Terminal cancer, erotic daydreams of cunnilingus and finally having an orgasm, stepping on guys’ dicks, heartbreaking notions of mortality and friendship as love all merge like sweaty, messy sex in FX’s terrific “Dying For Sex,” a limited-series much more moving and sweet than much of this sounds.
From writer/creator/showrunner Liz Merriweather—who made a super exciting creative leap in 2022, moving from jovial network comedy (“New Girl,” “Bless This Mess”) to the more meaningful Elizabeth Holmes prestige drama, “The Dropout” for Hulu with Amanda Seyfried (still funny in moments too)—“Dying For Sex” is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name by Nikki Boyer.
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At first, Merriwether’s “Dying For Sex,” starring Michelle Williams, feels slightly disappointing compared to the Emmy-winning ‘Dropout,’ which managed to be a superb portrait of tech hubris, feminine ambition and the dark side of self-deception.
But this dramedy is simply a completely different beast with dissimilar needs, moods and flavors. While seemingly a bit more lightweight, when “Dying For Sex” concludes its layered erotic odyssey about self-discovery, sex, desire, lust, needing to be wanted, and friendship as the ultimate love, it proves to be potent and worthwhile if wholly different successor.
Co-written with Kim Rosenstock, the mini-series follows the based-on-a-true-story of Molly (Williams), a 40-something woman diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer that spreads, who leaves her husband, Steve (Jay Duplass) to explore her desires, needs and wants. The reductive, headline-grabbing description is she jilts her partner to explore sexual preferences, her kinks, and her dom side, and while those elements are true, “Dying For Sex” is really about fulfillment, being seen and being understood.
The dramedy begins in a therapy session, with Molly and Steve discussing their marital issues. But it’s clear Molly wants to cum and finally achieve an orgasm, and Steve is still treating her like a stricken cancer patient with kid gloves. Steve expertly takes care of and organizes her medical requirements but leaves her emotional needs wanting.
Molly’s breast cancer had gone into remission, but as the show opens, she’s informed it returns with hostile aggression, a diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, and metastasizing throughout her body.
Starring down the idea of death, which has hit her like a ton of bricks, Molly has a come to Jesus moment. Quickly, she comes to the abrupt decision to leave her husband and goes on a quest to fulfill her many unfulfilled sexual desires.
Supporting her and her erotic adventure is Nikki (a superb Jenny Slate), Molly’s unruly best friend who stays by her side until the very end and tries to take on Steve’s role as caretaker.
The colorful cast also includes Sissy Spacek as Molly’s estranged, complicated mom with a history of drug addiction, who drops everything when her cancer diagnosis comes back, Rob Delaney as a next-door neighbor who Molly begins to explore her dominant sexual side with, Kelvin Yu as Nikki’s live-in boyfriend who starts to chafe when Molly’s care begins to consume her life, David Rasche as Molly’s oncologist with a brutal bedside manner and a stand-out Esco Jouléy, an empathetic, progressive palliative care social worker fresh out of grad school who helps Molly navigate her sexual journey.
Filled with dark humor, bon mots like, “Are you a grief tourist?” and “Your boobs relax me (Molly to Nikki as she platonically feels her up), “Dying For Sex” manages to thread the needle of sharp, black-humored laughs and devastating heartbreak as Nikki, Molly’s mom Gail and the rest of the cast begin to brace themselves for Molly’s inevitable death.
Directed mainly by Shannon Murphy and Chris Teague, both do a solid job of the simplicity of letting performances shine and be as radiant as they are.
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It’s probably no surprise to hear that four-time Oscar-nominated Williams is marvelous and fearless in a role that requires her to be extremely vulnerable and bare. But it’s Jenny Slate, as Molly’s bff, who is incredible, nearly stealing the series from under her with an aching turn as the best friend trying to be everything to her soul mate. It’s Slate’s best performance to date by a long shot and, yes, a very awards-worthy one.
Complex, messy in a genuinely human way, and profoundly moving, especially in the latter half of the series, “Dying For Sex” is a heartrending portrait of trying to live an authentic life while the clock is ticking. And again, while the sexual elements are fodder for outstanding sparkle and wittiness, the deep, touching connection between Nikki and Molly truly becomes the heart of the show. Wistful, tragic, funny and engaging, “Dying For Sex” is a super captivating story of self-determination, healing and reckoning with death. [A]
