Loveday Writing

This show was the first anthology series I’d ever reviewed and was unique as it had a rotating cast focusing on different types of love. The show’s creators not only directed multiple episodes, but also wrote and starred in the fourth episode (Marion & Eddy). The show would introduce the characters and how long they were staying at the house with a title card at the beginning of each episode.

The first episode focused on Jules & Tom, a married and childless couple, and Jonah & Steph, another married couple with a toddler, who are old friends who spend time together at the beach holiday house every year. While they have been friends for a long time, it’s clear that they’ve drifted apart, and tension is present throughout the episode. By the end of the episode, after a huge fight, Jules & Tom leave early and it’s clear that their friendship with Jonah & Steph has ended.

The second episode focused on Kelly & Craig, a long-term interracial couple, who are staying at the beach holiday house for six nights after visiting Kelly’s mother. When Kelly realises she left her sunglasses behind, Craig tells her he’ll buy her a new pair, and when they go to a nearby surf shop, she experiences racism from the cashier, which is prevented from going further when Craig walks in, although he dismisses Kelly’s claim that the cashier was being racist when she tells him about the interaction.

Later in the episode, they hit a joey with their car and have to look after it overnight, which leads to them arguing over looking after it, and in turn over having children, specifically a half-Indigenous child, with Kelly calling Craig out on his ignorance due to both his white heritage and kind nature. They make up at the end of the episode, with Craig telling Kelly he’ll try to learn about her heritage and do better, and that he does want to have children with her. The episode ends with the joey being picked up by a Wildlife Rescue ranger.

The third episode focuses more on family love with long-term couple, Imran & Nabilah. Imran has booked the house for two nights as he has a booked a gig at the local Surf Lifesaving Club for his band, although it’s soon revealed that he booked the gig to avoid meeting Nabilah’s family. However, another problem arises when his estranged father, Javeed, shows up unexpectedly.

Later in the episode, Nabilah and her family show up, which puts Imran under more stress, culminating in him freaking out and going for a swim in the ocean. Afterwards, Nabilah tells Imran that Javeed came to see him as he’s about to go to jail for fraud, and they have a fight, which leads to Nabilah breaking up with him. Imran confronts Javeed about the fraud and leaving him as a child, refusing his request to be a character witness. Imran makes up with Nabilah and her family, and his band’s gig is a success.

The fourth episode and the halfway point of the season, explores a double booking accidentally being made with Marion & Eddy. While they clash almost immediately upon meeting and throughout the episode, they do manage to bond over their respective failed marriages, and Eddy encourages Marion to express her feelings to her son, Josh, over his last minute decision not to visit her as he promised. The episode ends with them starting a romantic relationship.

The fifth episode focuses on a same-sex couple, Luke & Olly. They are staying at the beach holiday house to celebrate their anniversary, however tension is present throughout the episode due to the wealth gap between them, and they try to surprise each other for their anniversary: Luke with downloading a casual sex app to set up a threesome for them, and Olly trying to cook a special dinner all by himself (despite his lack of cooking experience).

The tension comes to a head when Olly flees the threesome as it awkwardly starts and calls Luke out for planning it without talking to him first, and Luke lashes out at Olly because he has to be the adult in the relationship, due to his wealth. Olly then reveals to Luke that he had planned on proposing to him, but they break up instead. They eventually make up the next day and decide not to get married.

The sixth episode focuses on Charlie & Zeke, a married couple going through a trial separation. Charlie booked the beach holiday house (like she did in previous years) for their anniversary, however Zeke and Charlie’s cousin, Ben, show up as he received the booking confirmation email. Charlie calls her cousin, Finlay, to visit and go out with her.

Things continue to go awry for both Charlie and Zeke throughout the episode, with Charlie’s online date wanting to leave as soon as he meets Zeke, and Zeke and Ben trying to buy marijuana as they think they have to use vegetable code names, only to actually order eggplants from a farmer, Roger, who they end up befriending. However, a storm traps them all inside the house and they’re forced to play a board game to pass the time.

Tensions between Charlie & Zeke come to a head as the game progresses, culminating in Charlie telling Zeke that she left him as he was always putting himself before her in their marriage. The next day, they run into each other as they are walking on the beach. They both admit to their faults in their marriage failing and Zeke asks Charlie if there’s any hope for them, Charlie says no but agrees to be friends, and they walk away.

The penultimate episode went in a different direction with two sisters, Hannah & Alex, having the beach holiday house for only one night, and not really being able to make the most of it.

The episode doesn’t actually start at the beach holiday house, rather with Hannah sitting in her car in her driveway as she’s feeling overwhelmed. When her sister, Alex, texts her asking to run away, she books the beach holiday house. Two-and-a-half hours after Hannah arrives at the house, Alex finally shows up. After trying and failing to take advantage of a pedicure discount, both Hannah and Alex fall asleep and end up being awoken by the cleaners, who tell them that they’ve slept past the checkout time. Hannah & Alex spend their remaining time on the beach reminiscing about their childhood holidays and talk about how their lives have panned out.

The finale goes in an even different direction by focusing on the cleaners, Becky and Dan, and their niece, Frankie, cleaning the house in-between bookings over the weekend. When Frankie causes trouble for Becky and Dan, she ends up going to the beach. As she leaves, a disabled man in a van, Trevor, sneaks onto the property, looking for the shack that was there years ago. Becky and Dan initially plan to report him to the police, but can’t, as they’ll lose their job over Frankie blocking the pipes by flushing multiple toilet rolls.

Over the course of the episode, Frankie bonds with Trevor, who appears to be terminally ill. Even though Trevor eventually leaves the property, he is found dead in his van by the beach later that day.

I wrote in my review of the finale that the creators’ choice to make this an anthology series with a constant setting and a rotating cast was a good one, as it prevented any story arcs or subplots from dragging out, characters getting boring, and there was something new in every episode. I also appreciated the different types of love explored from sibling, to familial, to romantic. I also appreciated that some of the stars in the series wrote the episodes they appeared in.

I also wrote that as it was an anthology series, I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t renewed, however I would welcome a second season due to its unique premise and structure.