Sharon Horgan is among my favorite TV writers. I really enjoyed "Catastrophe," "Divorce," and the first season of "Bad Sisters." (Horgan's apparently groundbreaking series--"Pulling"--seems to be unavailable in the US, though I've tried.)
Horgan is so important to me, she has changed my reading choices. I don't really listen to anyone regarding book recommendations. But I'll listen to Sharon Horgan--she has directed me to "Rosemary's Baby" and to the Dolly Alderton novel "Good Material."
One of my Mount Rushmore selections, in terms of serialized narrative, is Adam Goldman's "The Outs." Goldman was inspired to write this because of Sharon Horgan's "Pulling."
So I was pleased by the arrival of "Youth." The pilot is standard Sharon Horgan: The Horgan character, Alex, turns sixty and gets arthritis in her jaw, meaning she can no longer give BJs. She hasn't had sex in four years; it's the *idea* of BJs that has been interesting to her.
But my favorite moment involves a bus. Alex is late; she bangs on the window of the city bus to gain admission. The driver smugly says, "Don't bang on the bus." And Alex--unable to resist--makes a reply. "I really don't think it's injured."
But the reply is cut short, because the driver has swerved into traffic. The swerve causes Alex to fly through the air and land on her tailbone. This captures what I love about Sharon Horgan. It's the absurdity of pushing back against an indifferent universe. Right now, I'm feuding with my child's awful principal. I'm eager to "score points"--I spend my days thinking about cutting remarks I can smuggle into a school meeting. This is so silly, because the principal couldn't care less. There is no "victory" when your opponent isn't aware that you exist.
It's this sort of observation that makes me love Sharon Horgan. She makes me feel less alone.
P.S. There is also a great digression about the idea of licking septuagenarian testicles.
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