The sixth season of ‘Thirties’ is clumsy, predictable and yet addictive

My fifteen-year-old self wouldn’t know what she’s hearing, but I’m happy with my boring life. Especially when I go to Thirtysomethings look. In it sixth season we return to an indeterminate hamlet on the outskirts of Brussels, where a group of late twenties destroys their friendship with lies, sex, drugs and a lack of self-insight.

Underneath the Chiroclan lies a bomb that ticks to the rhythm of love-engaged-married-whatever. In the category in love: the entire cast. On who? The wrong. Nele is a loose cannon who confuses her unspoken fear of commitment with ideals of freedom. That’s a gigantic red flag that Marvin remains blind to for an awfully long time. Ada wants Marvin, but he doesn’t want her (yet). Sami wants Ada. She still doesn’t want him. Ruben wants Jonas, but ten years and two therapy sessions later he is freed from that obsession. Phew, Jonas thinks. No one stands in the way of his happily ever after with Laura. Well, for every married woman there is an opportunistic colleague ready to shatter the bourgeois fairy tale. The only unbreakable bond is that of Sami and his grandmother. Much to Lies’ regret.

The lives of Laura and co. are like a rollercoaster with the speed of a farm horse. Because despite the web of intrigue, this season is moving along slowly. This is not due to the everyday banality to which the series owes its charm. Thirtysomethings is just annoyingly explanatory at times.

For example, Ruben asks Ada to leave Marvin alone. His misplaced advice is an unnecessary announcement of a love drama that is written in the stars. As usual, you can follow the thoughts of your friends via WhatsApp messages. However, that proven storytelling strategy sometimes takes away the tension, because you have the self-insight that the characters lack. As a result, the viewer is condemned to the role of a Greek choir, watching them suffer their fate.

Yet that schadenfreude is as addictive as the first morning’s coffee: a rush on an empty stomach that leaves you wanting more. But a person cannot survive on empty calories. Themes such as Parkinson’s, abortion, drug abuse and mental health make the series contemporary and relevant. Unfortunately, they are sometimes so clumsily developed that a problem such as gay violence becomes tragicomic, but above all, unbelievable. That’s a shame, because… Thirtysomethings is nice because it keeps a finger on the pulse in a light-hearted way.

This season is like a toddler learning to ride a bike: clumsy, endearing and a bit amusing. However, cycling usually turns out fine.