Though I've included a spoiler alert, after seeing the first video it will be clear that the series title gives the same thing away - namely that expectations are not always the same on both sides of a relationship and that one of the parties may unwittingly find him/herself in the Friend Zone. The great thing is that even knowing what the hook is, it's fun and funny to see how Eli inevitably ends up in the Zone.
The series has excellent production values across the variety of settings used for each episode. Both the writing and the acting stand out, because in these very short episodes (each is under two minutes long) clear story lines are developed and a feeling for each of the major characters comes across. Max Kleinman (as Eli) does a great job of displaying the eagerness and hope inherent in one who is looking for (and expecting) an intimate relationship, and the dismay and disappointment when it becomes clear there has been a detour to the Friend Zone. Each of the women leads Max to his downfall with no apparent clue as to what they are doing. In addition, the performance of one of the repeating secondary characters (Rob Adler, who plays Max's slightly sleazy - or maybe just sex-obsessed - friend) stands out for the little touches he brought to his role - I'd guess that most guys know someone just like him.
I shared the series with some friends and a couple of them wrote back some variation of 'Poor Eli, can't he find someone who appreciates him.' That such empathy could be created so quickly is a testament to the universality of the theme and the clear-eyed way the theme was developed. The other most common reaction was disappointment that there are only five episodes. There are a bunch of us who can't wait to see what else Mr. Kleinman will create (and act in) next!
