I only managed to watch the last three episodes of this in real time, because that was when I finished binging Call Me Katie and got caught up, but I still feel very attached to these characters.
Premise:
Katie and Bianca’s mother from CMK is getting married, and George Bates has been asked to make a video about love for the wedding reception. So he takes up vlogging again to document the process. Katie is fulfilling her dream of becoming a cop, and she returns to town but not to vlogging. Instead, Annie picks up vlogging. Bianca also makes a triumphant return. The story isn’t based on any specific Shakespeare play, but there are elements of many Shakespearean plots, characters, and even sonnets.
Format:
Almost all of the videos were posted on Bates’s vlogging channel, though there was also one video on the Call Me Katie channel and several others on the George Squared channel. The series updated three times a week, so its run was pretty short. Several characters were also active on social media, mostly twitter. The videos themselves are a mix of Bates’s vlogs, Annie/Bianca’s vlogs, interviews about love (all sorts!) for the wedding video, and the occasional random other thing.
Realism:
These people are really prone to the “I was filming a boring video and then someone came in and crazy plot things happened and I just decided to put it on the internet like that” trope. Seriously. Everything is filmed by the characters. They also all start vlogging simultaneously and then stop simultaneously in a less believable way than how that usually goes down.
However, the characters themselves are amazingly believable, as is the transmedia, and the video descriptions are utilized really well – they’re not necessary not understanding the plot (except in one case), but all of them are in character.
Representation/diversity:
Discordia Productions is so good at this. Peter and Katie are now the healthy, functional couple, which in itself is a miracle in media, and basically no one else is straight.
Will and Annie are both interested in women, and their sexualities are never defined but are probably both on the bi/pan spectrum somewhere. Ditto for the Chris Marlowe character, who makes a few appearances early on. Bianca is officially bi now. The mysterious Tom, when he shows up, is also bi. Ben and Mark, the background gay couple from CMK, are allowed actual lines and personalities this time. The two endgame relationships are both queer, and someone (no spoilers) comes out as asexual, and the discussions surrounding that are so amazingly groundbreaking and beautiful.
In NLTS, we’ve finally made it to the point where the queer couples get exactly the same treatment as the straight ones. Bisexual characters are equally likely to end up with either gender. Queer characters cheat and break up left and right, but they also get happy endings. More of this, please.
Also, although people are on the whole very white, Annie is Jewish, and people actually talk about religious holiday observances, which definitely doesn’t happen enough. And Gleeson is as much a double-leg amputee as ever.
Film quality:
Could be better, could be a lot worse. The segments filmed for the wedding video are all very high quality, and they actually show the lights and tripods required to make that a thing. Not quite as fun in the editing department as Call Me Katie was, but that’s because this series is more mature and sophisticated in general.
My three favorite things about NLTS:
1) The realistic relationships. People break up! People get together! People mend their broken friendships! Like I mentioned earlier, the queer couples also get the same treatment as the straight ones, and it’s about time.
2) George Bates. Steven Christie is such a good actor, and I love me my bisexual men in literary-inspired webseries (mostly Bates and Peter/Pedro Donaldson)
3) The little nods to other webseries. The series of videos from Gleeson on the night of a certain party gave me massive nostalgia for NMTD, and the aesthetic at that party was very BSN-ish, though that might just be shared party aesthetics between Australia and New Zealand.
Difficult things about NLTS:
Really just the realism issue. There is no real explanation for why anything whatsoever of this series is on the internet, but it’s okay because it’s so well done. I also wish there had been more episodes and maybe a little more development of certain relationships, and I was seriously displeased with the way one of my ships got back together, but I doubt other viewers will feel the same way.
Verdict: While I have issues with the realism that prevent me from giving this series a top rating, I seriously loved it and think it deserves a lot of attention. I give NLTS 3.5/5 stars.
Awards!
NLTS is up for the Literary-Inspired Webseries Awards! Go nominate them by April 15 in the following categories, and then vote for them afterwards (full cast list follows). List in submission form order. Thanks to @discordiaproductions for the official list. Everyone else should make those too. Please.
Best Actress in a Leading Role:
Chelsea Taylor as Bianca Minola
Zoe Landis as Annie James
Best Actor in a Leading Role:
Steven Christie as George Bates
Best Transmedia Experience
Best Script
Best Literary Inspired Webseries
Best Chemistry On Screen:
Steven Christie and Adam Bowes
Chelsea Taylor and Zoe Landis
Briony Burnes and Lachlan Stafford
Blake Hedley and Louis Regan
Steven Christie and Myra Holani
Best Ensemble Cast
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
Adam Bowes as George Gleeson
Alex Chalwell as Tom Carlisle
Lachlan Stafford as Peter Glover
Best Set and Costume Design
Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Myra Holani as Milly Baptista
Briony Burnes as Katie Minola
Created by Discordia Productions @discordiaproductions
Runtime:
Somewhere between three and four hours, I believe. 42 episodes.
Watch the whole thing here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxx2-9ONuap5AvReDEoAmTEAiukHn0iBY
You can also find all of the transmedia on Discordia Productions Tumblr.
