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Feel Good

Introspective comedy-drama achieves closure with many belly laughs amid the soul searching
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Feel Good

Introspective comedy-drama achieves closure with many belly laughs amid the soul searching

Just as the 2020 lockdown first hit, a gem arrived on Channel 4 to help ease some of the anxiety. Which is massively ironic, given that Feel Good often does everything possible to be the opposite of its title. Mae Martin and Joe Hampson's comedy series leans heavily on aspects of UK-based Canadian stand-up Martin's own life history, but the spread of its concerns are truly universal: how do you find love in a messed-up world, especially when your own psychological damage tends to overshadow everything? But hey, don't worry, there were plenty laughs to be had alongside the deep-dive soul-searching, audience bellies aching while their hearts were splitting in two.

In this second and final batch (relocated from Channel 4 to Netflix for reasons best known to the parties involved), the introspection levels are cranked up, with Mae having a very short spell in rehab back home in Canada before finally deciding to confront both her feelings for George (Charlotte Ritchie, surely heading towards national-treasure status) as well as dark matters which occurred in her teenage years. For a show that's all about getting emotions out in the open, it does seem odd when it has a tiny sideswipe at group therapies with characters saying things like 'helping you grow and flourish is so rewarding' and 'can we have a group hug for closure?' Mining those moments for laughs is a brief misstep in a comedy-drama that plays all its angles near perfectly (there is a brief tree-hugging moment that is too sweet to be cynical).

Martin and Hampson always envisioned Feel Good to fit into the classic British sitcom format of 12 episodes over two series, so there are a lot of loose ends being tied with Mae tackling those who wronged her in the past, from the comedian who got a little too touchy-feely in the green room to the old flatmate who abused his position as a figure of salvation. But again, fear not if this all sounds just way too heavy, as there are plenty moments of levity, such as the great sequence of a social activism showcase that piles gag on top of gag. Plus, there's fine supporting action from the likes of Jack Barry as a clumsy comedian who holds a barely hidden torch for Mae, Phil 'Dr Brown' Burgers as a flatmate obsessed with tracking down his father, and Eleanor Matsuura as Mae's over-demanding new agent.

It might not feel great that Feel Good is now over, but there is probably only so much chat about safe spaces and coping mechanisms that one programme can throw out before it becomes a burden. And it's a massive relief that Feel Good also remembers to be one of the funniest shows on TV.

Netflix.

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