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Feel Good's Mae Martin and Charlotte Ritchie on season 2, role play and what's next for TV's most captivating love story

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

Feel Good season one spoilers follow.

Rainbow Crew is an ongoing interview series that celebrates the best LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Each instalment showcases talent working on both sides of the camera, including queer creatives and allies to the community.

Next up, we're speaking to Feel Good co-creator and star Mae Martin, and co-lead Charlotte Ritchie, to chat about what people can expect in the upcoming episodes, and what the future holds for Mae and George.

Season one went down a storm with critics and the public, which doesn't always happen. Did you feel any pressure to match that coming into season two, and potentially go one better?

Mae Martin: "Yeah, definitely. Absolutely. Particularly when people say they were so invested in the relationship. I didn't want to bum them out. What was nice was that the show came out at the beginning of lockdown, and then we started writing season two and filmed season two when still in lockdown, so I didn't have time to go out and be influenced by too many people's opinions about it, and their hopes and dreams for the characters. So we could just stay true to what we've always found, you know?"

Season one was a Channel 4-Netflix co-production, but season two will stream exclusively on Netflix. How did that come about?

Mae Martin: "Season one came out and then—"

Charlotte Ritchie: "And then Netflix picked up the mantle, right? They took the baton and took it on as a whole. That's basically what happened."

Mae Martin: "Channel 4 dropped it [laughs]. I think there were loads of things going on with the pandemic."

Charlotte Ritchie: "It took a big hit."

Mae Martin: "There were changes going on and Channel 4 took a big hit, so luckily Netflix stepped in and picked it up."

Photo credit: Channel 4
Photo credit: Channel 4

Did that change the way you worked?

Mae Martin: "I guess for season one, we had two sets of notes coming at us from two broadcasters. But they were always pretty much in line with each other, so it wasn't too different. We were working with the same team at Netflix that we were for season one. Their notes are always so thoughtful, and they do kind of leave you to it so no, it wasn't too different. The only difference was the pandemic."

Charlotte Ritchie: "The lockdown. That was the biggest difference, I guess."

Mae Martin: "It feels like about 10 years have passed between the two seasons. We look a bit haunted."

Charlotte Ritchie: "Yeah, we do. We've aged."

Mae Martin: "We've aged. We've come out of months of lockdown. I've been cutting my own hair for months. Although they tried to fix it, there's only so much you can do with it. A home haircut–"

Charlotte Ritchie: "A home-do."

Well your hair looks great. Could you recap where we left Mae and George at the end of season one?

Mae Martin: "We left them in an ambiguous place where George has broken up with Mae, and then was desperate to get Mae back. And Mae, meanwhile, had spiralled madly and was now carrying a lot of secrets. So they were kind of in free-fall at the end of season one. We joined them, pulled them apart and then watched them try to reconnect."

Photo credit: Channel 4
Photo credit: Channel 4

In season two – and this isn't a spoiler because it's in the trailer – we find out that they've not only broken up, but Mae was the one who ended the relationship, which feels seismic.

Mae Martin: "I think Mae was dealing with the guilt of having slept with Lava (Ritu Arya), and having done drugs, and was trying to regain some control. And so knew that they needed to go back to Canada, and go to rehab. I think it was partly the secrecy that led to the breakup because I think you can tell that Mae's hoping that everything will be fine."

Charlotte Ritchie: "I also think it probably wouldn't have come from George because at the end of the first series, there's a sense that in falling in love with Mae, George has lost a bit of something of her autonomy slightly – which is something that I think is quite truthful to falling in love. There's that thing they say about it being a falling, not a standing, so you're losing some self-control.

"So it's quite interesting that actually once George has come all that way to Mae, it's Mae that makes the decision to go. George is left wondering who she is, now that she's, for the first time probably ever, been vulnerable with another person in a big way."

Mae Martin: "I think Mae, in season one, knowing that she's got work to do on herself, and in rehab or in NA, she feels she has to do that alone before she can be in a healthy relationship. And then it's trying to figure out whether actually she can work through that stuff with someone."

Photo credit: Channel 4
Photo credit: Channel 4

There's still a lot of figuring out going on still in season two. Charlotte, George has initially, seemingly, moved on with a new guy, Elliott (Jordan Stephens). Do you think viewers are going to warm to him and back that relationship?

Charlotte Ritchie: "I'm going to be really interested to see how people respond. I think that George is attempting to do more exploring of who she is, and taking a few more chances, and is enticed by Elliott's self-confidence and knowledge. I think if you're rooting for Mae and George, then that's a real blow on so many levels, so it'll be interesting to see how people respond."

