Catherine: a fascinating web series where nothing happens

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]uring the Christmas holidays, I was fully immersed in hibernation; gorging upon TV shows and leaving my bed only for food and water, I stumbled upon a 2013 web series named Catherine at the bottom of a YouTube rabbit hole. Catherine. The unassuming title even fits the blankness it’s trying to portray. Catherine’s purpose is so nondescript.

The comedy takes place in the 1980s or maybe 90s – the exact time period is irrelevant, it’s just made to look dated. The set is purposely bland: walls, clothing, desks, computers, everything is a dull brownish grey or yellow. The writing is equally bland: several episodes focus on dry topics such as lunch orders, or getting a jumper.

This description may sound extremely underwhelming, but the direction and execution make this series perfection

Jenny Slate plays Catherine’s eponymous lead. Image: CleftClips/Flickr

For example, the camera often holds for too long on an actor or subject, causing an intense feeling of suspense and dread. However, there is no dramatic soundtrack to indicate what is about to happen, therefore the outcomes of each scene are unknown. This creates an eerie and discomforting mood.

Thanks to this, the audience is left fearful of the most purposefully average apple or actor, and this genuine feeling of the ominous is so inexplicable and unfounded that I found myself in hysterics of laughter.

The underlying plot of Catherine, for me, were the questions it left me with. 

Every single episode is so confusing, and I can’t actually explain why it hooks me to the extent that it does. Why do I find the theme song, a monotone out-of-tune bleating of “Catherine,” so heart-warming and funny?

These scenes feel so deliberate, but have no purpose at all

I feel like people could project so many feelings onto the series: one commenter thought it represented the reality of all TV shows, that they are manufactured and empty.

However, the majority just found themselves inexplicably obsessed with the nothingness of the series. Perhaps we are so taken aback by Catherine because we live in an age of limitless on-demand knowledge. To be kept in a permanent state of not-knowing is rare and exciting (Game of Thrones, anyone?).

I love this series, and think in many ways it’s a piece of art. Its genius lies in the fact that it can’t be understood. But I also feel like maybe I’ve inadvertently joined a cult.