"Season 2 is about love in all its forms so you will definitely see Sabi navigating some complicated dynamics and feelings all in the name of pursuing a simple and pure love !" - Bilal Baig (2022)
We started off in the first episode, season 1 with the concern of a partner not feeling "seen", and scenes opening with Sabi being asked if they're "listening"... It feels hard to stay present in a city where care becomes a currency. The question of leaving and starting anew is seductive, but what are the costs and what are the compromises to both leaving or staying ? 'Sort Of', a CBC original series created by Bilal Baig and Fab Filippo aired in Fall 2021, offering a comedic drama that brings us into the in-betweens of love, belonging, and choices that may never feel certain until they lead us to another choice, because "we're all in transitions" between choices.
"You're with a fake-ass queer who thinks he's woke every time he 'they/thems' you... Sabi, are you happy living with your straight-ass sister, dating your homo-ish boyfriend and working dumb jobs ?" (episode 1) When 7even offered Sabi to go to Berlin together, it seemed attempting at first, and especially with a recent break-up and being fired, why not ? Yet after encountering their mom who came to visit unexpectedly, witnessing Sabi wearing makeup, they finally made a decision to leave... And it would have been a totally different but still amazing journey if the season continued in Germany for Sabi and 7even, however, this story is about staying even through the changes and possible conflicts. Sabi teaches us to stay still even through the tensions, the in-betweens of each moment in life. As "we happen like everything happens, partly because of how we're made and partly because of whatever forces are acting on us. Everything in the galaxy is one thing becoming another thing. And every person is constantly growing into another version of themselves, into another and another. We're all in transition; It's the most natural thing in the world" (episode 7)... And throughout the season, 'Sort Of' demonstrates a graceful take on change through dramatic pacing, authentic storytelling, and thoughtful comedic timing. The realness is not just from the mix of gender diverse casting and queer setting, but from the pauses in-between each line and breath, the beautiful awareness of the awkwardness in life as characters react to each other between situations and choices. This story is a steadily chaotic frequency of the inconsistency we all feel while experiencing change. We sort of know what's happening, we sort of know where we're going, we sort of know how it should be. And yet, relief comes after the release of certainty, as we become less hesitant and more comfortable staying still in-between spaces or feelings.
"Don't go away from me"...
"I won't, if you don't go away from me".
(episode 8)
Is there a story of how the names “Sort Of” and “Sabi” came to be ?
Bilal: "For awhile we really didn’t have a title for the show but we knew we were drawn to something that reflected the in-betweenness of the show, like the show is in between genres and tones and colours and genders etc. And Fab suggested Sort Of one day and it really resonated for me, bc it’s also such a casual expression and a really commonly used one, and I thought there was something appealing and deliciously contradictory about using a very commonly used (to the point where we sometimes don’t even know how often we use it) expression like 'sort of' and pairing it with a lead character who we haven’t quite seen yet before in mainstream media, so someone might describe Sabi as an 'uncommon lead'. I thought that was cool !"
...
"I know of a young kid named Sabi but I believe it’s spelt Sabih. When I heard that was his name, I thought it was surprisingly feminine and soft for a Muslim 'boy' name and it was in my head when my creative partner on the show, Fab, asked me what the character’s name should be. Fab asked if I’d want the character to be named Bilal and I said no."
What does “softness” mean to you ?
Bilal: "When I think of softness, I think of gentleness. Existing gently. Approaching the world and other people and all things with a gentleness. Being gentle with yourself. You know ?"
What do you think/feel like Sabi’s favourite colour(s) would be and why ?
Bilal: "I think favourite colour would be like teal or deep red, blues and reds in darker tones. I think they like colours that feel sad because it’s funny to them that colours can look sad too."
One of my favourite and most memorable scenes to me in Sort Of season 1 was when the character Violet finally cries about her mom while looking at a Lion painting in the bar, Sabi witnesses then the scene cuts to Sabi crying in the back/storage room… Can you tell us more about that scene and what it means to you for Sabi ?
Bilal: "Yeah it’s a pretty pivotal moment in the season for sure. I love it too ! Earlier in that same episode, there’s a flashback scene with Sabi and Bessy where they’re at the bar and Sabi tells Bessy they box up emotions and put them away generally as a way to deal with life. And then at the end of this episode we see Sabi break and really feel their emotions which we thought was important for audiences to see. I think for Sabi it’s really about seeing directly what a tremendous loss this could be if the kids lose their mom, and I think underneath that what a tremendous loss it will be for Sabi if they lose someone like Bessy in their life."
We have also talked about the beautiful last scene of season 1 where it’s just Sabi coming home and settling in with one camera shot. Can you tell us more of that sweet solitude presented to close off this chapter ? What were your thoughts or feelings in acting out the sequence ?
Bilal: "Yes I love this sequence ! Honestly I think in the moment I was reflecting on how the guardedness has gone down just even slightly, and how that happened by letting people you know that you love them (Bessy for sure and Sabi and mom kind of say I love you in their last scene together) and setting boundaries with people who can sometimes take advantage of you (Paul). Just feeling myself a bit, really sitting on the couch and feeling that, feeling the aloneness when they hear Aqsa having sex in her room, and also kinda feeling a tiredness, like you can make big choices and shifts and life still goes on, reflecting on the relentlessness of that…"
How has the writing and shooting process for season 2 grown; How do you feel about this transition ?
Bilal: "We worked with more trans + nonbinary writers this year and we worked with a trans director this year too for the first time. We ran a mentorship program that trained emerging trans/nb people in crew positions. Working with lots of different trans actors again… We’re exploring love in all its forms this season so the whole thing feels deeper and we get to know more about what shapes these characters. At the same time, personally I’m in the greatest pain of my life right now due to a recent loss of a loved one and have been grieving through the writing and filming stages of this process so it’s a strange mix of literally every emotion possible maybe."
Changes conjure grief, as transitioning through the changes call for memories and emotions to stir up everything, everywhere, all at once. Perhaps love is the answer, no matter the leaving or the staying we love and hold on ever softer. All about love and for love in all its forms, we try to comfort ourselves through the changes by creating better things, but you my love, is becoming better things. Sometimes just being, is sort of enough. Sort of softer, can be enough for us to get through… I’ve rewatched these episodes again and again: “feeling the aloneness”, while interpersonally and socially “feeling a tiredness, like you can make big choices and shifts and life still goes on”; Thus now I write, “reflecting on the relentlessness of that” with a heart full of gratitude to Bilal. Thank you.
'Sort Of' Season 2 premiering late Fall 2022 in Canada on CBC Gem and
early Winter 2022 in the States on HBO Max !