Why "Sanders Sides" Is Guaranteed to Make You Smile During These Hard Times
By TIFFANY ORDOÑEZ
There are sides to everyone that they’d prefer not to know about, and to the credit of some, they manage to hide from themselves successfully, but Thomas Sanders from Sanders Sides isn’t so lucky.
He’s made up of six - and counting - sides, each a representative of an aspect of his personality, who all have a different idea of what is best. Ready to burst into song and a passion for everything Disney, Roman is creativity and wants Thomas to pursue a career in Broadway. Logan, a walking calculator with facts as long as the wall of China, represents logic and urges his host to follow a life of science. Preppy pun-loving suburban dad-like figure Patton is morality and constantly pushes for selfless decisions. But Cunning and silver-tongued Janus, who symbolizes lying, wants Thomas to be more selfish.
There’s also Virgil, sarcastic and totally done with everything and everyone, who is the embodiment of anxiety, and would rather Thomas never leave his house. And there’s Remus, as chaotic as a mogwai from Gremlin that has been fed after midnight, who represents bad creativity, and wants Thomas to explore more adult content in his YouTube channel. Together they are the inner conflict within Thomas’ head for every - big or small - decision he makes.
Free to the public and currently at thirty episodes, there’s no better time to binge Sanders Sides than now. Despite first airing in 2016, the series avoids dating itself by tackling timeless issues such as moving on from a break up, the moral dilemma of self care versus being selfless, embarrassing phases, and mental illness. Its broad range of topics allows everybody to connect to at least one episode. In fact, one episode titled “The Mind vs. The Heart” deals with the predicament of making decisions your heart wants versus what your mind wants. Just yesterday I was fighting with myself over whether or not to have ice cream for breakfast. My heart yearned for the creamy, soft dough of My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream, but my mind knew I needed to start off the day with a nutritional meal.
Because it often confronts sensitive topics, the series mimics an educational program, with Logan referencing philosophers and studies. However, the atmosphere is far from a bland classroom. Thomas perfectly blends facts with humor and manages to write in jokes at the right time to avoid looking forced. So you get to activate your left brain while also using your funny bone!
Musical lovers will especially adore the series for the sides’ tendencies to burst into song. Thomas’ appreciation for Broadway does not go unnoticed as he incorporates ballads and rap into the storyline. At first glance, Thomas’ riffing skills may seem irrelevant, but they help develop the plot in a uniquely fun and catchy way. The episode ‘Learning New Things About Ourselves’ uses singing to further push how “people can be like a half missing puzzle set; as we find the pieces, things make more and more sense.” The scene illustrates how it’s okay if you don’t have the full picture yet when it comes to solving a problem concerning yourself, that it’s unrealistic to assume situations will be resolved in a day, and as long as you’ve made the first step, everything will be fine.
Although the show often targets Gen-Z and Millennials, the messages of each episode can resonate with all ages. In the recently aired episode ‘Putting Others First - Selfishness vs Selflessness Redux,’ Janus debates with Patton about society’s damaging views on what is considered morally right. Society stresses how admirable and “right” it is to put others first, but what no one - except for Janus - wants to confront is that such a train of thought isn’t healthy. After missing the opportunity of a lifetime for his acting career to be present at a friend’s wedding, Thomas’ mental health takes a dive into the deep end, causing Patton to re-evaluate his views on selflessness. Janus explains how Thomas needs to “unlearn that selfish is a bad word… selfcare shouldn’t be put off until you experience a mental health crisis… Mental health should be regarded with the same life or death scenario as physical health.”
Unfortunately, the first six episodes of the show are boring and tend to drag on, despite being only five minutes long. Before this series, Thomas posted videos of himself singing, doing challenges with friends, and skits, so the terrain he was exploring in producing Sanders Sides was bound to hit some bumps in the road.
Although the series doesn’t have a strong start, it grows past this phase like an awkward, angsty teen maturing into the self assured, respected adult it is now. With a much better budget, more writers, editors, and lessons learned from past mistakes, the show became as sweet as it’s first sponsored video: Crofters jam.
★★★★★