Web Series Review: ‘Pandemic Pillow Talk’ Is a Delightful Take On Online Dating
Is it safe to say that the world is bleak right now? A quick scroll through Twitter, Facebook, or goddess forbid, LinkedIn will confirm that no one is doing okay. However, there are some bright spots beneath the darkness. Take, for example, some of the wonderful projects folks publish on platforms, such as TikTok and Vimeo. With little to no budget, creators from all walks of life are banding together to develop content, like the fantastic Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical and the emotionally poignant web series, Do Better.
With their delightfully new web series, triple-threat creator/producer/actor Summer Moore and producer Starr Session will bring their viewers a little joy in their life. Though Pandemic Pillow Talk takes most of its cues from other rom-coms like New Girl and The Mindy Project, its breezy storytelling and solid performances make for an entertaining good time.
Pandemic Pillow Talk is a women-led web series that follows single marketing worker bee Mackenzie (Moore) as she searches for a potential husband after breaking up with her cheating boyfriend. Luckily for her, more people are giving online dating a shot since COVID-19 isolation and depression are through the roof. For Mackenzie, math is on her side as 2,220.25 men meet her qualifications in a romantic partner, which happens to be the exact number of residents who live in Westmorland, California.
Unfortunately, Mackenzie’s parents prevent her from finding a husband as they relentlessly butt into her love life. No matter how hard the single woman tries to stop them, Bertha (Eliza Roberts) and Buck (Eric Roberts) will find a way to bomb her video dates. So, the unlucky in love woman must navigate the woes of dating during the pandemic and her nosy parents before she grows old — or worse, becomes a crazy cat lady.
Pandemic Pillow Talk may not be an original concept, but its premise is relatable and engaging. Like many single women in her age group, Mackenzie must leapfrog over many pitfalls to find the man of her dreams. Sure, the numbers are in her favor. But as the woman quickly learns, quality matters more than quantity when finding a mate. Not only does the single lady have to navigate these tepid waters during a plague, but she must do it all while evading her annoying parents. These conflicts are intriguing because it adds much-needed tension to the five-to-seven-minute episodes.
Director Charlotte Marie nicely depicts Mackenzie’s dilemma towards the end of Episode 1, “The Test.” In one of the scenes, Mackenzie plays it cool as she tries to impress her cute date, Dylan (Ali Zahiri). Though she manages to woo him, her mother bombards the chat and reveals to the man that her daughter desperately wants to get married and have babies, much to the detriment of her daughter. This scene works as it allows Moore to show off her acting chops (and telegenic smile) and forces her character into an awkwardly funny situation.
However, the biggest highlight of Pandemic Pillow Talk is the Roberts’ take on Mackenzie’s parents Bertha and Buck. Thanks to their great chemistry, the real-life couple brings so much energy to the web series. There are quite a few fun scenes with the duo that are intriguing, like when they inadvertently fall in love with their daughter’s online date, an attractive French man named Nico (Jean-Francois Poirier) in Episode 4, “A Family Outbreak.” But having said that, these incidents between Mackenzie and her parents may get stale quickly. So, it will be interesting to see if different situations will arise in later episodes.
Pandemic Pillow Talk does not provide the freshest take on dating during a global catastrophe. But its engaging story and chemistry among the cast will lift anyone’s spirits. Overall, Summer Moore and Starr Session have a solid web series in their hands.
