Not Dead Yet’s Whole Divorce Storyline Is Beyond Mediocre, Fans Say
Not every character in a show has to have relationship problems.
The soap opera Not Dead Yet was released in 2023 and immediately resonated with thousands of fans. With the story of a journalist whose life went wrong, the writers managed to create an amazing series about decisions, trials, and the terrible consequences of mistakes.
What is Not Dead Yet About?
A few years ago, talented journalist Nell Serrano gave up her career to follow the man she loved to London, but things didn't go as planned. Now, as a 37-year-old broke single woman, the main character is determined to start life with a clean slate and achieve career success.
She persistently tries to find a job in journalism, but the only position she is offered is as an obituary reporter. With no other offers, Nell gets to work, and then begins receiving advice from a strange source – the ghosts of the people she writes about.
Why Does Everyone in Not Dead Yet Have to Experience Divorce?
While the first season received mostly rave reviews from viewers, who praised the well-though, well-developed characters they could relate to, the second season received less of a positive response.
The main complaint from fans was that all the main characters seemed to be under the same curse – divorce or, in Nell's case, a broken engagement.
Viewers were particularly outraged by the divorce of Sam, Nell's girlfriend. Throughout most of the series, Sam showed absolutely no signs of crisis in her relationship, only in the episode Not in the Cards Yet did Nell's friend mention some semblance of problems in her family, without emphasizing it. Then, in the episode Not You Yet, the news was thrown at the viewers out of nowhere – Sam is divorced.
Such a plot move seems dubious and far-fetched, with absolutely no build-up to such a bombshell decision.
“Sam getting a divorce just didn't make sense to me. Her and her husband were amazing, then the "seven year curse" happened, now they're divorcing. It's kind of weird, rushed, and unnecessary,” Reddit user FaithfulFashionista wrote.
One of the fan theories that justified the writers' decision was that the show's creators did not want to see Sam's husband as a regular character, so the only way out for them was to remove him from the screen entirely. Well, or was it just lazy writing?
Nell’s Break Up Was More Justified, But Still Questionable
At the same time, Nell's breaking off the engagement seems more justified – she experienced a miscarriage, a terribly difficult experience for any woman, and Philip, her fiancé, wasn't there for her. This became the catalyst for Nell's breakup, as she left Philip just before the wedding.
However, while Sam's divorce was celebrated, Nell's breakup only served as an excuse for her friends to remind her of how many bad life choices she had made.