Filled with steamy, dramatic romance, Sex/Life follows the life of suburban mom Billie whose fantasy-charged trip down memory lane collides her married present with her wild-child past.
Photo Credit: Fuor Series (May 2021)
Created by Stacy Rukeyser, Sex/Life is an American drama romance series released this past June on streaming giant Netflix. The series was originally inspired by the novel 44 Chapters About 4 Men written by BB Easton. The storyline is told through the perspective of Billie Connelly, a suburban mom in the midst of both an identity and marriage crisis after a reminiscent journey with her bad boy ex-boyfriend.
Billie Connelly, played by Sarah Shahi, is a former Columbia University psychology PhD candidate, stay-at-home mother of two, and wife to Cooper Connelly. Billie spends her days living in an affluent suburban Connecticut community and raising her two beautiful children. Her husband, Cooper Connelly played by Mike Vogel, is a straightlaced, seemingly perfect husband who acts as “every women’s dream.” Despite Billie having a picture perfect, picket fence life, she finds herself questioning her idyllic existence with Cooper after sensual ex-boyfriend Brad Simon, played by Adam Demos, walks back into her life.
The film is beautifully written and narrates a women-centred approach on sexual discovery and sexual comfortability. In the midst of her married life, Billie reminisces her wild, sexy Manhattan party girl days, constantly self-questioning, “where did that other girl go?” as she begins to feel like a watered-down, wife-mom version of herself. The series is multi-faceted and holds many complex layers that constantly keeps viewers questioning the storyline and the choices each character is faced to make. The film tastefully blends steamy romance scenes with purpose, each scene acting to push and reinforce the storyline.
Containing a refreshing dialogue that’s especially relatable to women, the series is highly relatable to all types of individuals as each character plays such a pivotal role in the development of the storyline. Billie endures identity crisis and rediscovers her sexuality, Brad reflects and contemplates a missed out possibility of a “what if” life with Connelly, and Cooper faces internal conflict on Billie’s actions and finding his own inner happiness and family peace. It’s a series that reflects on the 80/20 rule in relationships and explores themes such as the sustainability of monogamy, what it means to be a sexual being as a women, and stereotypical labels and expectations brought on gender roles.
Overall, Sex/Life is a beautifully crafted series that takes a raw look on sexuality, following your innermost desires, and breaking down the taboo of sex talk. Shahi and Demos does not disappoint in this series, and the ending will have viewers quick to wanting more!
Published by HOLR Magazine.