心向快乐第一季

First of all, it brings some feelings back to me when I am feeling nothing. I appreciate that. Always think a relationship is like “I got issues and you got’em too.” And we live with them together as a partners. Mae and George have their issues. They tried to cover or deal with them in the series. Maybe there’ll be no ultimate solution. It’s just a process in daily life.

As for Mae, who is always go with the feelings and chase the feelings, which is to find the approach to FEEL GOOD. George is more tend to be traditional and hard to open up utterly. They are vivid characters and I can relate from some plots.

It’s a huge world. There are various people and perspectives. Sometimes I just watch it and think: it’s ok to say that??? Just embrace the diversity and try to be more open minded.

Talk to people who care about you or just try to be these people.

It’s ok to be passionate or just want to save everything for oneself. Accept everyone’s tendency.

George said: “I just can be an island. That’s how I operate.” 🖐🏾 It could happen. I’m more relaxed now. Thank you guys:)

深夜刷完了6集，希望有第二季，分别表达一下我对两个主角的看法（如标题）

George

George的主要性格特点是不轻易表露自己的心迹，比较内向的一个人。这一点也导致她在身份认同上不是那么快。这个女主的直女变弯心路历程很真实，她因为爱而成长，主要有两个转折点，第一个是摔伤后让朋友call corn（也是全剧最甜的点哈哈）然后在医院里表露心迹，其实前面也有伏笔就是她参加完婚礼回家想象着对mae说 love you，marry with her。而在喝多受伤进医院打了吗啡之后，则第一次表达出了自己的想法，对于一个直女了那么多年的人来说真的很不容易。第二个转折点我认为是在教室对着喊别人基佬的女生大声呵斥并冲到校长办公室说应该教学生lgbt相关知识，此时她已经逐步认同自己喜欢女生所以才会注意到基佬这个词对gay来说有多么冒犯（这在以前在她潜意识里大约是不会引起强烈反感的现象），她在学着认同自己也在找寻什么是真正的朋友，开始学着表达走出自己的舒适区，六集下来George有很大的成长，她试着去体贴mae，甚至最后坦诚说要一起承担包袱（当然开始出现单方面的包容，这会让对方愈发觉得自己是一个victim，这是一个隐患，如果有第二季这样的心态会出问题）

Mae

有两条线，一条和父母的，一条和女友。两条线都体现了mae是一个内心脆弱敏感不肯承担责任且总是以受害者自居的人。

首先是父母线，中间有一段是父亲对mae说在把mae赶出家门后，母亲天天跟着看mae，我看到这个觉得可能是一个母女缓和的关键点，但似乎mae一直一直介意自己被抛弃，依旧没有安全感，道歉也只是为了获得对方的关注与爱，并不是发自内心的真诚，正如她开头说：这是第十二条中的第九步。偏偏母亲是个倔强的人，对方越是强调自己的受害者身份，mae妈越是倔，于是在父母线上的和解尝试是非常失败的。不过最后一集mae哭着说想回家时，母亲还是心软了，毕竟是亲妈，但这其实不是真正意义上的和解。但不可否认的是，没有人是天生的瘾君子，小时候到底发生了什么导致mae会这样未可知。但25岁的成年人真的不要一直强调说对方的抛弃，如果真的不要了怎么可能随时同意和你打视频电话（狗头）。

