In “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” the midlife crisis isn’t the biggest problem

A midlife crisis isn’t that bad after all. At least, for 41-year-old Toby Fleishman, the end of his marriage and the subsequent feeling of emptiness also brings with it possibilities. Thanks to dating apps that didn’t exist when he was last single, New York is at the feet of the Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) played liver doctor. One woman after another flies by on his phone, swipe after swipe.

But trouble is in the air, we know: Fleishman Is in Trouble after all, is the title of the tragicomic miniseries in which we get to know Toby. One day, his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) completely disappears from the radar after she unexpectedly drops their two children, ages 11 and 9, at his apartment.

The series is based on the American debut novel of the same name New York Times-journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner. She edited her book herself and made the most important creative choices as showrunner. She didn’t plan to, she would do interviews with big celebrities for the Times. The producers of the series persuaded her, Brodesser-Akner said in an email conversation with NRC. “My vanity quickly agreed with them,” she jokes. It turned out to be a good move, because the smooth style of her book, full of humorous and sharp observations, has been excellently translated to the TV screen. In the US, the series (like the book) was critically acclaimed. It also generated a lot of analysis in the media, even after the last episode. Long pieces appeared about the midlife theme, the privileges of the characters and the honest way in which the heavy sides of motherhood are shown.

Money

A fragment with a madman scream by Claire Danes spawned a series of philosophical reflections on social media. Brodesser-Akner follows all reactions with pleasure. “It started with a book I wrote on my own and it became a series that hundreds of people worked on. Then you’re glad people are watching. But I try not to comment further on the articles. I’ve had my say with the series, now it’s up to the world to have an opinion on it.”

Tension in the marriage arises in part because Toby seems content with the comfortable financial position the family already has, while Rachel, who runs a successful agency, wants to compete with the elite. According to him, she is someone who is only busy climbing the social ladder in the elite Upper East Side neighborhood of the city.

Satire about rich people is doing well at the moment, partly thanks to the series The WhiteLotus and the movie Triangle of Sadness. Fleishman also shows the curious lives of wealthy elite, but is more of a character study. “I think those other titles are more in the ‘rich people are bad’ angle,” says Brodesser-Akner. “There is a satirical aspect to it Fleishman, but it’s about real people. I don’t want to waste my time with people who aren’t. The problems exposed here also arise because they seem to have no other problems. But money is still one issue for them. It’s not about how much money you have, but how much money others have.”

Midlife

Whoever writes about characters with a midlife crisis sometimes cannot avoid certain open doors. How did she try to avoid it? “Certain clichés are always there, usually to underline the shared experience we all have. But within those experiences is everyone’s unique personality and the era in which their own crises take place. The series is about ‘midlife’ in general. I don’t like series or books that ignore the completeness of one’s life. At this point in my life, I am as absorbed in my friendships as I am in my family and career.”

Read also: The review of ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble’

Fleishman Is in Trouble is about much more than the escapades of a divorced doctor who is on the loose. The series also shows how the divorce affects the (social) environment of the Fleishmans. For example, journalist Libby, through a voice-over the narrator of the story, has her own forties crisis, while former college friend Toby reappears in her life. Libby, who writes for a major men’s magazine and feels she has peaked some time ago, at first glance looks most like Brodesser-Akner herself, who once wrote for the magazine. GQ wrote. Everyone who writes is part of every character.

Missing

The series and book stay with Toby’s perspective for a long time. Despite the new situation, his life largely continues, there is no immediate panic about the missing ex. It looks like she shut herself off from the world while staying at a swanky yoga resort. Until it takes a very long time and her disappearance becomes cause for concern. Through flashbacks, also to happy times of the marriage, the relationship gets more layers.

As soon as there is more room for Rachel’s side of the story, earlier scenes also get a different context. Brodesser-Akner felt no pressure to show Rachel’s side of the story right away. “But in the weeks in which the series was broadcast in the US, I hoped that I would not lose people. It’s balancing: how long can you make something ‘one-sided’? Fortunately, we had Jesse Eisenberg, who is compelling in his scenes.”

When Claire Danes is finally given the space to develop her character, you understand why the actress signed on for this series. Danes, who wrote the successful thriller series Homeland carried eight seasons and won several TV awards for it, it seems with Fleishman namely, on her way to her next Emmy. The aforementioned scream is part of a memorable scene in which Rachel tries to expel all the frustrations from her body, almost like an exorcism. “Claire did that scream in one take,” says Brodesser-Akner. “She is a pro in every way. I learned a lot about work ethic just by observing her during the shoot. But she was also very funny between takes. I also learned that from her: if you are good at what you do, you don’t have to take yourself so seriously.”