Netflix’s new rom-com TV show is here, and it’s definitely one of the better ones on the platform. You can read our full review of Survival Of The Thickest here to know more about why you should give it a go. The show is simple yet colorful, and it is just a wonderful bundle of joy that is the perfect summer watch. Michelle Buteau creates a realistic world with stories from many characters that are not one-dimensional, leaving us hoping for more soon enough. It’s an eight-part series of 30-minute episodes that are easily binge-able within a day, especially if you’re on the lookout for something fun and energizing. Let’s get straight into everything that went down in Survival Of The Thickest.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Show?
Mavis Beaumont is living her dream life with her boyfriend of five years and climbing the ladder to the top as a fashion stylist. She even gets to work with her boyfriend, who is a photographer doing well in the business, helping her out a little too. She’s amazing at what she does, and her potential was slowly being seen by the right people until she found her boyfriend cheating on her with a model. Immediately, she has to get out of there, build a new life for herself, and find new connections because, up until then, it was Jacque who was doing all the networking. Quickly, everything she’s built is crumbling, and all she can do is move to Brooklyn and live with a stranger because there’s nothing else she can afford. But at least she’s got her support system—her best friends Khalil and Marley, who have got her back. Mavis pushes herself to go out and have a fling to feel better about herself. While she’s having a good time, she also gets a call about an interview that could be her big break. Khalil pushes her to go get that gig, but ultimately, because Jacque is attached to it, she leaves it behind.
Mavis gets another gig thanks to Peppermint, a drag queen working at her favorite place, but she doesn’t tell Mavis anything about who this person is because they’re supposedly very hard to work with. Turns out it’s Natasha Karina, a famous ex-supermodel who isn’t very happy with being remembered for the past and wants to be a big name in the present too. Natasha is ashamed of the way she looks now, and Mavis agrees to dress her only if she drops the corset and actually accepts herself as she is. Mavis doesn’t know anything about what the event is that she’s styling Natasha for, but she gets the dresses ready, which fit her size anyway. Natasha looks glamorous and stunning in the shimmering green sweet-heart necklined dress, ready for a red carpet, but it’s actually a funeral. Her ex-husband’s funeral at that. But Natasha is there to make a statement, and the whole thing ends up being a huge hit for Mavis, even gaining her 3000 new followers and a hashtag for herself, thanks to Peppermint: #MavisKilled. Mavis also sees herself in Natasha, and she’s the exact kind of woman she wanted to work with right from the start.
Mavis begins dressing other queens per Peppermint’s request, and at one of the shows, she steals a guy’s tie to quickly sort out a wardrobe malfunction. The man’s name is Luca, and he’s very quickly charmed by Mavis’ quick thinking and bold mannerisms. Luca asks her out to dinner, and she agrees, but later things get a little bit crazy after dinner. Still, at the end of the night, everything is peachy, and Luca leaves a happy Mavis to go back to Italy. Mavis and Luca have it going well, and they constantly text and video call each other. On the other hand, work is going great for her, too, until Jacque shows up at one of the shoots. She deals with it somehow, but Mavis is still hurting a lot because of Jacque. He tells her he’s a changed man now and that things are different for him, and he calls her back home. Instead, Mavis agrees to accept that he’s changed but only takes her Japanese toilet back to her Brooklyn home because a girl has her needs. Fortunately for her, Luca shows up right then. For a couple of weeks, they’re having the time of their lives with each other, but then Mavis’ mom shows up.
According to her, Mavis needs to have children, and at the age of 38, she definitely can’t be having flings with foreign men. Mavis realizes that all she’s ever looked for in her mother is validation, and she will do anything to have it. She thinks Luca is great, but the thoughts her mother put in her mind are too difficult to push away. But Luca is quick to tell Mavis that he has feelings for her and that her mother is wrong, so they will work things out with each other. Mavis finally gets a second big gig outside of working for Natasha, and she’s making it big until Natasha realizes she wants Mavis all for herself.
Mavis wants to grow her personal brand, but Natasha becomes somewhat of a hindrance. While Mavis is able to do both jobs, she becomes extremely stressed out, and when Natasha has a red carpet event, thanks to the shenanigans at the funeral, Mavis becomes overworked. She doesn’t sleep and fights with Luca, who sends her a flight ticket to Italy as an escape plan, leaving her thinking that she can’t handle all the work. Finally, because of her own abandonment issues, Natasha tells Mavis that she’ll pay her $10,000 a month to work for her exclusively. Mavis shuts the offer down because she finally puts herself first, but the stress of it all causes her to have a massive panic attack. Because of this, Jacque shows up, and he starts to see that Mavis has less time on her hands, and that they need to make the most of it. Finally, her parents show up, and they tell Mavis that she should marry Jacque because he’s asked them for permission, and they’ve said yes. When Jacque actually shows up at her door, and the thought has marinated in Mavis’ head for a little while, she panics and says yes to him.
How Does ‘Survival Of The Thickest’ End?
Mavis thinks she’s doing the right thing, but she still keeps seeing Luca everywhere. On the other hand, she decides to host an all-inclusive prom and dress all these younglings so they can express themselves with no rules. While Mavis prepares her biggest event at CC’s with Peppermint to make all the outsiders feel like insiders, she also spends more time with her now-fiance, Jacque. Khalil and Marley really do not like the idea of her going back to a cheating man, but she gives the example of her own parents’ marriage that worked even after cheating. At the end of the day, they only care about her happiness and are never judgmental about her choices.
Natasha shows up and shows her support to Mavis, telling her she misses her and maybe they can be working together again soon enough. In the middle of this, Luca tries to call Mavis to apologize about the ticket, but before they can talk it out, Jacque shows up, and Mavis throws away her phone. While getting it fixed, the store assistant asks her if she wants to fix the old one or upgrade to a new one. This is when Mavis realizes that Jacque is in her past and she has moved on, so she doesn’t need to be with this man again just because it’s expected of her. She finally chooses to do what’s right for her and leave Jacque. The prom is a super hit, and Mavis reminds everyone to dream big, just like herself, because anything is possible, and that’s what makes life worth living. The season ends with Mavis telling Luca she loves him, and he asks for some time to return her answer, but she’s already there in Italy, and they are finally together again.