女友线，看了有点生气，在一起这段感情中很明显George其实有更多的付出，mae一直都没想过要改变自己重塑自己，让自己忙起来独立起来，一开始的粘人和急着寻求对方在朋友面前介绍自己以获得安全感并一次次以爱之名半胁迫，完全不顾对方也只是一个刚被掰弯自己心理建设都没有做全的自己的爱人，后来身份被承认之后又被迫害妄想症觉得对方理想的是男生并自己逼迫自己往那边靠拢，却始终不敢坦诚地与对方就这一方面进行交流，可能一开始看了会觉得mae很可怜，焦虑得睡不着觉，自卑不自信，但自信是自己给的，交了那么多女朋友首先要对自己有身份认同，我是女生我喜欢女生，对方喜欢我是我这个人不管男女，不是因为男性特质也不是因为女性特质，自己就是自己。然后就去爱对方，如果对方最后真的选择男性了，那就是对方的问题，而我（mae）有真诚地去爱你，展露真实的自我，那你不喜欢我我难过但也没办法，恋爱中忌讳的就是很多过度的焦虑破坏了爱情本身的美好，然后分手后又陷入自卑之中无法自拔。恶性循环。和男性相比之后的自卑其实在很多t的心里都会有，但请相信如果你的爱人是真的爱你，你不要被这个所桎梏，你就是真诚地去照顾对方表达自己的爱，这样才是一个良性循环。而且在剧中很明显的一点是，mae因为自己的自卑其实把对方也带入了消极，正如最后George把这形容为包袱就可以体现。自己的自卑自己无法处理还要对方的包容理解来哄着你，自己被分手消极还和别人make love。真的幼稚！

爱得真诚坦荡，不要伤害自己深爱的人。

Feel Good is a low budget 6-episode TV show which mysteriously skipped my attention when it was first brought up by a friend: probably because it features no big star (Lisa is one, but in a small role), and British TV shows like Fleabag and Killing Eve have raised the bar very high now.

However, one night, I started to watch the first episode and was very impressed. The not so sub plot of addiction is so well-written. I really like it when Mae (its main character shares the same name with the writer and lead actor, which is a bit confusing) expands the definition of ‘addiction’: ‘it’s all the same feelings, craving, and withdrawl, and relief, and obsession. We are just swapping one addiction for another’. By doing that, Mae Martin (I will use the full name when referring to the creator) connects the love story and Mae’s struggle to stay clean together. Mae Martin challenges the audience to view addiction as not only a struggle among a group of people, but something many of us face when being in a toxic relationship with partners, or, say, social media. By then, I am convinced Feel Good is quite good because the creators know ‘nuances’. Its focus on addiction also reminds me of Killing Eve S2, the key word for its 2nd season is ‘obsession’. While both handle compulsive/toxic feelings between people/people and object, Killing Eve’s take on obsession is disappointing, Feel Good, on the other hand, only gets better episode by episode.

Story aside, I am mesmerized by how the show introduces the love story to the audience. It is fast-paced. As Guardian remarks, ‘Feel Good moves so quickly and lightly that it seems impossible it could also be managing to construct characters and burrow into psyches as deeply and empathically as it does.’ You never need to fast-forward; it’s densely-packed but you won’t feel stressful; the plots mingle effortlessly. It takes 30 seconds for Mae and George to fall in love with each other. I love how unconventional and unapologetic it is. I love how an LGBTQIA (bless Joyce) story focus on how the two lovers enjoy their relationship (at least for the most part) without giving too much attention to how they are unsure if the other is into them, or suffering from loneliness because they can’t find a partner. Of course the loneliness issue exists and there is suffering, but there are many representations of those already. Feel Good shows how the relationship can be the start, rather than the ending, of a story.

I also like how the struggles of Mae and George are more about themselves making choices than them being in disagreement with a suffocating society. It is refreshing to see not only Mae’s parents, but George’s mother, support their sexuality. Mae’s gig pals don’t make a fuss about her having a girlfriend. The roommate Phil is an angel. The lead of the support group is a gay man; Lava is loved by her mother regardless of her sexuality. While Binky’s husband and his friends are ‘piece of shit’, I don’t see them as homophobic (I could be wrong though). The show demonstrates that everyone can and should be nice to LGBT+ community. I like how Feel Good doesn’t use societal approval as a trope; instead, it allows us to see Mae and George as individuals who make their own decisions. Yes, sexuality is and will be important in their lives, but they don’t let it to devour them, they can still breathe.

The relationship is beautifully written and wonderfully performed. I mean THE CHEMISTRY!! Yes there is sex. As Mae Martin said, she didn’t want the lesbian sex to be voyeuristic. I congratulate her in doing a fantastic job!! Feel Good has amazing sex scenes: they are romantic, witty, hilarious, and honest. The director and writers make sure the sex scenes are not about sex/lust only, they are also about female pleasure. Mae and George communicate and share their sexual preferences; they don’t force their fetish on the other, instead, they ask politely. The show doesn’t mystify lesbian sex: even lesbians can’t cum and that’s ok! Feel Good has achieved what Sex Education has done: it has educated people (older than high schoolers) how to have sex, and more importantly, how to discern when the relationship is going south.

