The way Wellmania did not go anywhere in this season, it looks like season 2 is in the making. Though there is no confirmation that the show will be renewed for the next season. In that case, this show, in itself, was pointless.
Wellmania, this Netflix series, is based on Brigid Delaney’s book, Misadventures In The Search Of Wellness. If the story in the book also progresses at the speed this series did, the book too must be pointless.
Wellmania is about Liv Healy, a food journalist, who flies back to her hometown, Australia from New York to see her best friend, Amy Kwan. The trip is planned only for the weekend as back in New York, her editor, Valerie is waiting for her to come back so that she can share the strategy for the TV show Liv is approached for. Unfortunately, Liv falls sick and cannot make it to New York on the said day.
The only way to get back to New York is by getting the Doctor’s approval for return. How to get it? By being declared medically fit to leave the hometown. Since the time is limited and she must return to New York as soon as possible, Liv tries all the short-cuts she can to bring back the vitals to normal – from cupping therapy to fad diets and crazy exercise schedules. As a result of which we see her either vomiting or passing out at the most unexpected places.
The whole, eight episode series, is only about this. After one point, it gets annoying as you know it’s not going anywhere. In the last episode, till Liv finally goes back to New York, she is shown struggling and yet ignoring her health as it only worsens with time. In that case, why watch someone fall ill on-screen?
In today’s hectic world, everyone is struggling with health issues, especially mental health but are keeping themselves busy. That’s how they deal with it but with time, the issues only get worse. If you are making a show about it, at least take this character on the journey of healing so that the audience can pause and reflect. Wellmania now looks like just an everyday episode from everyone’s lives. There are scenes where you feel that Liv is taking her health seriously and the story from hereon will change. We will get to see how and why taking care of mental health is important or how poor mental hygiene can start damaging your body. Unfortunately, this series about wellness focussed only on sickness – mental and physical but did not do anything to change the protagonist’s life for better.
The performances are good though. Celeste Barber as panicky Liv Healy is convincing. JJ Fong as Amy Kwan, Liv’s best friend has also done justice to her part. Genevieve Mooy as Lorraine Healy is adorable. To wrap it up in one sentence, the cast of Wellmania is perfect for their respective roles. These actors make the show worth watching as they make these characters believable and realistic.