Peacock’sThe Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaningfollows three “Death Cleaners” from Sweden as they enter American homes and help people rid themselves of their unnecessary junk before the die. ThinkTidying Up with Marie Kondo, but for the dying. Despite its grim title, helped by narration byAmy Poehler, thereality tv seriesis branded as a comedy. The only issue with the moniker “Death Cleaning” is that in every episode except one, their clients aren’t due to die. Having binged the season, organizerElla Engström, designerJohan Svenson, and psychologistKatarina Blomare great at their jobs of helping people purge their unwanted posessions, but are they really “death cleaning” if their clients are happy and healthy?
‘The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning’ is Funny
With a title that is pretty morbid for an American audience,The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaningdoes everything in its power to push the comedy from its outset. As classical music blares,a voiceover from Poehler, exclaims: “Listen up! Everyone is going to die!” over a slo-mo montage of this season’s clients, before quickly backpedaling, “Oh, not these people. No, no, no, no. Don’t worry.” Poehler’s comedic delivery puts us at ease that this show is going to be an uplifting watch, and notSophie’s Choice. The voiceover continues, and explains that death cleaning is a process of “getting your s**t together before you die, so that others don’t have to do it when you’re gone.” With the success ofSparking Joy with Marie Kondo,Get Organized with the Home Edit,andThe Minimalists: Less is Now, audiences are well versed in anti-hoarding shows and this familiarity allows us to engage with how possessions intersect with legacy.
RELATED:‘Get Organized With The Home Edit’ Makes Organizing a Hobby for the Rich
The comedy is not constrained to Poehler’s narration. Each of the death cleaners are inherently Swedish: straight-talking, and unafraid to impart their opinion on American customs. That’s before we even delve into the clients. Episode one focuses on a 75-year-old woman who enjoyed her earlier years as a lounge singer in Aspen. She is a collector of male genitalia paraphernalia, who smokes like a chimney and curses like a sailor (all of which are uncensored thanks to Peacock being a streamer).
Swedish Death Cleaning Practices are Easy to Implement
Reality TV shows are formulaic by necessity. An easy-to-follow structure helps the audience to sit back and relax, and when tips are sprinkled in sporadically they are easy to digest. Each of the death cleaners has a special talent, like the hosts ofQueer Eye: Johan is the designer - he helps transform the space likeBobby Berk; Kat is the psychologist likeKaramo Brown, and Ella is the organizer. Ella’s ground-breaking system is called “Röt Prick Systemet” or “Red Dot System”, whereby you place colored stickers on your possessions that determine their fate. Anything you wish to get rid of (donate) gets a red sticker, items you wish to gift to family members/friends get a yellow sticker, and everything you want to keep gets a green sticker. Not rocket science, but it generates just enough emotional tension to cause people to have a breakdown over their grandmothers hole riddled Afghan blanket.
The most important Swedish custom that is featured in every episode is “Fika” or “Coffee Break”, where the death cleaners take a break and talk smack about the client. On the more serious episodes it is a chance to decompress and in true Swedish fashion find humor even in sadness.
The Episodes Surrounding Actual Death Cleaning Hit Home
Episode two is the only episode in the whole season where a client is facing death, due to a terminal cancer diagnosis. The audience is warned at the start of the episode that it is going to be different from all the other episodes, and it separatesThe Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaningfrom all the other cleaning shows. The American sentiment of not talking about death butts up against the Swedish death cleaners' modus operandi, and we witness in real time the catharsis that comes when a cancer patient is given the opportunity to speak frankly about her death. Each of the death cleaners comes into their own here. Kat the psychologist helps the client to talk about her diagnosis and gives her the courage to open up to her friends about the real emotions that go along with that. Ella helps her decide what is important to be passed on to relatives and what has simply accumulated over time, and Johan the designer makes each space in the client’s house as comfortable and inviting as possible for her final days. Despite its foreboding subject, this episode never feels overly heavy and strikes the perfect balance of poignant and uplifting.
All the other episodes have tangential links to dying, predominantly where one family member has recently passed, and their relatives inherit a houseful of extra stuff that the client feels emotionally guilted into keeping. This gives rise to the idea that death cleaning is for life. While this may be poetic, it is the IKEA equivalent of only keeping things that “spark joy”.
Peacock’sThe Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaningsucceeds in delivering a comedic take on a morbid concept. The show’s clever narration by Poehler maintains a lighthearted tone, reassuring viewers throughout that this is not a grim exploration of death but a joyful journey. The death cleaners themselves bring a dose of Swedish authenticity, unabashedly sharing their opinions on American customs. The show’s formulaic structure, reminiscent of popular reality TV shows, allows for easy digestion of the death cleaning practices that are shared throughout. While most episodes center around decluttering rather than imminent death, when it does focus on death it really hits its emotional stride. The death cleaners excel in providing support, guidance, and comfort during this difficult time.The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaningshowcases the ongoing process of purging unnecessary belongings, emphasizing the importance of making choices that truly align with one’s values and legacy at any stage of life.
