FX’s 8-part limited series “Dying for Sex” overcomes a few early speedbumps in its writing to culminate in one of the most powerful pairs of episodes of television I’ve seen in a very long time. At its core, it’s a dramedy about two things that the human body knows how to do, often without much intervention: orgasm and die. While that might sound simplistic, “Dying for Sex” is ultimately a moving reminder of what truly matters: getting the most out of every minute of life. As someone increasingly anxious about mortality (it comes with approaching the half-century mark), “Dying for Sex” touched a nerve, serving as a reminder to embrace every moment we have on Earth and how important it is to enable those we love to do the same. As clichéd as that sounds, it’s not just a story of empowerment but allyship. When someone is struggling through a nightmare like cancer, don’t wallow in their misery; let them live harder. And maybe rock their world while you’re at it.
Michelle Williams plays Molly, a woman whose cancer has returned with a vengeance. Her doctor (an excellent David Rasche) tells her that she has, at most, five years left, and possibly less. And that’s with painful chemo treatments to give her as much time as possible. Realizing her mortality clock is quite literally nearing midnight, Molly makes a tough decision and leaves her husband Steve (Jay Duplass), with whom she has been in a sexless marriage for years. Steve is an interesting character, one that reflects the subtle writing of a show that often “gets big” with its sitcomish set-ups but anchors everything around those scenes in relatable humanity. Steve isn’t a bad guy. He was there with Molly through her first fight with cancer. He’s just not what she needs for the final lap of her life. And so she takes off, planning to explore her sexual liberation via online hook-ups, supported by her best friend Nikki (a never-better Jenny Slate).
The first half of the series has arguably too much fun with the concept of a sexually vibrant dying woman, but the emotional seeds are being planted for the back half. Through these encounters, we learn more about Molly, who has never had an orgasm, her sexual growth stunted by abuse in her childhood, something that has divided her from her mother Gail (a breathtakingly good Sissy Spacek). Most of how we come to know and care about Molly happens through two relationships: the one with Nikki and one with a neighbor who first disgusts and then fascinates her. Rob Delaney plays the neighbor, and it’s the best acting work of his career. He’s a perfect partner for Williams in a relationship that initially feels like a kinky subplot but evolves into something much deeper as it explores issues of control and perhaps even love. He gets off on her ordering him around; she likes the idea of controlling another person’s body, maybe because she no longer controls her own. It’s one of the most fascinating relationships on a TV show in a long time.
There are times when “Dying for Sex” feels like it’s rushing certain dramatic beats, especially the dissolution of the relationship between Nikki and her partner, Noah (Kelvin Yu), due to her spending more time with Molly than at home. Still, these are minor issues for a show that builds to something truly impressive. As good as everyone is for those first six episodes—all close to 30 minutes, by the way, which helps the show avoid the narrative sag that plagues modern television—it’s all setting the stage for the inevitable. Writers Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock deliver on a premise that tonally balances the humor of sexual freedom with the stark closure of death. Neither are perfect; both are messy. There are sharp writing choices in these final episodes, which build upon the previous six and reveal aspects of these characters that blew me away.
Of course, it helps to have an ensemble without a single weak link. Williams, one of the best of her generation, avoids the predictable arc of a prude discovering she’s a pervert by playing Molly as inquisitive more than exaggerated. She has no reason left not to be. Williams understands the freedom that comes with knowing the finish line is near. It’s a perfectly calibrated performance that is the main reason the tonal balance works because she finds the truth even in the most ridiculous scenes.
Everyone matches her. Slate captures the commitment of a true friend; Duplass avoids the sad-sack potential of his character; Spacek proves why she’s a legend; Delaney becomes an essential grounding force in the show. He’s just a guy who unexpectedly gets swept away by the passion and pathos of the woman who happens to live next door to him, a reminder of how many Mollys there are out there: living, dying, and hopefully having great sex in between.
Whole series screened for review. Premieres on FX on Hulu in its entirety on April 4th.
