In 2015 the world was introduced to a plucky, effervescent, and nigh unbreakable young woman by the name of Kimmy Schmidt. In the following years, this redheaded beacon of sunshine that beamed through our Netflix accounts became a welcome break from an ever more unsettling reality. Sadly, in 2019 the series reached its inevitable end… or did it? 

In a year of global pandemics, political upheaval, and murder hornets Netflix has given us one more much-needed dose of our unbreakable heroine in a rather unusual format. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend is a one-off feature-length conclusion to the colorful series, with a “choose your own adventure” twist. Here is a breakdown of exactly why you should watch this unorthodox conclusion to an equally unorthodox show.

Kimmy Schmidt’s Big Adventure

For those who have been living in a bunker (that metaphor seems less abstract these days) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt followed Kimmy, a young woman who was kidnapped and stuck in an underground cult for fifteen years, as she tries to adjust to the realities of life in the big city. While the end of the main series left her with a fair amount of success, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend tries to wrap everything up in a nice little bow. It gives Kimmy a new love interest, a new adventure, and a new chance to face off against the perennial villain of the series, Richard Wayne Garry Wayne, AKA “The Reverend”.

Is Kimmy Schmidt Still Unbreakable?

Kimmy has always been the heart and soul of the show. Her boundless energy and “unbreakable” nature are a big part of what made the show stand out. Actress Ellie Kemper manages to bring the exact same bubbly, fun, and impossibly optimistic energy to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend.

Is Tituss Still Extra?

Let’s face it, though we wish we could be more like Kimmy, eventually, we have to admit that we are all really Tituss Andromedon. His insistence that he deserves fame and glory while doing absolutely nothing to attain either speaks to the ambitious slacker in all of us. For those who feared that Actor Tituss Burgess‘s performance might have mellowed after his success at the end of the series, rest assured, Tituss is still the best thing in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend.

Who’s the Wizard?

One of the more surprising additions to the cast of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend is Daniel Radcliffe. His character, Prince Frederic, serves mostly as a love interest and side plot to help bring in familiar characters that wouldn’t fit in the main narrative, while simultaneously serving as a social commentary on the British monarchy. Surprisingly, for someone who spent a good portion of their career fighting a noseless magician, he doesn’t seem all that comfortable in this extremely bizarre style of comedy. He does, however, manage to come off as adorably British, and that is all we really need.

Note: Can we please start a petition to make sure he never does that American accent EVER again?

Does the Interactive Format Work?

There have been several Netflix originals with the “choose your own adventure” format, most notably Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. Though Bandersnatch gained more fanfare when it was released, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend seems even more perfect for the format. The show’s random and self-aware humor means that you never know where each decision might take you, which helps to keep things from feeling repetitive. They also manage to throw in some fun easter-eggs, and even the dead ends include fun cameos from some of your favorite characters. 

SKIP THE INTRO!

The show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt always had a catchy intro. It was a play on the 2000s trend of auto-tuning random interviews on YouTube and was the kind of song that stuck in your head for days. It is certainly tempting to experience this fun intro one last time, but I beg you, PLEASE skip the intro theme song. I don’t care how much you think you enjoy the intro, press the skip button. You will thank me.

Is It any Good?

2020 has been a year full of frustration and uncertainty for nearly everyone, but it has also seen a number of our favorite feel-good shows of the past decade return in one form or another. Community, Parks and Recreation, not The Office (Get with it Steve Carell) have all given us a much-needed taste of simpler times and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend is a welcome addition to the ranks. So, how does this final installment ultimately fair? In a word, beautifully.

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