When love has lasted for decades, though, the breakup can be a cruel reality check, even if it’s done without any drama. Nick and Anne’s divorce is devastating not because of any tearful speeches, but because of the quiet finality that settles in.

After 25 years together, you don’t just lose someone; you lose a piece of yourself. Love doesn’t disappear overnight, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves it should. Anne’s anger and hurt are undeniable, but beneath it all is a deep and reluctant tenderness. Even after the divorce, she can’t help but care about what Nick is doing and how his new relationship is faring.

It reminds me of something I’ve seen time and time again in real life: even after the dust has settled, even after the anger subsides, there’s often a lingering affection for the person you shared years of your life with (however much you might claim otherwise). It’s why, years after a breakup, we might still check their social media profiles, wondering how their life is going without us. We do it because we’re curious. Because the intimacy that defined our relationship doesn’t just vanish. It leaves a mark, and an indelible one at that.

Of course, none of this stops Nick and his new (predictably younger) girlfriend, Ginny, from declaring themselves soulmates after just eight months together. Their enthusiasm, while heartfelt, gets a somewhat dubious reception from their friends, who view their relationship as a flippant May–December affair.

The Four Seasons is Netflix’s ode to long-term love (warts, wrinkles and all)