DISCLAIMER: THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS
I was a bit skeptical about watching Love in the Time of Corona for fear of it being cliche or unrealistic, but I was pleasantly surprised with the show and how it portrayed quarantine life.
The show is a mini-series with only four episodes. I was initially unsure of how the show would take its course over only four episodes, but it turned out to be the perfect amount of time for the stories to unfold.
Similarly to Love Actually, this show follows four different storylines and groups of characters who ultimately come together at the end (and it is revealed that they all somehow know each other).
The first storyline is a pair of best friends in their 20s. Their main issue: the girl, Elle, is in love with her genderfluid best friend, Oscar, but she doesn’t know how to tell them since she doesn’t know if they feel the same.
So, the two explore online dating apps to find someone for each other, and Oscar ends up falling for the guy Elle picks out for them. I won’t spoil the show, but Elle also ends up becoming interested in her next-door neighbor (who constantly showers outside, of course) and doesn’t know where things fall with Oscar. What made this storyline so interesting was that it didn’t seem fake— so many people turned to dating apps during quarantine, and a lot of people actually found love through them. These two best friends are a perfect example of how confusing and powerful love can be during times like these.
The second storyline is a mother, father, and daughter. Their main issue: the mother and father are separated, and the daughter doesn’t know.
Sophie, a college student sent home after her school has closed, now has to face being stuck at home with her parents for five months. To make things worse, her college boyfriend has just broken up with her in a text and she doesn’t know that her parents are actually separated. This storyline is also very interesting because it accurately depicts how teenagers felt during quarantine. Stupidly, Sophie goes to a party during quarantine, which is reckless and dumb, but it also shows how a lot of teenagers were ignorant of the reality of the pandemic and didn’t know the whole truth. The storyline also follows Sophie’s parents, who grow closer during quarantine and begin to second guess their decision to separate.
The third storyline is an old woman and her husband. Their main issue: the husband is stuck in a facility during quarantine due to his worsening dementia.
Nanda is planning a 50th-anniversary celebration for her and her husband, Charles. Although Charles is in a facility for his dementia, they video chat each night over dinner to catch up. Video chats over FaceTime and Zoom increased exponentially over quarantine, and it was intriguing to see that played out in a TV show. Calling family and friends was such a routine for me during quarantine, so it definitely made the show feel more realistic and in touch with what life was (and still is) really like. Nanda also surprises Charles through the window in his room at the facility, which became a common thing over quarantine. This storyline also follows some family matters, where Nanda’s son Dedrick has unresolved issues with his father.
The fourth storyline is a young married couple. Their main issue: she wants to have another baby, but he doesn’t know if he wants to bring another child into the world.
Sade and James are young parents to their firstborn, Charlie. However, since James was away most of the time for his job, Sade had to face a lot of new parent issues on her own. Now that James is back home from his job during quarantine, Sade wants to have another baby so that he can be there for the pregnancy. However, the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery causes James to feel angry and horrified by the world we live in (and rightly so). He does not know if he wants to bring another child into a world that may put them down and cause them to suffer. This storyline was probably the most impactful because it touched on Black Lives Matter and how it was a major part of quarantine.
It’s not easy to make a show about quarantine— these past few months have been so hard for so many people in the world. Making this show could have seemed a little controversial simply because some people may think it makes light of a horrible situation. But the way that this show uses love as something both tragic and beautiful depicts quarantine exactly right. These past few months have been something none of us ever expected; we lost so many lives and so many loved ones. But what came out of that experience was a united love that spread across the whole world. Like the last episode of this series shows, “you can’t quarantine love.”
This show isn’t on Hulu for much longer, so make sure you watch it soon! Check out the trailer here.
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