‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ cast members talk sexuality, self-discovery
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Actors Pauline Chalamet, Reneé Rapp, Alyah Chanelle Scott and Amrit Kaur star in HBO Max's “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” By Sami Sharfin ssharfin@iu.edu
There are only a handful of shows depicting accurate experiences of college students — especially women in college. Written and produced by Mindy Kaling, “The Sex Lives of College Girls” takes place at the fictional Essex College and tells the stories of girls in college that are not so often told. It’s important for a show like this to exist because it’s about the newfound freedom and self-discovery within the college experience, Pauline Chalamet, who plays Kimberly, said. “College is a very interesting time in one’s life to explore becoming who you are,” Chalamet said in an interview with the Indiana Daily Student. “It’s the beginning of being on your own to then become who you are.” While college is the emblem of independence and exploration, the freshman mindset often includes thinking everyone has their life together. Channeling their characters required each cast member to go back to their freshman year of college, along with this way of thinking. “In college, people are starting to talk more openly about sex,” Chalamet said. “You think everybody has it figured out, but they don’t.” The show’s openness in discussing sex and exploring relationships is IU junior
Radhika Krishnamurthy’s favorite part of the ten-episode series. “In college, there’s just so much exploration with relationships,” Krishnamurthy said. “That’s my favorite part about the show because you can’t really talk about these topics in a high school environment without crossing too many boundaries.” In addition to relationship exploration, Alyah Chanelle Scott, who plays Whitney, said college is truly the first time you’re able to explore your own identity. “When you’re at home, you’re often held to the ideas that exist of you because of your family, friends and peers,” Scott said. “When it’s your first time being on your own, you exist as yourself, decide who you are and how you want to move through the world.” For a character like Bela, played by Amrit Kaur, college allows her to explore herself sexually in ways she never could growing up in a conservative, South Asian household. Krishnamurthy said she knows a lot of people like Bela who had been “sexually starved” prior to attending college. Kaur said Bela provides a more realistic representation of South Asians compared to what is often reflected through the entertainment industry. She said Bela’s sexual exploration and experiences broke down barriers and stereotypes related to how South Asians are portrayed in me-
dia. “Bela has expanded and diminished the narrative that South Asians don’t have sex,” Kaur said. “Everyone is having sex, and we are having sex as well.” While the series openly discusses sexuality in different ways and explores different levels of relationships, the way in which Reneé Rapp’s character Leighton grapples with her sexuality is something many people, including the actress herself, can relate to. “Sometimes, gay or queer characters deal with a parental, religious or valueoriented barrier that they’re struggling with,” Rapp said. “Something that happens with Leighton, and is more similar to how it happened to me as a kid, is that it’s so internal and so homophobic inside her own body as opposed to outward figures constantly telling her who she can and cannot be.” Heading into the second season, the cast mentioned many issues they’d like to tackle. These issues include interracial identities and relationships, the obstacles in female friendships and seeing more of the dynamic between the four women. HBO Max announced Dec. 7 it would renew “The Sex Lives of College Girls” for a second season. The final two episodes of the first season debuted Thursday, Dec. 9.
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This article was orginally published on Dec. 12, 2021.
COLUMN: Killing a show with a third season
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Asa Butterfield and Mimi Keene star in season three of "Sex Education," which premiered Sept. 17, 2021. By Curren Gauss
curgauss@iu.edu | @currenegauss
As a frequent Netflix watcher, I consume a good deal of media. From television shows to limited series to a closed-caption version of “Squid Game,” I enjoy the platform a lot. Recently though, the season three releases from various shows have made me question the need for these stories to be continued. I came to the conclusion that a narrative can only be stretched so long. After the second season of “You,” a psychological thriller series on Netflix, I didn’t feel like I needed more. Sure, I want the sociopathic narrator Joe to be served justice, but sometimes I think a story is left better off open-ended — especially with the route the third season has taken. The release was not only underwhelming as a viewer, but the plot lines felt frazzled, like the writers were grasping to create a compelling arc for both Joe and his wife Love. Instead of character development, we saw them go unchanged, some-
thing that could’ve been left in season two. Other Netflix shows, like British comedy “Sex Education,” have had a similar fate, with the third season feeling dull compared to the previous two. An added punch is the “Sex Education” H&M line of themed clothes and accessories, making the show seem even more insincere, and personally, making me dislike the third season all the more. “You” and “Sex Education” have been set up logistically to continue into a fourth season, something that will likely only stretch already thin story lines even thinner. Both programs had strong first and second seasons. Sure, “You” is a campy, watered-down version of a true thriller and “Sex Education” relies on an ensemble cast and leaves their main characters left generally underdeveloped, but I liked them. The soap-opera nature of “You” made it easy to binge and “Sex Education” discussed teenage sex-life in a positive way. Still, that’s not enough
to warrant a season three, much less a season four. Some shows, like my alltime favorite “Arrested Development,” got cancelled after season three, leaving the show in a beautiful place with plot lines tied up and characters meeting a satisfying end. I thought it made a perfect series finale — only to be renewed almost seven years later by Netflix, ruining the ending entirely. This is not to say Netflix runs a show too far. In my eyes, it’s a fate any program can meet. If there is a certain demand and high enough ratings, I can understand how something may be continued on, even if it affects the overall integrity of the characters and plot. Sometimes, a show doesn’t have to go on. Not everything needs a spin-off or a third season or a separate holiday special. A show can simply be a show, contained to its narrative and kept in its own little world — sometimes it’s better that way. This article was orginally published on Oct. 27, 2021.
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