As we ring in 2024, resolutions and goals are sure to run rampant as individuals work to ensure this year is better than the last. While it’s never wrong to have goals, it’s unfortunate how many find themselves struggling to meet the resolutions they’ve set for themselves; more often than not, failing to accomplish these lofty (and self-imposed) expectations can lead to feelings of inadequacy. These objectives are meant to help someone evolve, yet many fail to recognize anything but a strict set of successes as evidence they’re improving — a feeling which could easily be prevented with a viewing ofCarol & the End of the World,a newdramedycreated byDan GutermanforNetflix.
This limited series focuses on a woman struggling to find meaning in a world facing extinction and highlights the exact feelings of inadequacy that come from failed New Year resolutions.It showcases how often people discount their own desires because they feel they’re lacking in comparison to others and combats this toxic behavior with a protagonist who comes to realize that no matter how mundane, her path to joy is just as valid as anyone else’s.As 2024 beginsand people start creating their resolutions, it would do everyone good to watch this series and learn that your achievements don’t have to look like anyone else’s, and how much joy exists in your day-to-day if you just take the time to look around and see it.
Carol & The End of the World
Global human annihilation is impending due to a mystery planet speeding towards Earth. Among the hedonistic crowd, one quiet and perpetually uneasy woman stands out, while the majority feel free to follow their greatest desires.
What Is ‘Carol & the End of the World’ About?
Carol & the End of the Worldintroduces its audience not only to the titular protagonist Carol (Martha Kelly) but also to the situation she and the rest of Earth are facing: impending annihilation due to collision with the alien planet Keppler.While this doom steadily grows closer, it’s inspiring how the series portrays Earth’s citizens overcoming their initial horror to ‘make the most of the time they have left’ - basically, to go absolutely wild because they know there will be no consequences and that their lives are newly limited.Industries collapse and partying commences in full forceas fear (and the belief that they’d always have time to do them) are shirked and people begin going on adventures, learning new things, and doing whatever their heart calls them to.
While apocalypse leads many to enlightenment, all it does for Carol is have her face constant bombardment by claims that she must try a variety of thrill-seeking and mind-altering escapades to truly savor her remaining time — things which Carol had never, ever wanted or felt the need to do before. This crushing positivity from a world of people proclaiming that they are facing extinction the ‘right way’ leaves her intimidated and scared, ultimately making her question if there’s something wrong with her because she doesn’t feel the same pull that others do.
Carol is an overwhelmingly average woman, and that is not a negative label. Viewers watch as she does her best to cling to the small happiness of her life, like paying her taxes, doing her laundry, and visiting her parents (who’ve embraced nudism and polyamory in their final months). Carol, for seemingly her entire life, has held a skill that much of society could benefit from:recognizing the ordinary joys of life, those small aspects that compile on one another that, if nurtured, can elicit great happiness.
As 2024 begins and individuals begin declaring their plans to travel the world or attend daily gym sessions, it can be so easy for people to feel they have to try these things as well to have a good year, never asking,“Do I even really want to do this?“It can be so easy to fall into envy as manicured (online and in-person) personas laud their plans for fulfillment and the anxiety this causes so often leads people to shun their established practices in the hopes that these new ones will finally grant them the gratification they search for. Carol faces this, falling deeper into despair as she worries that her inability to crave these amplified methods signals a deep flaw in her perception of life.It’s extremely heartening when she finds validation by doing something that would make most people groan, especially when they know they only have a few months left: she gets a job.
Ignorance Is Bliss in ‘Carol & the End of the World’
When Carol stumbles upon an office of individuals doing meaningless work and ignoring the world’s imminent end, she is overjoyed. She snags a position and, after a tenuous beginning, re-discovers the common comforts that she’d felt ashamed longing for. Through new friends Donna (Kimberly Hébert Gregory) and Luis (Mel Rodriguez), she’s able to interactwith others in minuscule but meaningful momentsand feel accomplished after a long day of work. This is not to say in any way that capitalism is the true path to happiness — but by taking this role, she highlights the message of the entire show:whatever makes you happy is as valid as what makes others happy, and you should cherish and foster it as much as you possibly can.
Carol is not the only conduit of the show’s core motif. Whether it be Luis calling his mom on his birthday or Carol’s once-lover Eric (Michael Chernus) going on a simple road trip with his son, the limited series displays grounded and attainable examples of goals people can strive for. It doesn’t shame the more bombastic wants of those who surround these individuals but rather critiques the apparent need for these people to impose their lifestyles onto those around them. This constant pushing perpetuates a toxic culture of ‘wellness’ and ‘fulfillment’ whichundercuts the confidence that people like Carol have been lucky to developaround what truly makes them happy. As the new year begins and people begin making resolutions, they must remember that there isn’t just one way to be happy — and that the things that bring them joy are valid, no matter how big or small they may be.
‘Carol & the End of the World’ Reminds Us to Treasure Life
Carol & the End of the Worldis a show that revels in the ordinary, spotlighting the common stories most media forget in the face of more extravagant tales.The show isn’t encouraging its viewers to only be happy with what they have and refuse to try anything new or exciting; this limited series urges individuals to ask themselves whether the (often unrealistic) path they’ve chosen will actually bring them joy or if they’re just doing it because they were told it was the correct way to find happiness. Are they setting these goals because they truly feel they will help, or are they doing it because they’re comparing themselves to the actions of others and feel they’re coming up short?By offering audiences a glimpse into the beauty that their real lives consist of, it reminds everyone that there isn’t a set way to enjoy and grow in the year ahead of them — that if they just stop and appreciate what makes them happy now, they may just realize the goals they should set for themselves in the next twelve months are much simpler than they think.
Resolutions are a widely practiced New Year tradition that countless people partake in to better themselves. Is it wrong to strive to try new practices and undergo unique experiences for the possibility of improvement — and isCarol & the End of the World’spremise an antithesis to that concept? This series focusing on the bliss daily life holds doesn’t deny people their right to try new things, but it does interrogate the feeling that a person’s only way to bettermentlies in behaviors they aren’t already practicing. It makes watchers question whether they are appreciating the subtle positives of their lives and if the high goals they’ve set themselves will do them more harm than good. As 2024 begins and goals are being set, people who take the time to watchCarol & the End of the World mayask themselves:What does making the most of my time mean to me — and do I already have the tools to achieve it?
Carol & the End of the Worldis available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
