Does RENT Actually Make Sense? (A Loving Plot Breakdown)

"How are we going to pay the rent?" is one of the greatest opening questions in musical theater — and for two hours, the characters of RENT try every answer except "get a job." (Mostly kidding.) In this animated breakdown we put Jonathan Larson's rock musical under the microscope: Benny's broken promise and his arts-complex deal, Maureen's protest (and the cow), the moment a homeless woman calls out Mark's camera, Angel's thousand-dollar drumming gig and the dog that remains permanently unavailable for comment, the show's on-again/off-again money problems, Mark's TV job, Benny's convenient character turns, Roger and Mimi, Maureen and Joanne, the second act's year in fast-forward, Mimi's finale reversal, and what La Bohème and the logic of opera have to do with all of it. The verdict: RENT makes the most sense as a show about what its characters feel — and a lot less sense as a record of what they do. Both reactions are fair. But someone should still explain the lease. Does RENT make sense to you? Tell me in the comments — and subscribe for more deep dives into the stories we love. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Intro: How are we going to pay the rent? 1:16 Chapter 1: The Lease 2:14 Chapter 2: The Deal 3:02 Chapter 3: The Protest 4:15 Chapter 4: The Dog 5:13 Chapter 5: The Money 6:47 Chapter 6: The Landlord 7:18 Chapter 7: The Romance 8:45 Chapter 8: The Year 9:15 Chapter 9: The Finale 10:25 Chapter 10: The Verdict 11:59 Thanks for watching