Forget fun TV, Rose Byrne's physique is a show of spiked brilliance
The thing I like the most Physique is the show’s unwavering refusal to be liked. Led by Rose Byrne and her rich hair Jaclyn Smith, this 1980s comedy-drama Apple TV+ about a San Diego housewife who finds her self-purpose with the advent of aerobics is fueled by a sting of self-loathing. Now in its second season, the series is full of hilarious period details and brief discontent; for the main character, happiness is almost always an illusion that disappears too quickly. The lack of cuteness is interesting. The strongest voice – so powerful that it is almost a separate character that deserves its own bill – is the monologue in Byrne’s Sheila Benson. It’s been around since Sheila’s first apparition in 1981, nonchalantly looking at herself in the mirror and delivering a verdict she’s eager to share but is afraid that others will find out. “Do you really think you did all this?” he asked with rhetorical bitterness. Every installment since then has tested the idea, so much so that t