‘Wedding Season’ Review: A Great Romance Hidden in a So-So Mystery

Hulu is back at it, delivering some of the most interesting content in the Disney catalog. In this opportunity, the company makes a leap of faith with a romantic comedy that follows every single rule in the book and then turns it completely on its head. The romantic comedy genre has been asking for a real shake-up for decades, and very few projects have been able to deliver on the promise of a new, fresh take on the genre. This is a review of Wedding Season, a show that basically makes it its mission to be as different as possible.

Wedding Season is a TV series created by Oliver Lyttelton, and it is available on Hulu for the United States and on Star for the rest of the world. The series stars Rosa Salazar, Gavin Drea, and George Webster. The series tells the story of Stefan, a man frustrated by love. His many attempts at finding love seem always destined for doom. When he meets Katie, he completely falls in love with her, but she is already engaged to someone else. When Stefan’s attempt to stop the wedding fails, crazy developments send him on a journey that will change him forever.

The first thing about Wedding Season that jumps out at you is that it is a show that definitely has a mission in mind. The opening scene of the show basically tells you everything you need to know about it. That scene, which is normally reserved for the end of most romantic comedies, ends up being the first thing we see because the show wants to tell us that this time is going to be different. This time, we won’t be able to predict every single plot point in the movie. This time they are trying to do something new.

What is wonderful about the show is that it is successful at doing it for the most part, and just for that, it deserves quite the applause. The show really pushes the idea that this romantic comedy will go to places where the genre has never gone before. This is, of course, a lie. Most of the places we go to are familiar territory, but what really ends up feeling fresh is the relationship between both protagonists, and it is without a doubt the highlight of the show.

You see, our protagonists are two people, as in most romantic comedies, but this time our guy is a buffoon obsessed with getting married and not being left behind by life. Meanwhile, our girl is a beautiful, and charming troublemaker of the highest order. Together, they create what could be described as an odd couple. But one that simply functions when it comes to the needs of the plot and also when it comes to delivering that warming feeling that all romantic comedies are supposed to deliver.

As is always the case in basically everything she works on, Rosa Salazar is the star of the show. The actress, whose biggest role to date has been the perfect translation to the screen of the manga “Alita Battle Angel”, has become a sort of cult icon in recent years. Her animated series Undone was one of the coolest animated projects in recent memory, and it seems like no matter what she does, the actress brings energy, charm, and beauty to every set she walks on. This can be felt in all episodes of Wedding Season.

Drea on the other hand, is more of an unknown face, but as the series goes on, his dumb act starts wearing out a bit. He does have a lot of charm, but the way the character is written is a bit too much. Sometimes you wonder how Stefan can be a functional being in human society, how he has friends, a job, and many more other things. There could be some people like that out there, but sometimes his performance on the show goes beyond what is needed.

The series has that British flavor that becomes so charming as you watch more and more British television. The humor is never over the top, it is subtle and only goes into dumb territory so much that you can start to perceive it, and then later go back with more situational jokes. This is a very welcome take, as more often than not in romantic comedies on this side of the pond, humor often defaults to toilet humor and not much else.

As good as it is, the show does falter a bit when it comes to trying to wrap up everything at the end of the season. By the end of the season, the plot starts treading water a bit, and you can feel how some parts are being stretched out to maybe adapt to the episode order they got. It is a minor inconvenience, but it does feel like the show starts running in circles by that point. Nevertheless, it isn’t a dealbreaker, and for most people, it would not be an issue at all.

Wedding Season does a great job at trying to do something different in a genre that has been trapped inside its conventions for a bit too long. The result is a charming love story with different characters than the ones we are used to. Rosa Salazar keeps showing she deserves so much more recognition than she currently has, and just for her being one of the main characters, the show deserves a watch.

SCORE: 8/10