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★★★
Directed by: Lee Foster, Tito Guillen
Written by: Nicole Simone, Tito Guillen
Starring: Nicole Simone, James Darch
Olivia (Nicole Simone) is looking for a boy. Harry (James Darch), a divorcee, is looking for a girl. After encountering a series of unsuccessful dates, the duo comes face-to-face at a bar owned by Harry. The two become comfortable with each other almost instantly. The attraction is so strong that near the end of the first episode, they decide to be a couple in a relationship. Olivia, however, comes bearing a list. If you want to be with her, you have to complete the tasks on this list. Harry is game.
It starts off innocently with a couple of drinks and some questions like their first impression about each other or who they are reminded of while looking at the other’s face. The next objective requires them to post a picture together on Instagram, and the third one asks them to “see each other’s porn history.” It’s good that neither Olivia nor Harry use the incognito tab for porn, or else they would have gotten stuck here. These specific activities bring these characters closer to one another and provide us with some background. For instance, we come to know that Harry had won a science fair, and Olivia is the “crazy one” in this relationship. She suggests mashing faces to find out what their future kid would look like. If that’s not enough, she has included “get food poisoning” in the list.
I don’t mean to paint Olivia as an unhinged psycho. This list is nothing but a test to determine whether Harry is crazy enough to accept Olivia as she is. There is no deception, no filter, and no veil masking their mannerisms. What you see is what you get. If you like it, take it. Otherwise, leave. Harry and Olivia are incredibly open and casual about past relationships. They do not shy away from talking about their sex lives. The characters are good-looking and charming, and witty, and are completely at ease.
On a List consists of 8 episodes, and each lasts for about five or six minutes. The strength of this series lies in the tête-à-tête. I liked the way Olivia and Harry connected and spoke to each other. What’s less interesting are the songs in the background and all the kissing scenes. They try to make everything appear more cutesy. Whenever the couple kissed, the act seemed more forced than natural. The lovemaking always felt jarring to me. It just didn’t fit in the scene.
I have conflicting opinions on the last episode that takes an unpredictable turn for the second season to take place. With respect to “TV show logic,” it feels out of place as it’s not set up properly and hits us suddenly with an obstacle in hand. But when introspected through the prism of reality, it starts to make some sense because of the unforeseeable facet of real life. Things deviate from their original plan, and romance suffers from volatile developments. The same happens with Olivia and Henry. Whether you buy into this theory or not depends on your taste. Your taste would additionally elect whether to keep On a List on your recommendation list or not.
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