Overview
FX’s Adults is one of the buzziest new shows around. It’s a show that embraces the realities of life as a Gen-Zer in this chaotic world, and although it’s a laugh-out-loud comedy, it doesn’t shy away from real-world topics. In Season 1, there was an episode devoted to the cost of healthcare in the US, and the cliffhanger saw Paul Baker (Jack Innanen) struggle to immigrate as a Canadian citizen. Season 2 examines even more real-world issues, including language use, fear of aging as women, and our digital footprint. Lucy Freyer, the Australian star who plays Billie Schaeffer, tells Refinery29 that this could be why Adults resonates with so many viewers. Season 2 spoilers follow.
In Season 1, Issa Damani (Amita Rao) takes in a young teenager, Annabelle, who needs an abortion. Due to reproductive laws, she’s had to travel to New York to receive healthcare. The episode escalates, with Annabelle portrayed as an unlikeable, whiny character — but the point is clear. Everybody should have the right to reproductive healthcare, even if they’re annoying. “All of these ideas are packaged in this way that is sort of fun and easy. But when you think about it, you’re like, oh. [There’s] actually a lot to think about,” Freyer laughs.
In Season 2, Episode 7 “C Alert”, Anton Evans (Owen Thiele) gets in trouble when dropping the word “cunt” (complimentary) in a corporate setting. Many people from the LGBQTIA+ communities have taken back this word and use it in a positive way — see PEDESTRIAN.TV’s “cunty” moment with Pedro Pascal here — but it becomes a whole thing with the older, predominantly white NYC executives.
“When we read it, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s so brilliant!’,” Freyer recalls. “It’s about the evolution of language. David Foster Wallace has this essay that he wrote, which is actually a book review of a dictionary called Authority in American Usage and it’s about language.” She goes on to say that some people allow language to evolve, while others hold on to an idea of the traditional use of language. It’s these types of storylines that make us think deeper and keep us hooked.
One of Billie’s biggest hurdles this season is ageing. It sounds laughable, since her character is only 25, but it’s so easy to feel like you’re fighting an invisible clock. Again, it’s relatable. Freyer says she turned 30 while she was filming that particular episode, and was faced with an actor who played a younger version of her. “She’s so lovely and young, and [I thought], this could spin me out. But you know what? I’m exactly where I need to be, this is great,” Freyer says. “I think now ageing, especially for women, everything is happening later. It doesn’t matter. You don’t have any specific timeline… it used to be this idea of life ends when you turn 30, but [now] it’s like life feels like it’s just beginning, and in a big way.”
I think now ageing, especially for women, everything is happening later… [there] used to be this idea of life ends when you turn 30, but [now] it’s like life feels like it’s just beginning.
Part of the reason Freyer thinks the “ticking clock” conversation isn’t as relevant now is due to health technology advances like egg freezing and IVF — another big storyline in Adults Season 2. “Specifically for women who want to have [biological] children, there is that biological clock that sort of starts to play into the way you think about your existence after you turn 30,” the actor says. “I think now with egg freezing, it’s opened up a world for women to be like, actually, you know what? I’m going to throw those things on ice and live my life the way I want to live it, and not [have it] dictated by that timeline.”
Details
The other big drawcard for Adults is that friendship sits at the heart of every episode. Friends are your chosen family, and seeing what Billie and the gang get up to in each episode can either give you nostalgia for earlier days or something to look forward to. “To be able to live with friends when things sort of don’t matter that much is the greatest joy you can possibly have in life,” Freyer declares. “Especially friendship when proximity is easy.”
The actor notes that when you get older, it becomes harder to have regular, quality time with your friends, even just because of location and schedules. But the sweet spot for Adults is the setting: when you still have housemates and can be so entrenched in each other’s lives. “When you’re living with your friends, and you don’t have things on in your life that matter that much, friendships can be the centre of your life,” she says.
“Issa and Billie’s relationship in this season, the way they explore it and how we end up sharing a room… I think that it’s such a beautiful depiction of friendship in your 20s.”
Adults Season 2 is now available to stream on FX.
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Source
Originally published at www.refinery29.com.