Filmsane

Run. Did you watch the first episode? Run- the HBO’s latest TV offering. Yeah, That Run. If you haven’t, do yourself a favor and watch it. You’ll thank me later.

Well, I have watched the Pilot and it’s great. Although the trailer putts me off guard and frankly confused me a little bit, I end up loving the pilot episode. Created by Vicky Jones, and starring Domhnall Gleeson and Merritt Wever, Run is TV series in which 2 people „run“.

No, they’re not fugitives per se (at least not to my knowledge) but rather running away from their lives. You see, back when they were college sweethearts they made a pact.

Yeah, if either one of them texted the word “RUN” and the other replied with the same word back, they would drop everything at the moment’s notice. Oh and they’d meet in Grand Central Station, travel together, and have one big adventure. Cool right? It is.

They did just that in the first episode, and they also gave us glimpses of what their current life is about. Ruby is a successful architect, wife and mother of two who is stuck in a loveless marriage, despite having wealth, success and financial security. Billy, on the other hand, doesn’t have a family, but he has an equally successful career as a motivational speaker. The first one doesn’t like her life, while the other hates his job.

And back to the point of the title. The chemistry. Here in Run, IT IS ON POINT. But, how do you do that? Successfully I mean. How do you achieve this level of chemistry? Granted you have a killer story to tell (which helps), but that’s half of the job. The other half goes to picking the right people. Domhnall and Merritt are brilliant. They just are. Sure, they’re huge TV and movie stars in their own right, but I was mostly surprised by how well they pair with each other. They have sparks, they have chemistry and they seem like the biggest star-crossed lovers I’ve ever seen.

Technically they are. But now in their mid 30’s they still manage to give away that ounce of the spark that they used to have in college with such effortless charm and elegance. Especially Domhnall. I’m sorry but I’ve been in love with him since i saw him in Never Let Me Go. Which was like a decade a go. Still gorgeous and oh so talented.

And I just love that for the most part, Run is going to be about them. The plot and the entire show, I mean. Sure other supporting actors are listed, which would suggest that are more supporting characters to come in the upcoming episodes, but I wouldn’t mind watching just these two. They’re exceptionally good.

Seriously. They’re incredible.  But let me break down the character realism for a moment. Probably the most realistic things that were put in the Pilot episode, were in fact the separate masturbation scenes. Yeah, those scenes are probably on top of my list. Aroused and filled with adrenaline, each of them (separately) goes to the train’s bathroom to masturbate. Frankly, after seeing Domhnall (after about 15 years of distance) I’d do the same thing. Couldn’t blame Ruby for doing that, to be honest.

I would also love to give the writer some credit in making the characters relatable in other ways as well. Not just in their masturbatory choices. We’re yet to find out about the details of their private lives, but I’m glad that not everything was spelled out in the first episode. I’m glad that we had just glimpses of their lives before boarding the train. Ruby more so than Billy but it’s fine. It’s a great set up for more to come, and judging from the trailer, a lot more is indeed yet to come.

I loved how Ruby washed her hair with a dry shampoo in the middle of the Grand Central Station, and how she was trying to make herself pretty before meeting Billy. All in a hurry as well. You gotta give it to her. She was trying to make herself pretty even though she was in yoga sweatpants when she got the call.

All in all, this is a fantastic new TV show that I will be binging on for sure. Great acting, incredible writing, fantastic chemistry, and interesting plot developments. I couldn’t ask for more. What else am I going to do? My town is in a 70-hour long lockdown, and my other two favorite TV shows (Mom and Devs) have had their finales.

Run is going to be my obsession well until late May, and I love it.