Unbreakable. What does this word mean. Synonyms for this word include indestructible, shatterproof, durable, and long-lasting. You get the picture. So how is this the perfect way to describe my new favorite character, Kimmy Schmidt? Tina Fey’s latest brilliant creation, along with 30 Rock producer Robert Carlock is called Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and has been welcomed to Netflix with open arms. The premise is that when Kimmy Schmidt was 14 years old, she was abducted and sent to live in an underground bunker with an apocalypse cult. She lived there with three other women for 15 years until she was rescued, where the first episode begins. Instead of returning to Durnsville, Indiana where the cult was located, Kimmy starts a new life in New York. You would think that 15 years of living in a bunker with no natural lighting, limited activities, no food, and with the same people that a person would come out depressed, lonely, and angry. Kimmy approaches her life with the same naiveté and enthusiasm as, well, 30 Rock’s Kenneth “The Page” Parcell. Kimmy finds herself a roommate, the ever-so-dramatic and sassy Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) and a crazed landlord Lillian, (Carol Kane) who shares some hilarious one-liners. In terms of finding a job to support herself, Kimmy looks no further than the extremely wealthy, New York-private school mothers and finds a gig as a nanny. Her boss is Jacqueline Voorhees (Jane Krakowski, known for her role as the wickedly self-centered extravagant Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock), the wife of a Manhattan businessman with hidden secrets of her own. Also, her step-daughter’s name is Xanthippe Lannister Voorhees which is the coolest thing ever. (This show should win an Emmy just for names.) Jacqueline’s lines are also expertly crafted to reflect the ridiculousness of society today, plastic surgery for your toes anyone?
What drives the show is Kimmy’s uncanny ability to share her optimism with the world. Unlike the optimism of Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation, Kimmy knows that everything that the average person thinks is bad is not the worst that can happen. Let’s face it. A bad day to the average person is showing up late somewhere important, not enough likes on an Instagram or Facebook post, and of course, a bad hair/outfit/beauty day. We take everything in our society as a big deal. However, a bad day according to Kimmy is not having food to eat, sunlight to see, being fed complete nonsense from a priest who thinks rapture is on the rise, Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (played magnificently by the devilishly handsome Jon Hamm), and of course the constant fear of never knowing if she will see the light of day ever again. What we see as the end of the world, Kimmy thinks is the best thing ever because she has seen the end of the world (or so she has been told). Kimmy teaches Titus that the world is for living and exploring, not for being stuck in one place complaining about how awful everything is. Kimmy also notices the good in everyone. She knows that being nice to people could get you further in life. Most importantly, Kimmy knows how precious life is and how to appreciate the little things. Everything we take for granted, Kimmy sees as something special. The show is surprisingly dark underneath its zany exterior. Throughout the thirteen episodes one is able to binge watch on Netflix, the audience is able to learn about the darker sides of life through the eyes of someone who has “seen it all.” Kimmy is able to solve problems even for the darkest of people.
The shows brilliant theme song takes place in the form of an auto-tuned version of the news of Kimmy’s release, based on the famed “Bed Intruder Song” of 2011. For reference that song made the line “Hide yo kids, hide yo wife” a popular phrase in American culture. The lyrics to the song are as follows:
“Unbreakable
They alive Dammit
It’s America
Unbreakable
They alive Dammit
Cause females are strong as hell”
Those last five words sum up the show to me. Kimmy Schmidt teaches the world that females are strong and can survive anything. Women don’t need men to break down walls or doors to get us out of sticky situations. Women don’t need men for sexual reasons to make us feel comfortable when we are feeling down. However, most importantly, women are unbreakable and there is nothing that can tear us down. Though women are vulnerable, we are strong. I can’t wait to watch even more of Tina Fey’s brilliance through the unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Picture Sources:http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/i/UPI-7641420832030/2015/1/14208338885740/Elli…