Hulu’s comedy series Shrill follows the daily ups and downs of journalist Annie Easton (played by Aidy Bryant). Annie lives with her best friend in Portland, Oregon where she’s paying her dues as an assistant calendar editor at The Weekly Thorn. Annie’s got a father with cancer, a mother she doesn’t always like, a slacker boyfriend, a jerk for a boss and she’s fat.
Annie begins to realize it’s not her weight that’s holding her back, it’s her willingness to settle. Here are the 10 best quotes from Shrill season 1.
“Yeah. Well, People Do Amazing Stuff When They’re Pissed Off.”
Annie and her mom, Vera, have the typical push-pull mother-daughter relationship. There’s always an undercurrent of hostility between them. But Annie’s dynamic with her musician father, Bill, is one of unconditional love.
Unfortunately, Bill, played by Daniel Stern, doesn’t get nearly enough screen time, but Annie’s issues with men aren’t daddy related. But her weight infiltrates even her healthiest relationships. He feels bad for not recognizing her pain but he celebrates her triumphs. “Yeah. Well, people do amazing stuff when they’re pissed off. That’s how beautiful s*** happens.”
“The Last Thing We Need Is Everybody Feeling Comfortable In Their Own Skin.”
Shrill’s best one-liners are reserved for John Cameron Mitchell who plays Annie’s boss, Gabe. His look is eerily reminiscent of Andy Warhol, and he envisions himself as this progressive, woke voice, but the reality is he possesses an over-inflated sense of self-worth.
When Annie pitches him a story about body inclusivity, he reveals he has the same dated, unrealistic standards when it comes to beauty. Gabe is so certain he’s part of the solution, yet everything that comes out of his mouth screams otherwise. “The last thing we need is everybody feeling comfortable in their own skin. That would be the ’70s.”
“You Should Be Telling Men What To Do.”
Annie finally lands a writing assignment: she has to review the buffet at a strip club. Never mind that this feels like an exercise in humiliation. The real story is the dancers. Annie assumes these women are just slaves to the male gaze ( and these aren’t glamorized versions played by Jennifer Lopez ), but one of them offers Annie some advice when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex.“You’ve got a fat a** and big t******. You should be telling men what to do.”
It never occurs to Annie that her looks can be empowering. To her, her appearance is something she’s constantly trying to overcome instead of something that may work in her favor.
“So, Do You, Uh, Sell More Of The Morning-After Pill In The Morning. Or Is It More Of An All-Day Thing?”
After having unprotected sex with Ryan, a bearded dunce who makes Annie sneak out the back so his roommates don’t see her, Annie finds herself in another humiliating situation: buying the morning after pill from a stone-faced pharmacist. “So, do you, uh, sell more of the morning-after pill in the morning, or is it more of an all-day thing?”
It’s a dumb joke that is meant to try and diffuse an awkward interaction with the stone-faced pharmacist, and it feels like Annie spends a lot of time using humor as a tool to get people to like. Maybe this guy won’t judge her if he thinks she’s funny, but he doesn’t even care. Annie’s spent her life feeling self-conscious, waiting or assuming for people to think the worst of her.
“Well, Raw Dogging. It’s Literally His Favorite Thing.”
It’s sad Annie doesn’t feel she deserves better than a doofus guy who is cavalier when it comes to her body and birth control. It may be a cliche that overweight women are people-pleasers, but in Annie’s case, it’s true. “Well, raw dogging. It’s literally his favorite thing. So how could I take away his favorite thing?”
If it wasn’t for her unexpected pregnancy, Annie would be an unwatchable character. Nobody can get behind a woman who is pleasantly plump and goes through life being affable. This dilemma is the turning point for Annie and where her story begins.
“That’s What I Always Wanted For You, A Relationship That’s Better Than Nothing.”
Annie gets the guy, but we can’t help but feel like it’s not a triumph. The voice in Annie’s ear, telling her everything any good girlfriend would say is Annie’s bestie, Fran. After a lackluster first date that ends with a half-naked Annie meeting Ryan’s mother, she feels the relationship is headed in the right direction.
You don’t have to be a fat woman to understand this innate desire to settle. There’s a stigma attached to being a single as if it can’t possibly be by choice. How else would the word soulmate have become part of our everyday lexicon? Annie feels landing Ryan is a victory and Shrill does fail to give their connection enough depth to explain why.“That’s what I always wanted for you, a relationship that’s better than nothing.”
“It Means Never Say His Name, Never Bring Him Into Our Home.”
Halfway through season 1, and the only thing unlikable about Annie is Ryan. Just when it seems like, underneath the disgusting beard and disheveled appearance, there’s a guy who should comprehend how lucky he is to be dating someone like Annie, he makes her doubt herself.
Fran is tolerant, even though her frustration is palpable from the jump. It grows until an ugly confrontation becomes inevitable. “It means never say his name, never bring him into our home. He is an ignorant bag of expired meat and I’ve told you and told you, and you’re not listening, and I’m getting tired of it, so I have to be strict with you.”
“You Know? I’m Fat! I’m F****n’ Fat!”
It’s an unexpected scene when Annie attends a pool party celebrating larger bodies on season 1’s “Pool.” It is a haven where those in attendance don’t feel judged or ashamed. It’s an entirely new environment for Annie who them immediately turns around as is fat-shamed by her boss. Every negative character trait and stereotype associated with people who are overweight comes pouring out of his mouth in such an unapologetic and ignorant way.
Annie has a breakdown that stems from a lifetime of frustration. “And I’ve wasted so much time and energy and money, for what? For what?! You know? I’m fat! I’m f****n’ fat!” Shrill isn’t about overlooking obesity, it’s about accepting it. There doesn’t have to be an explanation or a solution. Sometimes, it’s just how it is, and while many people can embrace and celebrate diversity, fat always seems to be the exception.
“Do I Look Like The Establishment? I’m Wearing F*****g Nail Polish!”
Gabe may be a D-bag, but Annie doesn’t exactly have the high ground at the start of their argument. She publishes a blog about her weight without permission from her editor. She’s also completely unapologetic because the piece is generating hits.
While we’re all about Annie being a female boss, a mea culpa is in order. But Gabe’s anger is unfocused. He’s really mad because he refuses to see himself how Annie views him. “Do I look like the establishment? I’m wearing f*****g nail polish?” As if this guarantees he’s on the periphery when it comes to discrimination, when in fact where Annie’s concerned, he’s the epicenter.
“Yeah, Yeah, ‘Cause I’m A Woman Who Plays Video Games So Men On The Internet Want Me To Die.”
Annie isn’t the only character on Shrill who finds herself on the receiving end of undeserved ridicule and abuse. She’s even a bit guilty of doling it out herself whether it’s slut-shaming Fran, or her lack of empathy for the sad-sack IT chick, Maureen. Trolls are everywhere, attacking those who are different. “Yeah, yeah, ‘cause I’m a woman who plays video games so men on the internet want me to die.”
It’s a funny line and delivered with such a sense of resignation. Maureen isn’t interested in what drives the haters. It is what it is, and instead of engaging in a fight she doesn’t want and probably can’t win,
