In fact, the only time Jess is ever told she is ‘too much,’ is following a wild West London dinner party in episode 4, that sees her ending up doing coke in the bath with the boss’s wife (Naomi Watts). Felix turns to her afterwards, while she’s babbling away in a moon-dappled Notting Hill square and says, “You’re too much.” When Jess takes offence, he responds, “No, too much like a good thing. Like just the right amount and then a little bit more.” The subversion of this classic misogynistic trope is glorious to see.
And even in the moment that Jess’s life could have imploded through an embarrassing viral social media mishap, she steps up, distracting herself by seizing control of a disaster at work and has the best day of her career (with the help of Rita Ora dressed as Santa). Which inevitably leads to the fragile-egoed Felix not coping with her success, treating her appallingly and going on a rampage of self-destruction.
(Side note, I cannot tell you the amount of times I too have encountered a fragile-egoed manchild not coping with my career success and treating me appallingly.)
Netflix
Of course, Dunham has got form for showing the messy, glorious realities of womanhood and sisterhood on screen. It’s her USP and what catapulted her to global stardom, (via a few messy personal controversies herself,) and made her debut TV show, Girls such ground-breaking television in the 2010s.
But whereas Girls had an edge that was gritty, navel-gazing and at times, bleak, Too Much is more robust, more fun, more hopeful, more romantic. Although it also doesn’t shy away from tougher storylines including abortion and the legacy of child sexual abuse.
In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, Dunham reflected on the difference between the two shows and how much softer Too Much is compared to the brutality and brittleness of Girls. “That was clearly a reflection of how I saw my twenties,” she said. “I also felt in my twenties there was something embarrassing about writing things that were saccharine or sincere or happy. I was much more interested in irony and satire and harshness and scandalising people. I felt like I needed to reflect the toughest aspects of life back to people so that they would feel less alone. And now I think maybe you can reflect the sweeter parts of life to people so they can feel hopeful.”
And hopeful is exactly how Too Much makes you feel and also what we all need right now. And lastly, dear reader, I did eventually like Jess, finally find a wonderful, handsome, sensitive, kind, creative man – with his fair share of baggage too – who, like Felix, found my own ‘too much’ behaviour to be just the right amount and then a little bit more. There is hope out there for us all, I promise!
Too Much is streaming now on Netflix.
