From one saas-bahu drama to another, it seems that the Pakistani entertainment industry tends to keep different, out-of-the-box storylines at an arm’s length. Midsummer Chaos is a web series that attempts to be unique and gives an insight into the lives of Pakistani teenagers belonging to the elite class, and their mind-boggling set of life problems. It appears as if the makers of this show were trying to cater to the Gossip Girl and Riverdale audience in Pakistan with a local twist. With an influencer-studded cast, this web series easily garnered a lot of attention – however, that backfired very quickly.
I was introduced to Midsummer Chaos by a friend of mine and I watched the first episode in the hopes of discovering something profound and life-changing. Much to my surprise (not really), the first episode left me with a look of complete confusion on my face. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. With dialogues and scenes that didn’t make any sense whatsoever, I quite frankly started doubting my personal mental capacity to comprehend things. Ranging from the Harris-Samir fight, who were apparently best friends, to Alynah and Harris’ relationship problems, one has to admit that some parts of it are pretty entertaining to watch, while others you can’t make through without cringing and fast-forwarding.
Some of the most noticeable things about the show were its riveting and fascinating story plotlines and scriptwriting. Some highlights which I can’t seem to forget are:
- 20 different ways to say yaar
- Harris accusing poor Sameer of being too drunk even though the party started like seven minutes ago
- Harris being adamant about how he loves Alynah because their parents know each other, even though he asked her out over a ridiculous dare
- Bisma Khan’s introduction to her amazing “Faces Behind Faces” show
- Sameer’s pseudo-philosophical answer when he was asked about his off-screen self: “I don’t remember life before social media. When I made my Instagram account public, that’s when I found myself.”
- Sameer’s public confession about his daddy issues: “My father wasn’t always around, he was never around actually.”
- The awkward and cringy hug Harris gives Alynah – this scene alone is enough to make you uncomfortable for a decade (what’s up with her hands??)
- The iconic café scene where crybaby Harris gets dumped by a newly rebellious Alynah
- Alynah’s delusion that teenagers are expected to date in Pakistan
- “Mujhey kuch nai samajh aa raha yaar yeh kya ho raha hai.” (And numerous other variations of this, because apparently, we weren’t the only ones confused)
- Harris defining selfishness like a typical philosophy major, but dramatic: “Selfishness comes from a lack of self-worth that this world has gifted us” (????)
- Harris exposing the real reason behind every relationship: “Tumhari koi self-worth nahi hai, aur na hi meri hai. Is liye ham saath hein.”
- Sameer’s savage “Self respect nahi hai tere mai?” reply to when his best friend, Harris, needed a shoulder to cry one
- The excess of Pinterest and Tumblr quotes forced into Mahar Bano’s dialogues at the end of each episode to immaculately wrap up the cringe fest
The number of scenes and dialogues I could mention here are endless, and standing at just three episodes so far, the show has become the subject of a plethora of memes online. If you’re ever bored, go and take a look at the comment section of the episodes on YouTube, (ironically) you will find yourself thinking that it is one of the very few justifiable reasons for watching the show. I’m no movie/show critic, but anyone who has watched TV at some point in their lives would wonder what was Ahmed Sarym’s thought process behind putting together this show and allowing it to be revealed to the world, just like that. Frankly, there were even moments when I wondered whether it was a satire.
If you haven’t seen the show yet and have some free time on your hands, I would not ask you to watch it. If you wish to catch up on the memes as you scratch your head in confusion and perhaps even laugh and cringe at the same time; then you probably should check out at least one episode. After experiencing the quirky accents, questionable life problems, and supposedly deep conversations at the end of each episode, you will not want more. Or maybe you will because it’s so bad that it’s good.