What Everything I Know About Love Gets Right and Wrong About your Twenties

Image: BBC

Everything I Know About Love joins a long list of programs that follow the trials and tribulations of navigating your twenties. Set in London, the new BBC series is based on the memoir of the same name by author Dolly Alderton and sees four friends move into their first house-share together. So, how realistic is the series’ depiction of what it is to be a woman in your twenties?

Flatmates

Watching the dynamic of the flatmates on screen remind me of my own. Despite how we were randomly dumped at the same university halls almost two years ago, it somehow worked.

It doesn’t matter what happens outside of those four walls, inside will always be a sacred space to vent about looming deadlines or have an impromptu karaoke party while boiling pasta.

Image: BBC

Like me and my flatmates, Maggie [Emma Appleton], Birdy [Bel Powley], Nell [Marli Siu] and Amara [Aliyah Odoffin] are all different. Yet, these blend of different personalities perfectly complement each other, resulting in random yet hilarious conversations and discussions that only housemates have.

I’m not saying that it’s complete harmony in that house, but since when would that be realistic anyway?

Friendships

While the flatmates are a group of four, the central friendship belongs to Maggie and Birdy. Having met at school, the pair share a sweet bond that is tested to its limits as Birdy gets a boyfriend.

While Maggie gets a lot out of her friendship with Birdy, I’m not exactly sure what Birdy gets from Maggie. Birdy lends Maggie money, is a fountain of sensible advice yet Maggie takes issue when Birdy has the audacity to spend time with someone other than her.

It is easy to sympathise with Maggie. She now has to share her best friend with someone she has no interest in getting to know, but sometimes you can’t help but get frustrated as Birdy has to bend over backwards to make sure Maggie’s happy.

It becomes obvious quite quickly that Everything I know About Love isn’t actually about the romantic kind, but the platonic yet intense connection between best friends. While relationships come and go, the series accurately depicts how friendships are thankfully a lot harder to get rid of.

Image: BBC

Money

This is exactly where the programme’s flaws can be traced back to.

Are we supposed to believe that Maggie, whose card is declined by the train concession cart, can afford to pay rent for good-size house in Camden, yet while she spends the first episode complaining about being skint, she always seems to have money for regular nights out and a gorgeous wardrobe?

This double standard is seen time and time again on TV, from Friends to New Girl and takes away from what are actually authentic characters and storylines.

My Verdict

Everything I Know About Love’s people are definitely real. Over the course of seven episodes, you root for these likeable characters who try to juggle their careers, love and friendship. While my logical brain can’t get stop questioning how this is financial possible for some of them, the series is an easy yet enjoyable watch that often hits close to home.

Download every episode now on Iplayer