This review was a tough one to write. As the latest TV project from Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt had a built-in level of expectations, and will be remembered (rightly so, for the most part) as a delightful fish-out-of-water story with above-average comedy and many salient points to be made about society in general.
This is sort of right in Tina Fey’s wheelhouse, as her writing on SNL (back when it was watchable) and 30 Rock made clear. Her understanding of the various social issues plaguing our times helped inform her writing and led to some genuinely heartfelt moments of introspection and reflection on life in general. That being said, her writing and points of view are not without their own problems.
SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN SEASON 4
The final season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is genuinely funny, with enough of the trademark wit and inimitable performances we’ve come to expect from Fey to please the fans. However, as with some of Fey’s other work, there are some jokes that come across as almost deliberately missing the point they are trying to lampoon or comment on. In the beginning of the season, while trying to make a subordinate feel comfortable before firing him, Kimmy unintentionally crosses several boundaries and ends up being accused of sexual harassment.
In these current times, it seems like an odd choice to portray someone in a position of authority as just making an innocent mistake that leads to something awful, especially given how pervasive of a problem this is. Within the context of the show, it’s obvious that Kimmy simply doesn’t understand the “adult world” because of her childlike nature due to her 15-year confinement. But set against our current social backdrop, it just felt like a weird and almost dismissive way to comment on the #MeToo movement.
This isn’t the only example of uncomfortable jokes where I’m not exactly sure what the angle was supposed to be: towards the end of the season, Lillian makes some strange jokes about how women these days don’t know how to take a compliment and all the younger men are running scared. My gut tells me that the way the jokes come across is supposed to be seen as sarcastic, sort of putting on display some of the unfortunate viewpoints held by the more ghoulish members of our society regarding survivors of sexual harassment or abuse. I believe Tina Fey is trying to be supportive and show how asinine those views are, but it felt like a ham-fisted and not altogether effective way to show support. Not everything has to be some deep social commentary, but when you’re known for that sort of material like Tina Fey is, it just seems like it would be handled with more grace (and none of this even touches on the Mr. Frumpus plotline).
None of this is to say that the final episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt did not contain the show’s trademark laugh riots and authentically sweet moments. When Mikey and Titus finally, FINALLY end up back together, it is the most satisfying resolution of a plotline in recent memory. It was torture watching those two, who clearly belonged together, be obstinate and wishy-washy, so wrapping that up nicely was a great move. Also, watching Titus achieve his show-long dream of performing in the Lion King on Broadway was enough to bring some happy tears. Kimmy’s success with her children’s book shows how negative experiences can also lead to positive influences in the lives of others.
Despite the faults, this was a fitting final season to one of the more clever and entertaining shows of the past few years. There were some bumps in the road, and there is not enough room here to delve into the aspects of each and every little plot point (plus, why spoil everything?), but as conclusions to beloved whimsical Netflix programs go, you could do much worse.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt will be missed, but at least it ended before it could really go downhill. One can only hope for a spin-off revolving around Titus and Mikey and their new life together.
