Warning! This article contains spoilers for Apple TV+’s Your Friends and Neighbors.
Jon Hamm‘s new “Eat the Rich” series on Apple TV+ boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%, but it has a timeline issue that just cannot be ignored. In recent years, many “Eat the Rich” movies and shows have landed on the big and small screens. While some, like Triangle of Sadness, The Menu, and Saltburn, have performed incredibly well among viewers and critics, others have been far less memorable additions to the sub-genre. A new TV show, starring Jon Hamm, seems to rank among the better shows in the sub-genre.
With a fairly good Rotten Tomatoes score of 84%, the show continues Jon Hamm’s streak of delivering one compelling television performance after another. Unfortunately, despite achieving critical success and being renewed for season 2, the original Apple TV+ show is weighed down by a timeline issue that one cannot ignore. Owing to this timeline inconsistency, one of the main story beats in the series also does not make a lot of sense.
Your Friends & Neighbors Stretches The Suspension Disbelief A Little Too Far
The Show’s Main Plot Device Makes Little Sense
In its opening arc, Your Friends and Neighbors‘ storyline is primarily driven by Jon Hamm’s character’s desperation to keep himself afloat. After losing his high-paying job, Hamm’s Andrew Cooper struggles to break free from the image of success he cultivated throughout his adult life. Therefore, instead of coming clean about his financial situation, he starts stealing from his wealthy neighbors to keep his head above water. While this narrative device paves the way for many intriguing story developments, it seems immensely flawed because of the show’s overarching timeline.
…It makes no sense that John Hamm’s Andrew Cooper is able to break into his neighbors’ homes with ease without instantly facing instant consequences.
Your Friends and Neighbors is set in the present year. Owing to this, it makes no sense that John Hamm’s Andrew Cooper is able to break into his neighbors’ homes with ease without instantly facing instant consequences. Cooper claims that his wealthy neighbors are so accustomed to living in their suburban bubble of safety and security that they do not even bother making any provisions to ensure their homes’ security. While this could make sense to some extent, the fact that none of the homes Cooper steals from have any kind of active security systems seems like a bit of a stretch.
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Your Friends & Neighbors Cast & Character Guide
Apart from walking through the double life of its main character, Andrew Cooper, Your Friends & Neighbors also features many memorable performances.
In Your Friends and Neighbors‘ episode 3, Cooper even sets out to steal the championship ring of an NBA star. Although the ring is enclosed in a locked cabinet, he manages to get his hands on it by watching a YouTube video about lock-picking. This again comes off as a forced plot convenience because why would an expensive piece of memorabilia be protected by a lock that can be bypassed using tips from a YouTube video?
Your Friends & Neighbors Story Should Have Been Set In The 2010s
An Earlier Timeline Would Have Made The Show More Believable
If Your Friends and Neighbors was set somewhere between the late aughts and the early 2010s, its plot would have been a lot more believable. Smartphones and advanced camera-based technologies did not exist in the late 2000s. Owing to this, it would have made sense for Jon Hamm’s character in the series to steal from his neighbors without being captured by CCTV cameras or other advanced security devices. Cooper’s stealing endeavors would have seemed more organic and plausible if the show had taken place a decade or two in the past.
Unfortunately, Your Friends and Neighbors attempts to make its story more relatable for modern audiences but relies a little too much on plot conveniences. It is hard not to see how the Apple TV+ show’s drama would also have been a relevant reflection of the times if it unfolded somewhere around the early 2010s. With the Great Recession as the backdrop, Andrew Cooper’s struggles with finding a job and maintaining appearances would have seemed more realistic and relatable.
Jon Hamm’s Performance Makes Up For Your Friends & Neighbors’ Timeline Issues
Despite The Flaws, The Show Is Worth Watching
Although the show’s main story setup seems too convenient, Your Friends and Neighbors has an interesting approach towards exploring the familiar “Eat the Rich” narrative. Instead of portraying its main character as another iteration of Breaking Bad‘s Walter White, the show highlights how Andrew Cooper is hypocritical with his criticisms of the affluent people around him when he himself is trying to be a part of their clubs and sustain their lifestyles despite his declining net worth.
Explaining Don Draper’s influence on his Your Friends and Neighbors character, Jon Hamm explained (via Newsweek) that “Don Draper was responsible for selling the American dream…Andrew Cooper’s pretty much responsible for buying it.“
By brilliantly delivering Cooper’s inner monologue, Jon Hamm perfectly captures how his character’s belief in being above his neighbors is actually a coping mechanism because, deep down, he realizes he is just like them. In some scenes, Hamm also seemingly morphs into Don Draper when he describes the value of the items he is stealing as if pitching them in an ad campaign. While Your Friends and Neighbors still has some obvious flaws, Jon Hamm‘s portrayal of Andrew Cooper and his conflicting ideologies makes it worthwhile.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(471x244:473x246)/CNN-New-Years-Eve-with-Anderson-Cooper-123124-9952e5f00fc1425f87113ba2bfb97b29.jpg "Anderson Cooper Says He Once ‘Hated’ New Year’s Eve While Co-Hosting CNN Broadcast")
