I am now closer to 40 than I am 30, and I’m closer to 50 than I am 25. Coming to the realizatoin that I’m no longer in the highly coveted 18-34 demographic is something that I never even thought about until the past year or so, but now It’s starting to cause what some would call a “midlife crisis.”
Recently, when I was in the midst of another one of my existential crises, my wife and I put the kids down for the bed, popped open a fresh basket of laundry, and looked for a new show to watch while worked our way through countless pairs of Underoos, swimsuits, and toddler clothes that were originally in the “donation” box before every article of clothing became one giant mosh pit of stains and comic book characters.
After searching for a bit, we came across the Apple TV+ original series, Platonic, the 2023 TV show featuring Neighbors co-stars Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen as two former best friends who start hanging out for the first time in years and try to make sense of the world around them. Not only is it a great show that’s absurdly hilarious, it’s also one that’s incredibly relatable for someone like me (and some of you): an older Millennial.
Let me explain…
Plantonic Handles Mid-Life And Mid-Career Crises In An Incredible Way
Over the course of Platonic, former best friends Sylvia (Rose Byrne) and Will (Seth Rogen) reconnect just as they are going through their own midlife crises – the former, who gave up a chance to be an attorney to raise her children, is struggling after her husband was named partner at his firm, and the latter is going through a messy divorce while also getting his bar off the ground. They start hanging out all the time and have a therapeutic yet destabilizing effect on each that makes you question whether or not their friendship is healthy for anyone.
The way the show handles these crises is brilliant and so accurate it’s easy to feel like it was made specifically for you at this specific time in your life. Platonic doesn’t make fun of an existential mess like this, but instead turns your fears about growing older, growing complacent, and losing touch with that “cool” side of yourself into a cathartic experience.
The Show Perfectly Captures What It's Like To Reconnect With An Old Friend
We all have those friends with whom we were as thick as thieves back in the day only to lose touch for one reason or another, and now so much time has passed you don’t know where to start to pick up where you left off. Well, the friendship shared by Sylvia and Will is just that, and honestly could help us all call those buddies and catch up.
When the two old friends meet up in the first episode, it’s awkward, clumsy, and admittedly uncomfortable, which is almost guaranteed to be the case whenever you catch up with someone after years apart. One is opening a bar and still living a partying lifestyle, while the other has a small army of kids at home. They get so wrapped up in no longer having anything in common they almost stop the great rebuild before it begins. But, they get through it and pick up as if no time has passed, and so can we.
The Way The Show Handles The Stresses And Sacrifices Of Parenthood Is Top Notch
No one really tells you this ahead of time (or maybe they do, we just don’t listen), but being a parent is really, really hard. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids to death, and I would do anything to make sure all of their needs are met, but parenthood is tough. It’s stressful, requires you to sacrifice more than you even knew you had, and is an around-the-clock whirlwind of emotions – no mandated break when the three-year-old foreman is awake.
This is especially true for Sylvia, Rose Byrne’s funniest character since appearing in Bridesmaids, throughout the first (and hopefully not only) season of Platonic. Putting her career aspirations on a shelf to die, besides the episode where she briefly re-enters the workforce, the character beautifully illustrates the grueling journey that is parenthood.
The Feeling Of No Longer Being Able To Connect With Your Peers Is Frighteningly Honest
Losing touch with your old friends is a major part of the show, but Platonic also dives into the whole idea of feeling like you can no longer connect with your peers, which can be an equally frightening experience. At the same time, it’s also an incredibly honest examination of friendship as we age.
This is especially true when it comes to Will and his longtime friend and business partner, Andy (Tre Hale), who have a falling out over the direction of their bar and life in general. It sucks watching this falling out happen over the course of the series, but that’s just how things are sometimes. It’s not like one or the other did anything wrong, it’s just the way she goes.
The Show Also Deals With Accepting The Fact You're No Longer Part Of The Young Crowd
Platonic also does an incredible job of tackling something I’m sure all of us have gone through or will go through at some point: accepting the fact you’re no longer part of the young crowd. This is something that is stressed countless times throughout the show, be it Will bleaching his hair and dating a much younger woman and coming to the realization at her birthday party that he’s not about that life, or Sylvia briefly getting back into the workforce and having to start as an associate at a law firm.
I think the show is trying to tell us, “Hey, it’s cool that you’re not that young, hip, tireless college student who could function off a couple hours of sleep and an unbalanced diet.” I’m sure I, and others like me, will eventually come around and learn to accept we’re in the middle. At some point, the “young crowd” will be in the same situation, if that makes you feel any better.
Plantotic Also Shows The Importance Of Simple Pleasures (Like DoorDash And Possible UFO Sightings)
The penultimate episode of the first season features a brief moment my wife and I related to more than pretty much anything else, solely because they deal with two of life’s simple pleasures: late-night DoorDash...
I’ll stop short of giving anything away (seriously, go watch this show), but I’m going to be real and say that DoorDash, Tiger King, and our obsession with Animal Crossing got us through those first few weeks, and months, and years of the COVID-19 pandemic. That combined with the possible UFO sighting in the Season 1 finale left my wife and I thinking that either this is the most relatable show on TV or someone has been spying on our late-night conversations.
Overall, It Does A Wonderful Job Of Saying 'Hey, You'll Figure This Out, Eventually'
Are we supposed to have life figured out? If so, then why are so many people always asking for the true meaning of life? Who knows, but what I do know is that Platonic does a wonderful job of saying “Hey, you’ll figure this out, eventually.” You’ll figure out what you want to do with your job, your bar, your family, etc, at least that’s what happens with the show’s characters.
Like generations that came before us, and those that will follow, we’ve gone through a lot, and we sometimes feel like we’re caught somewhere between the past and future while neglecting our present. Sure, we have a lot to process, and it can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing, but we’ll get there.
I really hope Platonic is brought back for a second season, because this was one of my best TV experiences in some time, and I’d be there day one with my Apple TV+ subscription in hand.
