Limited series are my absolute favorite! Whether scripted or unscripted, I find that its an extremely effective and digestible form of television when paced correctly. I have enough time to really sink into the world of the characters the way I love to do with television shows, without committing myself to the emotional turmoil that sometimes comes with the multi-year parasocial relationship I develop with an ensemble of unstable characters. Then having to deal with waiting every week to see them again, getting put on break for months or sometimes YEARS at a time until they come back, finding out on a random Tuesday that you're actually never going to see them again, I'll say it can be a lot sometimes.

HBO is my gold standard for limited series; its a career dream of mine to star in one. Across all genres they've consistently produced some of the most compelling and memorable stories, from Watchmen, Mare of Easttown, Chernobyl, The Night Of, I May Destroy You to name some of my favorites. With 14 Primetime Emmy Award wins for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, I'd say I'm not standing in a silo with my opinion. Netflix, however, has been upping their Limited Series game these past few years, giving HBO a serious run for their money, even winning the Outstanding Limited Series Emmy for Baby Reindeer, a wild, zany comedy (?) in 2024.

Their newest limited series, titled Apple Cider Vinegar, is already a strong contender to be their defending champion, at least in my book. Due to recent personal events, the topics of cancer and the debate surrounding conventional medicine and holistic care, and a patients autonomy to make decisions for themselves are at the top of my radar.

Back in the mid 2010's, I was in middle school listening to Beyonce's self-titled album and watching Glee, but apparently there was an Australian white woman back going on Instagram purporting to have a malignant brain tumor that she cured sans conventional medicine and through a holistic lifestyle and diet. She managed to amass thousands of followers, sell her cancer-curing recipes on a successful app, and even acquire a book deal. The series is woven by the stories of three women: (1) the above Australian scammer who will not be given the attention she so desperately craved by being named in this blog, but who was expertly played by American actor Kaitlyn Dever, (2) Milla Blake, played by Alycia - Debnam Carey (who I've been a fan of since her days on the 100 (long live Lexa!) and Fear the Walking Dead), an online influencer who when faced with an advanced rare diagnosis chooses a solely holistic path to recovery consisting of a juice diet and coffee enemas (3) Lucy, a cancer patient who after months of chemotherapy decides to ditch conventional medicine and take a ayahuascua healing trip to Peru, returning cancer-free.

You can tell that the creative team behind the show intended on (1) and Milla being the true main characters driving the story, but I couldn't help but find myself gravitating to Lucy.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Where to watch: Netflix

Rating: ♥♥♥♥🦂

This is full of spoilers, xoxo

Tilda Cobham-Hervey stars as Lucy in Apple Cider Vinegar.

When a person is diagnosed with something as severe as cancer, they lose their bodily autonomy twice. First to the terrible disease itself, which attacks them from within, and then to the doctors who dictate their treatment. On top of that, they often lose it a third time to their loved ones, who, in their desperation to keep them alive, make choices based on their own fears rather than the patient’s pain. My grandmother Carmen went through this. Toward the end of her life, she decided to stop chemo and the pills for her water retention, after a doctor took a look at her case and recommended that she should focus more on comfort. My grandmother also cited that the pain had become unbearable. Everyone around her begged her to keep going. To keep fighting. They couldn't really see the pain that consumed her every day and even if they did, they were thinking about how much they didn’t want to lose her.

I was the only one who didn’t push back. I listened. One day, she turned to me and said, “Maybe it’s because you’re taking care of me, you understand. The rest of them don’t understand.” Even still, I could have understood sooner. I helped her bathe, holding her up when she could barely walk, watching her body weaken in ways no one else saw but throughout all of those moments, I could have asked her if she wanted to stop. But I also didn't want her to.

Lucy's husband was furious when she chose to stop treatment, but it wasn’t about abandoning hope, it was about choosing to live on her own terms. Conventional medicine focuses on survival at all costs, but it rarely considers what the body needs beyond treatment. Lucy finds peace in nature, grounding herself in something bigger than her cancer - the Earth. She reclaims the connection to her own body that illness and medicine stripped away.

People think stopping treatment is the same as giving up, but sometimes it’s about something much deeper. It’s about deciding how you want to live, not just how long. I hope to God none of my loved ones go through cancer again but if they did, I would really really try to a) be in therapy and b) always always put them first. Not by going to every appointment or becoming a caregiver, pressuring them with my fear. Because that is not love.

I highly recommend giving this a watch! Its fun and I'll for sure be looking out for it come time for the 2025 Emmys! Feel free to leave a comment below, let me know what you think :)

Love always,