Slip

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

“Slip” is the latest television series from creator Zoe Lister-Jones to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. This emotional sharp comedy is slated to air on the Roku Channel this April and explores the many possibilities of love, life, mistakes and infinite universes. The short series is bound to be a divisive one for viewers, as it occasionally stumbles to find equilibrium between comedy, drama and the genre-defying elements of the narrative. Fans of Zoe Lister-Jones are in for a treat with “Slip,” as she is the showrunner, director, executive producer and central member of the series’ principal cast.

Parallel universes are all the rage nowadays, especially after the commercial and critical success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, making it the perfect moment in time to expose viewers to the many worlds of “Slip.” This experimental series leverages the many possibilities of the multiverse without falling victim to some of its more overused tropes, using the science fiction elements as an accent rather than the central focus. This works in the series’ favor, as the real juicy plot lines are really found in the minutia of the characters’ lives.

Mae Cannon (Lister-Jones) is many things in her life. She’s a successful museum curator and one-half of a comfortable partnership with her perfectly suitable husband, Elijah (Whitmer Thomas). Unfortunately, Mae is also suffering from an unshakeable case of ennui. Comfort and stability have taken the place of passion and spontaneity, something that Mae and Elijah both seem to desperately want out of their lives, but they are each too scared to fully reveal that to the other.

Mae is a complex, modern woman with the same contemporary problems that many women face today. The way she gets to excavate these problems; however, is something entirely new. To temporarily escape her marital dissatisfaction Mae has the titular slip-up that ends up with her having a one-night stand with Eric (Amar Chadha-Patel). This encounter sends Mae off into a parallel universe in which her entire existence is subverted. What was once comfortable is lavish, what was once contained is expansive and what was once the fantasy becomes the very thing she wishes to escape from.

“Slip” is an interrogation of love and life through the female lens and while it shares the multi-verse with Everything Everywhere All at Once, the series feels more like a more poignant retelling of Click. It is bold in its approach to womanhood and viewers may find themselves unsure of who they should be rooting for in the many ups and downs of the series. For this reason, “Slip” is less an entertaining escapist view and more palatable to those ready to ruminate and uncover some of the harder truths of the human condition.