“At the time this picture was taken, not one of these fourth graders was in a serious or committed relationship.” In a faded class picture, children sit at their desks, each one smiling at the camera. One by one, the children vanish from the picture, leaving behind a relationship status, a blurb that reads “Married in 2004” or “Civil Union in 2009”. Eventually, only one student remains, a girl in an empty classroom and without a status. As Weird Loners begins, the child’s school photo is replaced with a shot of her current self.
That self is Caryn (Becki Newton), and she’s on a date. Her handsome counterpart appears at a distance, the glasses of wine and table decorations creating a wall between him and the overeager Caryn. He edges away from her and the camera, and calls for the check. Her disappointed face provides a new portrait, her relationship status no different from what is was in grade school.
Caryn is one of four relationship-challenged 30-somethings in Weird Loners, a self-described “unromantic” comedy series. All four live in the same building in Queens, an arrangement established in the series premiere.
Read more of Judy Hur's review here.
March 31, 2015