There are nudity scenes and they are (quite literally) serving the plot: it is when Mae feels most vulnerable physically. The paradox of the physicality and the personality is, however, not restricted to gay people. Mae is struggling because she believes however hard she tries, she can never have George in the long haul because George is ‘culturally straight’. George, however, insists this idea is just in Mae’s head. (Or is it?) It becomes apparent that the couple is not on the same page on many things. Mae is shy but she wants public validation of their relationship: she wants to be blessed by George’s family and friends. George is popular (win the lottery) but she is ultra private when it comes to Mae. She points out her friends just want to crack a joke and emotions (mind, not sexuality), for them, is gross. Eventually, George will have to face her own real emotions. There is a moment where Mae questions why George never like/retweet her social media stuffs. As Fleabag says ‘Hair is everything’, the (non)usage of social media, I argue, is (almost) everything. This again shows the discrepancy between the couple – which, of course, is normal; in every relationship/friendship, such disagreements happen and that’s what makes this show so relatable.

It is interesting to note that the dynamic between the two flows all the time. I find myself on the side of Mae and then I am on George’s side! For example, the first episode shows Mae concealing her addiction history from George, which is a bit dishonest; but George also makes Mae think she’s already mentioned her to her friends while actually she’s dating some Crenshaw dude. I find it especially interesting that while George is portrayed as a cold person (she leaves Mae alone in a party; she’s rather cold towards Phil etc etc), Mae can also be quite aloof – check what she does to Lava. When she says let’s not share this with Maggie, it is as if George were saying let’s not tell my friends now.

Talking about George and her friends, I really like how the show does about their friendship. It shows that those friendships, even though ‘long haul’, are not necessarily genuine. Indeed, things can be tricky, if not scary, when friends finally choose to be honest with each other, right?

Binky’s husband and friends are hilarious characters, but the show makes sure not all the male characters are caricatured. I like Phil a lot; he’s giving me the neighbor who ended up marrying Hannah’s boyfriend’s sister in Girls, especially when he’s mentioning all the baby stuffs. Mae’s dad is a charming character; but I am not sure if he’s a good dad. His ‘Oh I need to check the garden’ is a specimen of dad type, who leaves all the dirty job of communicating with kids to mums. The show also inserts in a MeToo story plot where things turn sour quickly. In all, the portrayals of male characters are multifaceted. Well done.

Last but not the least: small roles. Does the show even have small roles? Because everyone shines. Even the shop assistant of that sex shop: the scene is so funny and captivating. Lisa Kudrow is funny but in a cold way – which is really nice. I am not crazy about her first appearance in the laptop; seeing her appear in Blackpool is a real surprise for me (and Mae). I love the scene in Ghost Train the most. Arguing in a horror house/moving train, with all the noise and terrifying man-makes while discussing ‘real emotions’, which is the most terrifying of all – what a genius idea!! The fact that the show keeps vague about why Mae is cast out of the family is an interesting one; I quite like how her mother points out her privilege and that she has everything she wants when she grows up. Again, the show is looking at the mysterious and intricate human mind that is not so easily explainable. Apart from that, I don’t think there are a lot of TV shows that discuss ‘privilege’. Kudos to the writers for highlighting this aspect.

The photography is really pretty. It, like TEOTFW, has a consistent tone, which is even reflected when Mae and George are in bed. Note the beautiful blue shadow. The music is nice. The costume looks comfy and lovely (never let the costume steal the show– I’m talking to you, Killing Eve). My favorite, as I said earlier is the pace of narration. Mae has run a lot and it is a signature of Feel Good, like Fleabag’s looking at the camera.

