Unconventional 1×01 Review: “Full Stop”

The debut of Unconventional season 1, titled ‘Full Stop’, served as a very impactful introduction to the ensemble cast as the narrative began to peel away at the layers of what’s actually going on.

As someone who has been keeping an eye on Unconventional by creator Kit Williamson for a while now, I knew the show was going to be a dramedy. However, all of the stuff that happened in ‘Full Stop’ did take me by surprise. There’s so much going on in the lives of the co-leads during the approximate 26-minute-long episode, and I kind of don’t know if the two main relationships will survive by the end.

The premise of Unconventional is simple enough (well, as simple as it can get when telling a story about queer characters). Noah (Williamson) and Dan (James Bland) have been together for almost nine years, and Dan wants to have kids now that they are married. Noah has agreed to be the sperm donor to his sister Margot’s (Aubrey Shea) wife Eliza (Briana Venskus). Along with that, Noah’s struggling with completing his PhD for the past nine years.

‘Full Stop’ opened with a heated argument between Noah and Dan about possibly getting divorced before going back in time to show the moment when they got married and then jumping ahead a few steps in the timeline to show Dan and Noah in a loving relationship. However, having seen the opening, you already know their current relationship status is the calm before the storm.

Even though they are going through the motions when it comes to having a baby with Eliza, not everyone is on the same page. We get to learn that Noah said yes to being the sperm donor without consulting Dan. Not only that, but apparently Dan never brought up wanting a kid of his own before the two men got married. Understandably, Dan’s not interested in raising Noah’s son as an uncle if Eliza does give birth. And to make matters even more complicated, Noah might not want to be a father after all.

From what was shown in the premiere, I do feel for Noah. I too would be weirded out if my spouse brought up wanting kids after marriage after never showing any interest in raising a family during the past nine non-married years we have been together. Dan justified his desire by saying wanting children was the natural progression for any couple. But yeah, that doesn’t cut it for me. You need to have a very serious talk about children during the early years of being in a relationship. You just don’t drop your expectation of wanting kids on your spouse out of the blue, especially not after nine freaking years and once you have signed a marriage contract.

Another interesting conversation between the two dealt with Noah’s PhD program. As someone who has spent most of his life in academia, I could relate to Noah. You do want to complete something you have invested so much time into regardless if it will open doors to a better job or not. You don’t want to give up and feel like a failure. However, there comes a time when you have to self-reflect. With Noah wanting to teach and write, he could still easily do that without a completed PhD. And I do understand where Dan’s coming from when he said it felt like Noah’s using his current education-related doldrums as an excuse to delay not beginning a new chapter in their lives together as husbands.

Sometimes a pivot can do wonders in redirecting your life in a very pleasant and surprising manner. You just have to decide to make said change and not worry about what others might think. But yes, it’s easier said than done.

The promotional material for Unconventional talked about Noah and Dan being in an open relationship. While I have nothing against a healthy open relationship, and Noah and Dan communicate quite well about what they get up to, I do feel there’s a difference between an open relationship strengthening a bond and being used as an excuse.

Due to the bunch of unresolved issues currently percolating in Noah and Dan’s marriage, I do feel inviting a third into their relationship was more of a distraction than a bonding moment. According to the promos, the third person in question is going to show up again and I think his existence is only going to complicate things further for the husbands.

Whether it’s an open relationship or wanting to raise kids, the addition of new people into a couple’s lives can’t serve as a bandaid for underlying issues.

Noah, who is dealing with depression and anxiety, also worries about Dan leaving him. And even though Dan kept reassuring him that wouldn’t happen, we all know that no amount of reassurance can truly address such a concern. The two need professional help to figure out a way to resolve certain issues as a couple ASAP.

Margot (who is bipolar) and Eliza are also dealing with domestic drama. Margot’s mother wanted her to leave Eliza to come stay with her because she was lonely. There’s a window installation the couple’s spent thousands of dollars on and it’s still unfinished. And Eliza’s still not pregnant even though she’s been trying for (from what I can tell) six months. Eliza also wanted Margot to ask Noah to finally sign the paternity papers so as not to demand parental rights down the line.

Eliza also demanded Noah not waste sperm while she was ovulating and she was understandably unhappy about Noah donating a sample the morning after having a threesome with a (as of now) stranger. I mean, I too would side-eye that sample even if the donor talked about being safe. It’s just a human response to have. Also, I think Eliza doesn’t want Noah in the picture anymore as to nip the accompanying paternity-related risky situation in the bud. She even brought up looking at anonymous sperm donor options to her doctor.

The nine-episode-long first season will cover a month of Eliza’s pregnancy with each episode. With ‘Full Stop’ concluding with Eliza’s doctor telling her she’s finally pregnant, I’m looking forward to seeing how such a change will impact the many issues present in the lives of both couples.

I don’t know if I will cover Unconventional on a weekly basis, but I did want to watch the premiere episode and talk about it. And I’m glad I did. The first episode gave me a lot more than I was expecting after having watched the trailer.

You can go ahead and watch the debut episode on Revry right now.

What did you think of Unconventional season 1 episode 1 ‘Full Stop’?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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