![]() Yes, MUL relies heavily on that old pop culture stand-by: The Cinderella story - in which a humble woman magically acquires wealth, happiness, a better wardrobe, and of course a prince. That castle felt especially suitable, given the show’s fairy-tale vibe. I consumed My Unorthodox Life in nearly one gulp, hypnotized by the Haart family - refugees from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Monsey, New York, who emigrate to Manhattan for a life of utter fabulosity. The luxury and visual pleasure are off the charts. In MUL, good-looking people frolic in delectable settings: a sky-high Tribeca penthouse, Paris couture shows, private helicopters, and even an actual medieval French castle - which the gang uses as an AirBNB. Maisel may dress well, but she’s too wholesome and UWS-secular to figure in such comparisons.) ![]() Admittedly, there’s a novel attraction in this-I cannot recall ever seeing overtly Jewish people getting to be as uber-glam, even decadently sexy on TV, as the Haarts. Or at least, it feels less human, foregoing deep exploration of emotion or spirituality in favor of a splashy consumerism that resembles a Jewish version of the Kardashians’ franchise. And next, paradoxically, because MUL feels so much less real than those other series. First, because those shows are dramas and this is reality TV-a supposedly unscripted genre, starring real people. Ultra-orthodox Judaism has been having a pop-culture moment, and I was initially drawn to MUL for its apparent connection to shows such as Unorthodox and (the especially brilliant) Shtisel - which movingly depict people negotiating ( or leaving) their lives within strict religious communities.īut MUL is nothing like those series. ![]() But if you peel back some of its layers, the series actually suggests more complicated answers to these questions. Do glamour and high fashion bring freedom? Is wealth the antidote to a sheltered religious existence? For Julia Haart, matriarch of My Unorthodox Life, the answer seems to be a simple and resounding YES.
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