available spheres in which it resides during these dangerous and delicate times at least let it be a reminder of how ingenuity and nostalgia can, when combined together, allow us to engage in important conversations about health, human rights and yes, of course, love, when we are so far apart from each other. Even if those conversations are not being substantially had by the characters on the screen, the mere mention or suggestion of them should be enough to encourage viewers to start conversations surrounding these topics with those in their life. In life, things can and do often work out. Months ago we never would've imagined anything could be safely produced during this high-risk time and yet this production safely succeeded in that. We may be entering a time, for however long it may be, where the final product of a creative project may be of less interest than the ultimate health and safety of those involved. Then again, it should've been that way before, but we are all learning and opening our eyes to thoughts and ideas we would've never otherwise entertained. It is the small solace of COVID, an awakening, not gentle and tender but volatile and assertive. Watch Love in the Time of Corona, or not, just remember there is always hope, there is always love, and there is always art to be shared, no matter how inventive you may have to get to share it. It may not be the best hope, the best love or most certainly the best art, but it's proof. Proof you are here, proof that you are alive, and that you are living, hoping, loving and creating in times that have never occurred quite like this before.
