Physical

There are people for whom exercising means a long, solitary, contemplative run. Others, however, require a torrent of exhortation, the kind of loudly articulated positive or negative reinforcement that can range from gentle cajoling to abuse.From the fitness craze of the ’80s to real and virtual spin classes today, there has long been an allure to enlisting the help of coaches to become the motivating voices in your head.But what are the voices in their heads? What are the exercisers exorcisingThat’s the question that drives the most compelling part of Apple TV+’s Physical, a 10-episode, half-hour dramedy with an unrelenting sour streak that’s sure to immediately alienate any viewer who makes the mistake of thinking they’re tuning in for a vaguely campy slice of light-hearted nostalgia. If you accept going in that Physical is a dark and tormented character study propelled by an ultra-intense performance from Rose Byrne, there are things to be engaged by. But I’ve rarely seen a show more committed to following storylines I didn’t care about at the expense of its best assets.Physical Season 1 Download

Byrne plays Sheila Rubin, a tightly wound San Diego housewife looking for purpose in the early ’80s. Sheila once found motivation in ballet, and in ’60s protest movements with husband Danny (Rory Scovel), but her dance studio closed and Danny has become a complacent college professor more interested in flirting with coeds than big ideas. Cursed with a self-flagellating inner monologue, Sheila has a ritualized eating disorder that involves meticulously wrapped hamburgers and a tawdry motel.At a local mall — the type her pompously progressive hubby views as a scourge — Sheila catches sight of an aerobics class led by the energetic Bunny (Della Saba). That class provides her a glimmer of new purpose and, on the eve of the VHS revolution, a glimpse of the future.