Feel Good is about a female stand-up comedian. In the States, there is The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Both Mae and Midge suffer from a backfire from they using real-life stories with their partner (judging from S1 finale, haven’t watched S2 yet). It is interesting to think how personal the stand-up mateials can be, but having just watched Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette, I am reminding myself that in order to make things funny, the ‘truth’ can be compromised. While Nanette is almost metafictional when Hannah approaches/disconstructs what makes comedy, I don’t think that is the angle Feel Good is heading towards. However, it is still fit to think about the show amongst the powerful works by Mae Martin’s fellow female comedians. The freshness of the show also reminds me of Girls (with its minute depictions of modern female life) and Fleabag (with its candidacy about real emotions). Feel Good deserves more recognition and PLEASE CAN WE HAVE SEASON 2 THANK YOU NETFLIX!!

Also published on my blog.

Photo: © Channel 4

The series reminded me of my very personal experiences. I somehow feel to be the combination of both Mae and George. How? Mae is much needed. And George is surrounded by those mean "friends".

I left my hometown about 4 years ago. In a new city, with everything new, I tried to stay connected to my old life - those friends, those habits, basically everything I can. But things can not always be that ideal. Trying to hold on to every person around me made me really hard. I had to tolerate their bad habits, their judgement, and even sometimes discrimination. Until today, I am still doing those things, trying to please others. I know that's not a great way to let others know me. I keep on putting others feel good as the first principle to communicate with others. That's bad, not only for me but for them.

Maybe someday, or starting today, I should stand up and defend myself, and my values. It's not necessarily intensive as what George does in the show. I can explore a new way, my way.

As for the part like Mae, there's too much to say. The writing is superb for effectively showing how Mae is dependent on George. I am insecure in almost all my relationships, while most of them suck. I have taken considerable time in figuring out the relationship. Do those guys fancy me, or do they merely treat me like a sex toy, a method to kill time? I always need some confirmation, and I mean it it's always. I am afraid the status is not synchronised with the other. I may make some move far beyond. I may take the other my whole world. I may, just like Mae, get addicted to the other. Is that good? After the show, I am still confused. Those questions always pop up in my mind. Will he still pay attention to me after he has completely got me? Will he still enjoy my terrible jokes? Am I still making him comfortable? Will I get abandoned one day? I get addicted because of my lack of confidence, our difference and my bad memories, maybe.

In the series, Mae relapses. Will I relapse just like her over and over? Let's see.

不算快，断断续续两天刷完吧。看的时候内心真的有太多太多的想法、声音还有共鸣了…总感觉片子就好像我自己的人生，感受到很多，在自我探索中的问题，与直女恋爱中的问题等等…

其实片子本本身确实也有可圈可点的地方，想很多短评也暴露出了每个人看这个片子的角度和侧重点，包括这当然也受个人经历的影响。

先从我觉得不足的地方着手，确实比起我以往看的很多les电影来说，比起那些，这部更加现实和现在，可能电影只有两个小时，所以不论《Blue is…color》（很多人也提到）或者最近看的《烧女图》，电影总是试图在两个小时把情感表达的最浓烈，剧情的曲折和复杂度也并不会这么高。也是因为这样的对比，所以总让我觉得Mae和G之间的感情不够浓烈。（但也可能是演员的问题也未可知）。

片子选了一条主线或者topic，就是所谓t（gay）与直女之间的爱情。在这很想提一下，其实很多人都并不想定义自己的取向，就像我自己，这也是我很有共鸣的一点，就像J在厕所里问Mae，你是lesbian吗？Mae说“我不想label myself”，这一点我就很有共鸣，我相信取向是流动性的，我看起来像tomboy就不代表我一定是gay，这便是一个探索自己的过程，限制住自己反而会让自己更struggle。

所以另外一个地方，这部片子在对于性取向的探索上也让我很有共鸣。我既有过G对于自己是否是gay而困扰，又很能理解Lava和Mae说，不要把时间花在不是你圈子不了解你的人身上。确实，直女在姬圈中就是一个非常棘手的存在。或者也如我所说，“并没有真正的直女，所谓直女是还没有找到能触动她的那个女孩。”

作为t不代表就不能女孩了。我太能理解Mae对与自己gender “in between”的那种感受了。“我既不是男孩，也算不上女孩，我就是freak”，这是很多queer可能都会有活动心理活动，总觉得自己的gender不能融入这个社会，以及这个社会对性别的定义，于是觉得自己是不被爱和奇怪的。但其实不是，我们，queer，要做到只是我们自己。

