Rating: 3.5/5
‘Eternally Confused and Eager for Love’ follows Ray, a young man in Mumbai, who struggles to be comfortable around girls. He navigates adulthood and romance along with his inner voice, Wiz. It is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Ray (Vihaan Samat) is awkward around girls but really wants to be with someone. He is advised by his keychain Wiz (voiced by Jim Sarbh), a personification of his inner voice.
His parents (Rahul Bose and Suchitra Pillai) try setting him up with their friends’ daughter but he chickens out on the date. His best friend Riya also tries to set him up with her friends, but to no avail as he keeps avoiding the situation.
He gets even more insecure when his work friend Varun (Ankur Rathee) gets engaged to his fiancee.
Ray and Wiz have constant humorous conversations on how to go about talking to a girl but fail due to one or the other mess up.
What follows is Ray’s tussle with his innate feelings of not being good enough and his will to keep continuing his journey for love.
Performances
Samat is perfectly cast as the awkward boy who has trouble talking to girls. He makes the character completely convincing.
Jim Sarbh is having the time of his life with all the hilarious dialogues Wiz delivers; they’re very Jim Sarbh. He is really making the most of this streaming boom.
Rahul Bose and Suchitra Pillai light up each moment on screen with humorous banter. Bose, especially, excels in playing the worried father giving diaper analogies.
Ankur Rathee and Dalai’s energies perfectly complement Samat’s, as they play his more confident friends with lingering issues of their own.
Positives
The biggest strength of the series is its entertainment value. There’s not one dull moment as Ray and Wiz indulge in constant conversation.
While the humor is quite western, along the lines of shows like Friends and How I Met Your Mother, Director Rahul Nair makes sure it lands by making the most of Jim Sarbh’s phenomenal delivery.
The pacing is well managed. The episodes are not too long, making the most of each and every minute instead of dragging the narrative. The script is tight and well-written, with a plethora of punchy dialogues that elevate the series.
While on the surface, it’s about Ray’s search for love, there’s clever commentary all over the show. It subtly talks about people’s distorted notion of ‘not settling’ because they see some flaw and the naivety of men in making women feel safe.
Ray’s idea of making women feel safe by overtaking is particularly hilarious and shows men don’t quite realize what makes them feel unsafe in the first place.
Negatives
Some scenes, such as when Ray looks at adult websites online and gets pictures on Homerun, are borderline raunchy comedy, which could have easily been avoided to make it a smoother watch.
The insecurity of Ray could have been explored a tad more.
Verdict
‘Eternally Confused and Eager for Love’ is a must-watch for those who enjoy western sitcoms such as How I Met Your Mother and Friends. A lot of young adults from the current generation will find relatable as well.
Also Read: Kareena Kapoor Khan to lead untitled Netflix murder mystery film