The two of us at The Little Contemporary Corner have recently watched a BBC Two series called Trigonometry and we absolutely adore it. It’s a fantastic show focusing on three people who develop a deep connection and fall in love with each other, depicting a positive and diverse representation of polyamory. We don’t normally write about TV shows but we both love it so much we had to write about it!
The show follows couple Kieran and Gemma who live together in London and are looking for a lodger to rent their spare room so they can get a little extra money. We then meet Ray, former Olympic athlete who wants to get out of her family home and become more independent. She takes the room and (I won’t spoil things here but there may be a few small spoilers throughout this post) the three get closer, with very intimate and loving bonds growing between them.
I vaguely heard about the show a while ago but knew nothing about it. Then, a few weeks ago, I saw a gal-dem article about the show written by Niellah Arboine. Someone I knew shared this online, also recommending the series and giving it high praise. The more I read the more I had to watch it. I finally started it on BBC iPlayer and I was instantly in love with it. It’s a cosy, warm hug of a show even when it deals with difficult and sometimes traumatic situations. The three main characters are absolute gems, easy to relate to even if you haven’t been in similar situations.
My favourite part of the series is the connection between Gemma, Kieran and Ray. Seeing them figure out their feelings towards each other is so wonderful to watch – sometimes it can be stressful, particularly halfway through when they are all pretty confused about what they feel and if they should act on it! However, you see the three of them bond, becoming closer. When Kieran is injured at work and ends up in hospital, Ray brings Gemma everything she could need whilst she stays with him. She thinks of everything and clearly cares deeply, despite having not known them for very long at this point. They help each other constantly, with practical tasks and kind gestures. We begin to see Kieran and Gemma feeling a little lost when Ray isn’t there and initially they don’t understand what this means.
When the three do begin a relationship together, we see their happiness whilst they do general domesticated activities together. They are just so happy to have each other and have so much love for one another that they can’t quite believe it. They all sleep in the same bed and the scenes of them cuddled together are so sweet (I legitimately love them!). We do see struggles of them coming out to their friends and family. Most people are supportive even if they are confused or don’t understand it. Some don’t react as well and treat Ray as though she is a home-wrecker and ruining Kieran and Gemma’s relationship.
Another of my favourite aspects is that we see their individual lives as well as their relationship. It isn’t solely focused on how they relate to each other and they lead individual lives which we see a lot of. This is so important and brilliant as so often when a relationship is the main focus of a story, the characters don’t seem to exist outside of being together. In Trigonometry however we get to see so much of their own lives outside of their relationship. The characters are complex and interesting and it’s fascinating to see them interact with their own family and friends. Some of the best moments of this for me were scenes of Kieran at his job as a Paramedic.
Sexuality is spoken about very naturally – the series doesn’t shy away from talking about however it doesn’t always focus solely on it every time it is spoken about. Of course, sometimes this is an important topic to cover in depth but in this show it works well to bring it up more casually. It’s a very nuanced representation that I haven’t seen very often in any form of media, be that television, literature or film. The series is quite honestly a breath of fresh air in more ways than one.
I cannot recommend Trigonometry enough – it is genuinely one of the best shows I have seen in ages. Please give it a watch and if you do, or have already seen it, let us know. We would both love to chat more about it!
The Little Contemporary Corner 