Did People Watch Doll & Em Last Night?

by Logan Sachon and Edith Zimmerman

Edith Zimmerman: LOGAN. What did you think of this show? We watched all of it yesterday in your apartment, and I originally brought the screeners over thinking it would be fun because HBO is generally fun, and the show seemed like a light-n-easy watch, but then it kind of steamrolled me. I’d thought we’d at most watch three episodes, but then we watched the whole thing — all six episodes — pretty much without stopping, and we didn’t even look at each other between episodes five and six (the last two). Admittedly they were all pretty short, but I’d had no idea. This was in many ways the most transfixing show I’ve ever seen. Haha. I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT IT TO YOU.

Logan Sachon: Yes, it was pretty stunning, actually. I’d also had no idea about the show, hadn’t even heard of it, going in, which I love. I wish we could experience all things with that purity of knowledge, that clean slate. I mean, I guess it’s possible, actually, you just don’t go on the internet or talk to people. Solved! But yes. DOLL & EM. Very uncomfortable, at first! A bit like Curb Your Enthusiasm, except there are two Larry Davids and both are women. But then those last two episodes, yes yes yes. So much real and so much heart. It’s funny now, to think, that I thought it could be Curb Your Enthusiasm. Because there is no heart in that show, and this show is all heart.

EZ: Yeah! All heart! That is so true. Didn’t it sometimes feel like you couldn’t take your eyes off the screen? Mostly because it was good but also because like … some kind of horrible accident would happen to them if you did?? Especially during the first episodes, when it felt particularly funny but also dangerous and vulnerable, in the best way. Remember how I was crying at the end and was scared to look at you, and then had to “take a breather”? Haha. I mean that’s kind of ridiculous. Hmm. Did you have a favorite outfit?? Besides Doll’s best muumuu, which was amazing. Also where do we find muumuus like that??? Have you already Googled muumuus? THIS SHOW. Has made me crazy. Crazy happy. LOGANNN. Logan, I love you.

LS: I just read a thing by Matt Zoller Seitz on it, and first of all, you can’t have a man review this show, what are you fucking insane New York mag!!!!!!!?!?!!??!?!?!? But also he didn’t like it, and now I’m very disappointed in him, just like I’m still disappointed that Emily Nussbuam didn’t like True Detective. I mean, I know it’s petty to not like someone because they don’t like something that you like, but some things are just non-negotiable. Doll & Em is non-negotiable. (PS I feel a little bit like I’m cheating on True Detective. Like, True Detective will always be my One True Love. It’s important to me that you know that.)

But back to the show. We talked a little bit after watching, but not a lot. I didn’t understand that you were crying at first, I just thought you had to pee really bad and had suddenly become self-conscious about peeing, thus the euphemism of “needing a moment.” Sorry if in my confusion I was not very empathetic-seeming. After peeing/crying, you did ask me if I was crying, and I said no, as I was not. Not even close. But that’s not surprising. I bottle things up. Also, as we discussed and also know about each other, I have limited experience working with friends so this was more of a big What If for me, lots of trying things on (if you were Em, Would I be Doll??!?! AM I DOLL!?!?) and less like, actual parallels to my actual life.

The last two episodes were really stunning, though. I don’t feel like I’m really ready to talk about them, actually. But it occurs to me now [mild spoiler] that a bespoke t-shirt played a role in their friendship and, well:

EZ: Haha, oh man, okay — pause to explain this, I guess! haha — this is something Logan and I made about True Detective when we were sending each other puzzle emojis about various scenes from the show, and at one point we were watching the episode when [minor True Detective spoiler] Joel Theriot is all grizzled and is wearing an amazing sweatshirt, which I commented on while while we were watching, and then a couple days later Logan sent me an emoji depicting the sweatshirt (above), which was amazing, obviously, and I then made Logan a shirt with it. ANYWAY. Female friendship!! I don’t think I want to read MZS’s thing, but maybe that’s silly. But I’ve also been too shy to read Emily N’s pieces about TD because I generally love and am influenced by everything she writes, and I don’t want to love what I love (TD) any less. You know? Like, why reduce the amount of love in the world? I know there’s probably a good argument against that, but I don’t want to know what it is yet, either. ANYWAY. Well, I guess all our conversations still lead back to True Detective. You didn’t say anything about the muumuu, though, which means that we probably have to make each other muumuus. DONE. SAY NOTHING. I weave as we speak.

LS: [Silence — emails off-record about something else]

EZ: Anyway, we liked the show!

Logan Sachon and Edith Zimmerman love television.