‘Mood’ review – This new BBC America limited series mixes ‘Fleabag’ and OnlyFans

Once again, the BBC has turned a one-woman stage show into a full-fledged mini-series. The final adaptation was the victor Fleabag, a Phoebe Waller-Bridge play turned into a series about a fourth woman who breaks a wall and is on the verge of a life crisis. Why don’t you try this again? Enters moodBased on the one-woman show by Nicole Leakey Superhoe.

For the most part, the phase-to-screen formula works again. mood He bravely introduces the protagonist to a deeply unloved woman, Sasha (Lecky), and somehow convinces us to sympathize with her. Sasha has had very little to eat – she hates her mother (Jessica Haines) and her evil father (Paul Kay), as well as their annoying little daughter (Mia Jenkins). They kick Sasha out of the house after accusing her of arson, a fire she may or may not have started at her boyfriend Anton (Jordan Duvigno’s) home. On the street and penniless, Sasha loses herself in a monotonous world far from the stardom she yearns for.

She wants to be a great singer, rapper, and songwriter. All she is now, though, is tired, lost and out of money. Despite this, Sasha quickly found a way to earn a lot of cash and get famous while doing it too: OnlyFans. (The show uses a copycat method, but the platforms are basically the same; people (usually women) post intimate photos and videos of themselves to their paid subscribers.) Carly (Lara Beck), a woman Sasha meets while hanging out with drug dealers, convinces her to join the platform after moving on. The couple together. Soon, they were using their mass following to sell videos of themselves, meet sugar dads, and go viral to get hot posts online.

All the while, Sasha could not cope with the fact that Anton turned her life upside down. Not only is he ignoring her calls, but he has also filed a restraining order against her, thanks to her alleged attempt to set fires. somewhat similar to may destroy youAnd the mood Trauma is depicted as a non-linear state of being. Sasha remembers her life with Anton in pieces, a mystery that must be reassembled – and it affects her greatly.

Also, this concept was very interesting may destroy youit does not work well in mood, with very flimsy storytelling. After two episodes, Anton’s story begins to falter and turn monotonous – he will not respond to her texts, she may have been deceived; It’s all vague but too vague to be intriguing. However, Leakey’s dedication to portraying Sasha’s emotional crisis has never wavered. She delivers a witty performance full of tiny action – tapping a phone screen filled with messages sent but never received, plunging herself into unfinished business – but the backstory hampers her character.

However, most of the show forces Sasha to deal with Carly, her polar opposite and still, somehow, her closest confidant. Where Sasha has a guard and passion to build her career, Carly is open-minded and passionate about making money. Peake and Lecky are a great match as the two women lead the series – it’s fun to watch Carly cheer up Sasha on simple tasks, like choosing her OnlyFans username (Caramel Lexi is the winner), but it’s also inspiring to watch the two teams together overcome life’s biggest challenges (read : Men).

Sasha and Carly’s projects continue into online sex work, eventually expanding into offline sex work mood. Trying to navigate the perilous nature of adulthood and you always wanted to be I have seenSasha seeks solace in OnlyFans’ swift fame, and finds comfort in her swift friendship with Carly. But there are consequences: She’s unprepared for the intimacy her fans feel with her, and mistook her videos for real fame. This inside look at the internet porn industry – as Sasha continues to discover it alongside Carly, who feels so empowered by the hustle – is as exciting as it is instructive.

mood Blending in with musical elements, he expertly weaves them into Sasha’s volatile state of mind with daydreaming breaks. Leakey is a talented performer and creator. As if that wasn’t enough, she just happened to have a deep celestial singing voice as well. Switching to musical interludes seems closer to that FleabagBreaking the Fourth Wall: We peek into Sasha’s inner thoughts, as well as an element of fantasy that gives the show a new depth of emotion in a somewhat magical way. (If you’re like me and want to listen to all the sounds of Sasha’s pops, mood the sound is Already on Spotify.)

one side where mood distinguish himself from Fleabag is its length – where FleabagIt only lasts about half an hour. mood It is a full season of six episodes of 45 minutes. over here, mood She feels a touch too long, and in the meantime, she indulges in a lot of drama for her own good. Although the series looks like a drama, most of the episodes are quite dramatic. Watching sometimes becomes boring, unlike effortless creators may destroy you or breezy Fleabag.

However, with the two shows out of our zeitgeist, we need a new hero to guide us through the perils of womanhood. Sasha has to be her, with Nicole Leakey emerging as an incredibly talented writer, singer, and actress. mood May not live up to Fleabag Comparisons, but with the musical aspect and the addition of OnlyFans, the series refreshes the material enough to tempt it.

mood It will debut on BBC America and AMC+ on November 6.