Summary
Forever season 1 tells the story of a married couple in unfamiliar territory, relaying routine themes of a long-term happy relationship.
The opening episode of Amazon Prime’s Forever was a fascinating account of the long monogamous relationship. A showreel is presented of June and Oscar’s (Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen) relationship, which mostly consists of happy moments and predictable events that you’d expect any married couple to partake in. The cheesiness signalled the ideal marriage living in a safe suburb in California. It is the polar opposite of the unconventional Netflix’s Love or the polyamorous You Me Her.
As the showreel of public displays of affection ended, the married couple discusses their visit to the lake house, a trip they do often for a vacation. And at that moment, you could see the repetitive lifestyle of the same meals and conversations had finally taken a toll on June. Forever succinctly focused on her body language as she tentatively asked her husband if they could venture to a different location, which completely caught him off guard – the suggested destination is a ski resort.
Now, I am not a relationship expert; in fact, the longest relationship I have ever been in is the one I’m in now, with the woman who also happens to be the mother of my child. However, I knew at that moment when June suggested something different, alarm bells went off in Oscar’s head – after 14 years of doing the same thing, and happily, suspicions arise.
Amazon Prime’s Forever was not created to give you a life lesson; in fact, it is an eight-episode comedy series that displays various forms of irony. Changing their married life routine resulted in the death of Oscar, leaving June to deal with life on her own, accusing her selfish self of indirectly killing her husband. Forever takes even stranger turns, with June overcoming the depression to embark on a new career in Hawaii, and whilst on the plane, she does not realise she is allergic to a particular nut and dies.
Forever sees the couple in the afterlife, with the opportunity to enjoy the suburban life once again, with their lake house conveniently in the area. Prime’s Forever does not immediately address what the afterlife actually is, but they can haunt people, which is frowned upon due to specific rules set by the dead. The rest of the season sees the couple adjust to their new unfamiliar territory and make a new life for themselves in an area that is all too familiar. There are times where I believe June is having those thoughts about her marriage again, questioning if it needs something new.
Forever is charming, and the drama will entice, however, it is nothing new in terms of storytelling and if you are a person who does not enjoy watching married couples acting happily married all the time, then Forever is probably not for you. If you enjoy irony, and the overhanging question surrounding long-term relationships, then the drama will at least keep you engaged. Amazon Prime’s Forever is a short and sweet comedy series.
