Sheltered In Shenanigans: Feel Good

Have you ever randomly started watching a show at like 1 am and then not been able to stop? Well, that’s what happened with the next show in my Sheltered in Shenanigans series, Netflix’s Feel Good. Feel Good was created by Canadian comedian, Mae Martin, and Joe Hampson. The show is based in the UK and airs on Channel 4, with Netflix handling international distribution. Feel Good focuses on stand up comedian, Mae (who is essentially playing a heightened more dramatized version of herself) as she navigates career, dating, and addiction. Essentially the show is just 6 episodes of Mae being a hot mess in every aspect of her life. We get to see Mae struggle in a new relationship with a woman, George, who has never been in a relationship with another woman before. Various aspects of the struggles she faces while in that relationship, which in and of itself is a struggle, include: family issues, gender identity, career problems, mental health, and battling sobriety. If you name it, Mae might be going through it, which just makes her all the more endearing? Something about Mae draws you in and allows you to feel her pain and make you want to root for her, while also wanting to slap some sense into her. 

Channel 4

I found myself curled up in my bed from about 1 am until 4 am on a random night (I couldn’t even try to tell you what day of the week it was because differentiating days is almost meaningless at this point) getting lost in the world that Mae Martin and Joe Hampson set up. The show’s title is Feel Good, but one of the main feelings I had throughout the show was STRESS. I was on edge the whole time, just waiting for something to happen. What was I waiting for? I couldn’t tell you, but it just felt like something was looming over me while I watched it, which is probably why I finished it so quickly. I just HAD to know what was going to happen. The show was so funny and also so sad and intentionally uncomfortable. I one-hundred percent experienced a bit of secondhand embarrassment for multiple characters throughout this show, but I simply could not look away. Feel Good was uncomfortably enjoyable and captivating. It balances comedy and drama so well (I laughed and I cried so it seems like a good balance to me) and it is a very quick watch. I recommend this show if you have nothing else to do or watch; I also recommend this show if you have a laundry list of tasks to complete because I believe that this extremely specific story is one that people can connect to (even if they can’t sit there and say “same”). 

Stream Feel Good on Netflix (it’s been renewed for a second season) and stay inside (even if your state said outside is back in business).