我对于这种小t 有点小撒娇太喜欢了。我真的很喜欢这种物理上的错觉，看起很帅气的女孩，但其实也有女孩的一面，内心的敏感，想要come的渴望，想被拥抱和爱，而且可0可1。我很欣赏Mae也是因为，她总是很平和（至少看起来），可能面瘫？哈哈哈哈。

我并不太想把它当成浪漫爱情片看，比起浪漫理想式爱情，这部更多的在反映，每一对les情侣，或多或少都会有过的、出现的问题。尤其是当她俩闹分手那一段，其实就很能看出问题。我太能理解，包括我自己也有过这种心理活动，和一个“直女”或曾有过男朋友的女生在一起，其实内心或多或少会有一种不满足，和差距就在于，自己不是男生，给不了一段“正常”婚姻或未来，该有的样子。我们也希望和自己爱的女人，可以相爱，making love，jizzing，and have a baby，但是我们不可以，因为我们不是男人。

但退一步，如果我们要这么想，那便又是把自己局限住了…

在她俩分手以前那一次sex，也是里面对我最有感觉的一段…当G感觉快要come的时候对Mae说“come inside me…”，其实这几句真的很伤人，也很戳，正中下怀的感觉。Mae的回复也真的太精准了：“ I would love to，but I physically can't！” 这正是我们所缺失，但也是最大的不同。 It reminds me of me and my ex, I am obsessed with making love with her, but the only thing missing is that I really hope I can go inside her, and either she, when we were high. That is supposed to be a “normal” sex....

我也很赞同这是一部关于诚实的影片，不论在爱情、工作、生活中，其实我们都要保持诚实，才能让双方顺利的沟通。

每次Mae和G有争吵的时候，两边说的话其实都很有道理。（争吵的台词写的很tricky）各有各的理，只是有没有站在对方的角度考虑。比如在party上，G想和朋友们出柜，就希望Mae不要老盯着她，自己去跳舞，但Mae觉得，你如果要出柜那就大大方方牵着我的手帮我化解尴尬啊。其实两方都没有错，但两边必须相互理解。包括G和Binky后来的谈话，G埋冤B他们在她分手后不来问候，B觉得如果你是真的伤心那就主动来和我们说啊，你不和我们说就好像不是真爱一样。其实两边也都在理，看谁能先理解谁。聪明人就不要去纠结了。

至于说t粘人的，可能是每个人经历不同，我觉得这种依赖挺顺理成章的，作为一个父母那么刻薄的t，包括小时候有过那么多创伤，能到现在这样温柔可爱善解人意，真的是奇迹了，当然不可避免，她真的需要一个人依靠和拥抱。

感受就写到这，HE我很满意，当然如果拍第二季，未来可能还会有更多的问题冒出来。也期待第二季，更期待自己能有个女朋友，好想谈恋爱啊啊💕💕

btw，还想再提一下，Mae在里面真的是赚大了🙃各种人都亲了一遍，见谁就问“do u wanna have sex...”哈哈哈哈哈。而且每次还一脸面瘫的“that will be so cool.”太可了哈哈哈哈。

还有对于那个老师说，“如果你不教孩子们LGBTQIA这方面的话题那是你的问题，这是sexual health课程…你们班还有两个学生是trans呢！”真的很暖心，为学校有这样的开明的眼光感到开心。

End…

2020.4.6

In USA

她其实是需要被人保护的

外表帅气内心脆弱的像只小绵羊🐑

特别能够理解她的焦虑 不安 依赖

可能有时候像是一种投射

和父母的关系

和喜欢的直女怎么相处(这种相处模式有些消耗乔治)

和lesbian怎么相处(lava在某些时候还是挺迷人的，不过生气打翻碗的时候还挺吓人的)

和异性怎么相处 ，要知道在某些异性恋男性眼里

只要你是个女孩，就可能是他们的猎物

所以不存在纯粹的异性好友 (mae和那个男人只是，在逃避问题)