Mae Martin: "But in a way, if you're rooting for George on her own, and for her to be a happy person, then in a way, Elliott is the perfect pick for that moment because George is growing, and Elliott puts no demands on her, and is so confident. I think when you're with someone who is so emotionally erratic and vulnerable like Mae, that can actually end up being quite controlling and draining."

And Mae heads back to rehab, for a short time at least. It feels like things have ramped up since season one.

Mae Martin: "Yeah. I think that a lot of the things that preoccupied Mae in season one, like addiction, and falling in love with George, and pressuring George to come out and, you know, feeling quite victimised by that situation – I think those things were convenient distractions, as well as legitimate stresses that were distracting from a deeper pain.

"And so in season two, with a more solid foundation, they're forced to look at those things more soberly, and in the light of day. So a lot of stuff starts bubbling up."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

What's so brilliant about Feel Good is the way that it dances between light and dark. How do you know when to yank it back from the edge and make sure that you're not trivialising trauma?

Mae Martin: "Well Joe [Hampson] and I, who co-writes Feel Good, we read everything out loud a lot. When you're reading things out loud over and over again, you really quickly get a sense of when things start to become morose, or they feel too outlandish. I think that's really helpful because you start to crave a punchline, or you start to crave, you know, a bit of sincerity. So I think that reading it out loud is helpful. Is that a good answer?"

Charlotte Ritchie: "That's a great answer. Also, I was saying to Mae earlier, there's a real truthfulness to there being humour in an awful situation because it's the ultimate deflection technique. If something gets too painful, if someone starts going close to an area that you're not willing to look at, you would deflect it with something funny. I think that's the most truthful thing about the show.

"Some of the funniest jokes come out at like, a funeral, or something. Sorry to say that, but it's so often that someone will— it's like a release, and a relief. It's a diversion. That's so truthful to life, I think."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

One part of season two where we just couldn't stop laughing was the role-play scenes. Was that difficult to film?

Charlotte Ritchie: "I think that was one of my favourite things to film."

Mae Martin: "What made me laugh was, on the page, they're these really short, throwaway scenes, but each one requires a full setup to film, and quite an involved… Like the mechanic one, and different lighting and camera positions. So it really made me laugh, the amount of effort and costumes–"

Charlotte Ritchie: "And artistry that went into really dumb scenarios."

Mae Martin: "All these ridiculous things. And also, they're all genuinely scenarios that I find quite fit [laughs]. It was really making me laugh, and I was enjoying them."

Charlotte Ritchie: "There's loads of candles in this scene where I'm the king. We came into the room and I'm wearing a cape and a moustache, and there's this moody lighting and all these candles, the art department are carefully stepping back over tea lights. I was like, “This is mad. This is not what I expected.” But it really makes it. I loved that sequence.

"And also, I hope people watch it, and it brings—I think there's so often… It's so serious around sex – a lot of conversations, or representation that's got to be hot and heavy and serious. But there's so much laughter in it. And I think there's this joyfulness to those scenarios that show just how joyful it can be, and how important that is an element of people's relationships. The show definitely caters to a much more intense side of their relationship. But to see that joy, and the way they get on, I think is so lovely. I love that about it."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

Mae, you've spoken in the past about the fact that there's so much hysteria around gender and conversations about gender fluidity. You recently said that you identify as non-binary. That's addressed in Feel Good, but it's really subtle. Why did you choose to present it in such a scaled-back way?

Mae Martin: "I think it was just more honest to me personally that I am figuring it out, and that it can be incredibly stressful and painful, but also very funny. The perfect example is even in this interview. You're effortlessly using "they" pronouns and I keep f**king up my own pronouns [laughs] because I keep forgetting which one I'm using. So that's a perfect example of trying not to take it too seriously, and being vulnerable, but also honest about it. It's an ongoing process."

Charlotte Ritchie: "I think also what really struck me about the show, and in general about the conversation, is that the onus is not on people who are expressing who they are. It's also on anyone else that takes for granted that they might not need or want to do that. George represents the work that people have to do in allowing a world – or creating a world – where that doesn't have to be something that is a humungous deal. The onus is so much on mainstream culture to adapt itself, to understand that there is not a binary existence. It's just not true. I think that's a really important part of the show.

"It's seeing someone like George, who I think a lot of people can see themselves in – she's a bit of a representation of having never had to think about how her life might be nuanced or different from the mainstream in any way. And to see that represented is important, and her response to that, I think."

Mae Martin: "Yeah. That's really nice. I sort of wrote my dream version of how people would engage with me about that issue. So George making space for Mae to just feel comfortable and take it at their own pace, was really nice."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

And Charlotte, George explores a new dimension of her sexuality as well. It feels like she's evolved so much. She's so comfortable with who she is now and that's not made a big deal of.

