Dollface came out in 2019– and I finally checked it out. I binged through the series pretty quick, because it was so spot on and hilarious. Dollface stars Kat Dennings, from Wanda Vision and 2 Broke Girls (also co-producer), who plays Jules, a loyal girlfriend recently dumped by her boyfriend after a five year relationship. She embarks on a journey to reconnect with her friends that she left behind when she was in her relationship. If this story sounds familiar you are either that friend who ditches their pals when they are in a relationship or you have been ditched by a friend in this manner.
Jules is not the enemy here, but her role is so familiar and very binge worthy. How many times have you had conversations with your girlfriends about not losing yourself in your relationship? Countless times for most of us. What make the show even easier to digest, we get to look inside the mind of Jules, and her creative self effacing thoughts come to life for us. You never know when she is going into her mind so these moments become surprising an enjoyable.
In comes the squad
Jules longtime and lost friend Madison reenters the picture as her close type A friend. Stella is Madison’s bestie who is part hippie, part model, part business school student in the making. She is a true chic Nomad. Izzy from work joins the quad squad as the quirky friend who’s loyalty overrides her weirdness any day. These friendships blend perfectly as Jules learns to live life without a boyfriend. Her dutiful gal pals keep her from rebound relationships and getting back together with her ex. They also challenge her on what being a true friend means. A reminder to us all that friendships take work.
The Parody
Jules is a web designer at an all girl marketing firm that parodies Goop to perfection. Woom, run by Celeste who is played by the witty Malin Akerman sets the tone that the show is for women, about women and in favor of all women.
Selfish Is Good
We talk at length in our society of men having an identity crisis. Women want the chairs pulled out for them and the doors open, but they want to be independent and self sufficient when it suits them. Which is completely true. As a woman I am constantly sending mixed messages to my partner. Women are still discovering what it means to prioritize their own desires. The level of good selfish behavior requires us to evaluate how we prioritize our friends and our relationships.
The Joke Is On Us
The show is witty and smart and full of sass. Dollface manages to empower women by making fun of them at the same time in a way that does not come off as insulting. Unless of course you believe that as women we have actually figured out what we want from our empowerment. The stereotypical jokes poke fun at both genders. And it is not afraid to go there. The bus driver being the crazy cat lady in Jules very vivid imagination, and Margot Robbie, executive producer who brings the juice and sound bowls as Malibu Yogi Imelda, a guru with wide eyes and eccentric spiritualism, goats included.
Don’t get me wrong, the men are picked on too, but they are not the point of the show. Jeremy, the atypical ex played by Connor Hines both hurts and helps heal Jules with his actions.
Single Is Self Discovery
The show is about finding healthy relationships and striking that balance between dating and friendships. Through comedy, the show strives constantly to remind the viewer that this is Jules journey to independence and self fulfillment as a single gal. The show never promises the audience that it understands women or Jules for that matter. What it does do though, is it promotes the idea of self discovery, female solidarity and some solid laughs. (If you can laugh at yourself that is.)
Check out Season 1 on Hulu. Binge quickly. Season 2 starts Feb 11th. Watch the Hulu trailer here.