‘High Fidelity’s Rebelliously Casual Zoe Kravitz Nude Scenes Are Pure Rock ‘n’ Roll

For a show so devoted to showing off a nakedly honest view of modern love, High Fidelity chooses to use nudity in a surprisingly rock ‘n’ roll way. It’s not that High Fidelity wantonly shows off its heroine Rob’s body in all sorts of hedonistic poses, but that star Zoe Kravitz is only nude in the brief moments when, well, she would be. The nudity is there, but it’s emotionally raw first and foremost. That in and of itself is quietly rebellious in a way that doubles down on High Fidelity’s raison d’être.

High Fidelity could have gone hard with the nude scenes, and I don’t mean that facetiously. Hulu’s High Fidelity is a breathtakingly modern look at a story already steeped in love, heartache, sex, and the way good music can amplify them all. It’s a show about the ups and downs of dating, from passionate connections to sex-driven one night stands. Because of that, there’s ample opportunity for High Fidelity to show off nudity in a way that drives the story as much as it potentially titillates its audience.

However, High Fidelity choses a different path. Rather than give in to the demand for visceral erotic content, High Fidelity carefully deploys its brief, chaste nude scenes in moments where the Rob is stripped down emotionally. In Episode 1, Rob keeps her bra on as she goes to bed with her date, Clyde (Jake Lacy), and the scene fades to black. We next see her stumbling from the bed, topless, in the dark. She pulls a t-shirt on just in time to reckon with the choice she has made. Was she ready to have sex? Or is she still hung up on ex-fiancé Mac (Kingsley Ben-Adir)?

Later, we see her topless after another one night stand, but the circumstances are totally different. In Episode 6, she gleefully indulges her own fantasies with an up-and-coming rock star, Liam (Thomas Doherty). The morning after their hookup, she stumbles into his sunlight-soaked kitchen, high on her own gumption. She puts on his Ray-Bans, teases the camera about how good it was, and for a brief moment, her hair parts to show off her bare breasts. Again, it’s not sexual. Rather, the nudity is almost “post-sexual.” Rob’s nakedness is more about revealing where she is emotionally after sex than it is as a vehicle for sex.

But we don’t just see Rob topless after sex. Maybe the final big “nude” scene in the series is when a resigned Rob decides to celebrate her birthday home alone with Indian food and The Sopranos in a bubble bath. She’s literally covered by the bubbles until her mother (Jessica Hecht) Skypes in. Her mother naturally is able to find Rob’s weak spot: she really doesn’t want to be alone on her birthday. In juggling her plastic takeout dish and the computer, Rob struggles to keep herself covered up with a ratty washcloth.

For a show steeped in the highs and lows of love, High Fidelity makes a point not to automatically equate the vulnerable state of nudity with sex. Rather, nudity happens only in the most casual moments. It’s never pointed out by the camera’s lens, and only occurs when it logically would in real life and when Rob herself is especially emotionally vulnerable. By treating nudity this way, High Fidelity is doing something truly rebellious: it’s treating nudity with honesty and integrity.

Where to stream High Fidelity