Charlotte Ritchie: "George has a lot to be grateful to Mae for, for allowing her to explore… I mean, there's a push and a pull because you see it at the beginning of the second series that Mae is also trying to work out how Mae is in relation to George. Now that George is discovering this new side, the dynamic is changing.

"It's interesting how, in their relationship, your perception of the other person is as important to your own identity as theirs is to them. So that's quite an interesting challenge. I think that's such sophisticated writing. But George is beginning to be a bit in her element, I think, and beginning to ask, really, what she wants. George has lived a frictionless life, and has now been forced to confront difficult scenarios that are not easy for her."

Mae Martin: "In season one, she's so embarrassed to be more dominant – regardless of sexuality and things. I think a lot of people feel nervous to explore these sides of themselves. It feels like she's gone through puberty again."

Charlotte Ritchie: "It's the interesting things that come from no longer taking the path of least resistance. She's no longer a passenger in her life. She discovers that she does want to be Jafar instead of Jasmine."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

Do you think Mae and George can go the distance? Or do you think this is just one chapter in the entirety of their lives?

Mae Martin: "I'd rather leave it open to interpretation. Even for me. I don't even want to land on a concrete answer for myself. I just like that it feels, by the end of the series… Well, not to give any spoilers, but it feels like more of a choice, like they're choosing to be together. They may choose not to be together, but it's less of a..."

Charlotte Ritchie: "Compulsive thing."

Mae Martin: "A compulsive need."

Charlotte Ritchie: "They both have more agency by the end.

Mae Martin: "Yeah. They really want each other, you know? But I don't want to give spoilers."

Season two is going to be the last, if we've got that right? Do you think there's a chance we'll meet Mae and George again in 10 years' time? Would you revisit these characters?

Mae Martin: "I'd love to. My co-writer's quite black-and-white about leaving things completely. I'd love to see them in a scenario that's not to do with their relationship, where they're a real team solving a murder or something. I don't know."

Charlotte Ritchie: "I think there's something quite satisfying about leaving things. Like, closing things. I don't think you can ever truly, definitively say – we really can't – but I think there's something about slightly closing the door. There's almost a complete peace about it being two series. It's really satisfying to exist in the world."

Mae Martin: "I think I agree, although I would love to see a Phil (Burgers) spinoff – just Phil wandering through the desert, screaming or something."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

How much would it have meant to you to have had a show like this when you were growing up, or even five years ago? There isn't a show like this on telly.

Mae Martin: "That's so nice, thank you. I think it would have helped a lot. I know from watching it, you want to scream at Mae and George in season one. I think it would have stopped me from being in some consuming and ultimately very toxic relationships, you know? [laughs]

"Writing it, definitely – I feel like I've learned a lot just from interrogating those themes myself. I remember being so pathetically grateful when Willow on Buffy got a girlfriend. I didn't relate to them at all – they were witches; they were levitating. But I was so grateful to see it normalised. It meant a lot."

Charlotte Ritchie: "Me, personally, just from doing the show, I've had late-night conversations with Mae, and learned more about myself and the world with every day that we've spent doing it. I feel like that kind of TV needs to exist for people to consistently understand each other, and empathise and learn. I think that that's a huge part of it. If it gets to be funny at the same time, it's a gift."

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

What are you both working on at the moment? Mae, we read that you're developing another Netflix project. And Charlotte, Ghosts has finished filming. It's wrapped?

Charlotte Ritchie: "So Ghosts, we finished about a month ago and that will be out, I think, hopefully at the end of this year. I'm not sure. But other than that, I'm mainly going to be sipping piña coladas in a nice pub somewhere as much as possible. I really feel excited that this is coming out at a time where the summer's here and things are unlocking. That's my agenda right now – trying to live a normal life for a minute."

Mae Martin: "There are a couple of things that I'm working on. The Netflix one is just in development. It's not for sure. There are a couple of other things. I don't think I’m allowed to talk about literally anything – sorry.

"One thing that I can talk about is that I'm going on tour in autumn, so that'll be good. I can't wait to do stand-up again. But my main agenda is getting back to Canada, hugging my parents, seeing my friends. I haven't seen my childhood friends or anyone since before season one came out. This thing happened in my life and I haven't been able to sit down and talk about it with my loved ones. I can't wait. My friends have had babies I've never met, and that kind of thing."

Charlotte Ritchie: "It's funny, the idea of meeting a baby. It's like, 'Hey, Mae. I've heard a lot about you. I've only been here for a month, but I like you.'"

Feel Good season 2 arrives on Netflix on Friday, June 4.


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