Girlboss: Season 1

Oh wow. In spite of my apprehension, I kind of really loved this. Netflix puts out a new season of television every week at this point, really, so it's no surprise that a lot of them fly under the radar or get panned or ignored by critics. This one just kind of popped up one day on Netflix, and with my newfound sense of trying more shows and quickly axing them as needed, I decided to give it a go. I thought I'd watch an episode or two, laugh at it (not with it), and whip up a quick :they can't all be winners" paragraph in my next TV dump post.

But - no! I liked this. And I think I've figured out several reasons why.

It's a half-hour show based on a true story.

Biopics are a dime a dozen. Television biopics are a bit more rare. But TV biopic comedies? Yeah, this is something novel, certainly. Closest thing I can think of is Aziz Ansari's Master of None very loosely being based on some of his life experiences - but that show was a collection of episodes whereas this one's an actual story, progressing from a beginning point to an ending point.

The title's a complete misnomer.

When you hear "Girlboss," you might cringe a little, picturing something between a Hillary Clinton empowerment ad, Beyonce's Instagram, and thousands of millennials screaming "yaaaaass quaaaaaaayn!" in tandem. This, I assure you, is nothing like that. It's about a girl (a woman? a young woman) named Sophia who, in 2006, decides to start flipping vintage clothes on eBay. She's no one's boss but her own, up until the very end of the season, and the "boss" in the title has more to do with her take-no-bullshit attitude than with her actual position in any company.

The main character is endearing without being likable.

One of the main criticisms of this show has been that Sophia is kind of an unlikable asshole. And her actress, Britt Robertson - great performance, by the way, capturing the fire and spunk and despair and huffiness and ego and fear of a 23-year-old flipping vintage clothes for profit - has apparently had to defend the character and the show by saying that you aren't supposed to like Sophia. Personally, I'm calling bullshit on both of those attitudes. Sophia's all kinds of fiery and spunky and, shit, I know this kind of runs counter to the idea of female empowerment, but half the time I just found her to be adorable. I found happiness in her joy, I laughed at her anger - you know what I mean? There are plenty of true "bad people" on television, people you wouldn't want to hang out with or work with, and I just don't think this isn't one of them. I wanted her to succeed, not fail. That's not always easy!

It's a feel good show.

And she does succeed. Mostly. Intermittently. This is, weirdly, despite its title, kind of a bootstraps-conservative type of show. Cite white privilege if you want - not sure how much it matters when it comes to building an online business, really - but Sophia succeeds because Sophia works her ass off at what she does. And it's all just enjoyable to watch!

It's full of mid-2000s nostalgia.

Sometimes it even feels shoehorned in, but, fuck it. Give me that Modest Mouse. Give me episodes based on a spat between two friends over whether or not they're in each other's Top 8. Give me references to Lost and to The OC. Let me soak in the glory of pre-Twitter web design.

It's got plenty of familiar faces in small roles.

Dean Norris, Jim Rash, and Norm Macdonald all appear in multiple episodes each.

The episodes are, truly, episodes.

This is more of a given with the half-hour format, but Girlboss was not, whatsoever, one long movie chopped into thirteen pieces like so many modern dramas say they are. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of Sophia's journey from hapless, directionless, penniless angry girl with an eye for fashion to successful burgeoning businesswoman.

It stands alone perfectly, but there's plenty of room to grow.

The first season ends with - minor spoilers - Sophia successfully launching her own website, finally free from the restraints of eBay, having overcome some issues in her personal life. It's a complete story, but there are plenty of places to take a second season. How does Sophia actually handle being a boss? How does her relationship with her father evolve? Where does her love life go from here? What about her standing with her best friend? Does she turn into an even bigger asshole, success getting to her head? Does the pressure of running a business wear on her? Let's see! No, really, let's see a second season. Come on, Netflix, you guys renew anything and everything.

Feels like I'm the only person on the Internet who enjoyed this, and I'm a 9-to-5-workin' straight man approaching thirty. Huh.