I’m still salty over the cancellation of one of my favorite shows, Will Forte’s brainchild ‘The Last Man on Earth’, and since it’s Monday (ugh) I think I can channel that saltiness into some useful lessons that I’ve learned from the show. 

1. When life gives you lemons, make margaritas.

If you haven’t seen this show, it begins with Phil (later known as Tandy) as the sole survivor of a virus that wiped out humankind. It’s a pretty somber beginning, but Phil/Tandy uses the solitude to his best advantage: making a ginormous pool of margaritas. It’s the kind of thing we all wish we could do on a Monday…

2. Family is what you make it (and everyone is a weirdo).

One of my favorite things about this show is that the group of survivors that Phil/Tandy meets are not the nicest, kindest, or best people. They’re all flawed (usually in ridiculous yet hilarious ways) and they rarely get along. However, they all recognise that humans are social creatures, and like it or not, they’re a family, which means you just accept that everyone’s a weirdo and try to get along during awkward family dinners.

They also all really do care about each other, and it’s (sometimes) expressed appropriately (but not by Tandy).

3. Honesty is the best policy

While most of the problems that arise for the characters in this post-apocalyptic world arise because the world as we know it has ended, they also encounter several scenarios that could have been avoided if they’d been more honest with each other. Tandy lies so outrageously and often that when he tells the truth, no one believes him, and Melissa tells no one about her mental illness, and that leads to a very serious (and scary) scenario where she is mentally unreachable to almost all of the other characters.

You probably shouldn’t wait until the end of the world to be honest with your friends and family, but if you take one thing away from: be truthful about the things that really matter.

And also: never underestimate the power of a good hug.

May you all find the laughter and support you need to get through the week.