On April 1, the first episode of the new American series Made for Love was released on HBO Max. The French release date has not yet been announced. Its originality is that it alternates between a rom com 'with black humor galore and futuristic elements in the Black Mirror way. In the lead role, we find the American actress Cristin Milioti. What is Made for Love, the crazy HBO Max series, worth? The editors of Just Focus give you a preview of episode 1 entitled "You're User One". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvWgNSLIULw&t=10s&ab_channel=HBOMax
The Technical Data Sheet
Made for Love is a series adapted from the novel of the same name by Alissa Nutting, released in 2017. The plot centers on Hazel, a young woman suffocating in a marriage for 10 years with a tech billionaire. She decides to escape when she learns of a chip in her head allowing her husband to monitor her remotely and control her emotions. We can find alongside Cristin Milioti, Billy Magnussek (Maniac), Dan Bakkedahl (Veep), Noma Dumezweni (The Undoing), Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Big Sick) and Augusto Aguilera (Too Old to Die Young). The creators of the series are Alissa Nutting, Dean Bakapolous, Patrick Sommerville (The Leftlovers, Maniac) and Christina Lee. The presence of Patrick Sommerville who has previously worked in two critically successful series already promises beautiful things visual questions and dialogues. Each episode of Made for Love is between 25 minutes and 30 minutes long. Behind the camera, we find for the staging of the series a 100% female cast: a female vision for a female main character, we love it! For the pilot, it is the American Stéphanie Laing, known for directing episodes of the famous comedy series Veep, who directs with as scriptwriter, the four creators including the author of the book. The producers are also the four creators of the series. An important detail because the presence of the author within the production team confirms that the adaptation will stick to his novel. The technical sheet of Made for Love reveals a cocktail of elements to say right now, that it is an unmissable series. She could even be nominated in the most prestigious categories at the next Emmy Awards. Why not a nomination for Cristin Milioti as Best Actress in a Comedy Series?
Cristin Milioti's solid performance
The game of the American actress is striking of accuracy, she manages to vary in this episode between sadness and black humor. Cristin Milioti doesn't play Hazel, she's the character! An important difference that French actress Isabelle Huppert reminds in every interview about her style of play. Recently noticed for his performance in the film Palm Springs, Cristin Mili otionce again shows his enormous talent. One of the striking scenes of the first episode is Hazel emerging from a trapdoor in the middle of the desert. It is quickly understood that she has fled from a not very safe place. You have to wait a while in the episode before you find out. Throughout the episode, Hazel is looking for a new independence. The reason is her rich husband's hold on her. Her husband is billionaire Byron Gogol and he has controlled it through his Gogol technology for 10 years. This scene contrasts with the opening scene where we see an advertisement of the Gogol company (name in English version). With these two scenes, the audience asks themselves a single question, what happened to him to get to this point? A question that the first episode tries to answer with the presence of different flashbacks and back to the present.
A promising first episode
The first episode of Made for Love is promising for the continuation of the series with 8 episodes. The series can count on talented actors, quality staging and a solid script. Stephanie Laing, the director, pays attention to every detail in her episode. The writers have dialogues that are both offbeat, funny and spicy. In front of or behind the camera, the crew does a remarkable job without which Made for Love would not have been the same artistically. The striking example is the pool scene with Hazel and Byron Gogol her husband. Hazel is lounging by the pool. All of a sudden, she is challenged by a piece of glass next to her. Quickly, she realizes that she does not remember breaking a glass. A long silence settles with her husband to stop her, he starts the conversation with her in order to change the subject. Made for Love is unique because the series manages to vary different atmospheres in each scene while keeping the same common thread, which is the mix of offbeat humor and a futuristic series à la Black Mirror. After reading this review of the first episode of Made for Love, it would be unthinkable not to go watch the series when it is available in France. READ ALSO: Review: Palm Springs a touching bittersweet comedy available on Amazon prime video
