Netflix’s newest Kimmy Schmidt installment ‘Kimmy vs The Reverend’ is presented as a delightfully upbeat choose-your-own-adventure story. The tale unravels through a series of decisions by the viewer (a la Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch).
Once again, Kimmy finds herself confronting her past with the assistance of Titus, Jan (and a mysterious mystery novel). As Kimmy mulls over each ‘whence thither’ the audience is presented with an exploration into the ideas of free will and personal morality.
Kimmy’s journey catapults the viewer from the moments before wedded bliss with a surprising new beau, to face her old demons. There’s still some baggage to discover in Jan that she’s been carrying from her traumatizing situation in the Bunker.
Contrasting this is Titus’s journey as a new star. Jacqueline has gotten him cast as a film’s buff lead and is in his ear nagging him to slim down for the role or lose his new-found fame. For years, viewers have watched the sparse character development of Titus Andromedon with chagrin, but the fat-shaming of this beloved persona is a slap in the face.
Just how amazing of an agent are we to believe Jacqueline if she can have an entire script rewritten but cannot advocate harder for a plus-sized client?
We have to examine the deliberate harm being done. What message is being sent to the queer community when a femme gay black man’s ‘Happily Ever After’ revolves around Beyoncé’s diet plan. Does this reinforce the No Fats/ No Femmes ideal?
Kimmy V the Reverend takes viewers on an endearing trip and makes valid feminist points about causing injury and morality. However, I would implore the writers to widen their lens and explore the other bodies they may be causing harm.
Kimmy Vs The Reverend: A Narrow View Of Happily Ever After
“viewers have watched the sparse character development of Titus Andromedon with chagrin, but the fat-shaming of this beloved persona is a slap in the face.”
Check out our review of Kimmy Vs The Reverend!
