Indie Web Series: The Closely Knit Community In 'My First Love'
My First Love: Withdrawals and Relapses is an intimate project produced by M. Lewis Music that explores the complexities of romance between artists. This show is particularly notable for the way it incorporates the art its characters perform with the cinematic narrative it’s telling. The inclusion of live performances from local venues in Washington D.C. also adds to the realism of this web series.
Episode 1 opens with a narration by Lewis, an artist in his 30s who is finally starting to date again a year after his previous relationship ended. It is at an open mic where he meets his date, a writer named Eunice, and is immediately smitten. This relationship begins as one would expect, but takes a turn for the unexpected once Eunice goads her new interest into a live performance at this open mic. Lewis takes his guitar to the stage, begins to sing his song, and a fantasy scenario invades the screen as Eunice also takes the stage and begins kissing Lewis. The rest of the performance transitions into a music video, where the audience gets to see the wonderful evening Lewis is imagining with his new love. Then, the song ends, and we’ve snapped into reality once again.
This very first tonal shift is indicative of the unique way this tale of romance will narratively operate throughout the entire series. Even more interestingly, the medium in which the scenes of passion are conveyed are not limited to song, but to the spoken word as well. We are eventually introduced to Dacia, a sister figure to Lewis, and she is in the midst of navigating two romantic relationships simultaneously. Both Dacia and Lewis are artists, and they both frequent the same local open mics. These are places where they know who’s hosting and who’s performing by name. This leads to further complications when Brene, Lewis’s ex, begins showing up at his performances again, igniting emotional flames that Lewis hadn’t put out as completely as he intended.
In this show, no character seems underdeveloped. The way in which this depth is achieved is through the exclusive focus on community events combined with the mapping of character relationships. Because they are seasoned performers who know where the venues are, they ultimately cannot hide from each other. A new friend of an old friend can arrive at your home, and your ex could unexpectedly show up with them. My First Love tells a story about real confrontations, and asks a question: What does it mean to move forward when the past is always present?
