Netflix Queue Review: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

One of my Spring Break "activities" was to binge-watch most of the new Netflix original series, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and I am so glad I did.

The show's premise is this: Four girls who were kidnapped into a doomsday cult and who have lived underground for the last fifteen years are rescued. One of the girls, Kimmy, played by Ellie Kemper, starts her new life in NYC. Hilarious hijinks ensue. 

Here's what I like about the show:

• Kimmy really is "unbreakable." Her optimism and naivete are good comedic fodder, but they are never treated with irony. She's sincere and she always comes out a winner, despite the horrors of her past. Kimmy's story manages to be a heartwarming tale of overcoming adversity without being cheesy -- mostly because there's so much humor and silliness involved.
• Kimmy's memory of all things from the nineties really appeals to the nineties-child in me. All millennial-cuspers like Kimmy (and like me) will appreciate all the fun nineties pop culture references.
• Kimmy's sudden, difficult adjustment to adulthood rings all too familiar to me, and I haven't been spending the last 15 years in a bomb shelter. (This buzzfeed article nails it.)
• The viewers get to see the world through Kimmy's eyes, allowing us to remember that we are living in the future! Through Kimmy, we remember the miracle of cellphones and all their accoutrements; we marvel at our abundance of bottled water; we revel in our 21st-century riches. On the flip side, we rediscover, with some dismay, our strange land of selfies, sexting, reality TV, and homogenous pop music. 

What I don't like as much:

• Kimmy's kidnapping and imprisonment is treated humorously, but it's not the sort of humor everyone will enjoy. There probably should be some trigger warnings for abuse or rape survivors. 
• Kimmy's sudden thrust into contemporary, grown-up life means she has to encounter some grown-up subject matter. There's enough off-color humor for me to say that not everyone will enjoy the show.

That said, the overwhelming tone of the show is not crass or edgy. Kimmy's innocence wins the day, so that the show's overall tone is one of wholesomeness and joy. I find Kimmy Schmidt's sincerity and optimism refreshing and inspiring. This new Netflix series was definitely worth the binge-watch for me.