High School - General Discussion

[BetterButter]

[paulvdb]

Amazon Freevee Reveals Official Trailer and Key Art for Upcoming Original Series "High School," Premiering October 14 in the U.S. and UK

The first four episodes of High School will premiere on Amazon Freevee in the U.S. and the UK starting October 14, with two additional episodes airing each subsequent Friday. Additionally, Prime Video has announced that all eight episodes of High School will be available in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand starting October 28.

Produced by Amazon Studios and Emmy- and Academy Award-winning Plan B Entertainment, High School is a story about finding your own identity - a journey made even more complicated when you have a twin whose own struggle and self-discovery so closely mimic your own. Told through a backdrop of '90s grunge and rave culture, the series weaves between parallel and discordant memories of twin sisters growing up down the hall from one another.

[AnimeMania]

This is an 8 episode TV series streaming on Amazon Freevee / Prime Video releasing the first four episodes on October 14 and then two episodes each week after that. The show is based on the 2019 autobiographical book "High School" by musicians Tegan and Sara Quin. It’s a story about finding your own identity made more complicated by having an identical twin whose own journey mirrors your own. 90s grunge and rave culture in Canadian suburbia provides the influence for their self-discovery.

Railey Gilliland as Tegan Quin
Seazynn Gilliland as Sara Quin
Esther McGregor as Natalie, a LSD using drama club classmate

Brianne Tju as Ali, an orange-haired classmate
Olivia Rouyre as Phoebe, Sara's girlfriend
Amanda Fix as Maya, fellow alternative punk enthusist
Cobie Smulders as Simone, Tegan and Sara's authoritative, compassionate mother
Cobie and Kyle 

Kyle Bornheimer as Patrick, Simone's longtime boyfriend 

High School      October 14      Amazon Freevee

Episode 1-4   Titles and Descriptions 

Spoiler

S01.E01: I Bet It Stung

Tensions are high between sisters Tegan and Sara on their first day at a new school. Their relationship became fractured over the summer because Tegan felt cast aside by Sara and their shared best friend Phoebe. As Sara tries to break free from Tegan, Tegan tries to make sense of Sara pulling away and attempts to make friends outside of her sister for the first time.

S01.E02: Shock To Your System

While Sara continues to withdraw from her family, especially her mom, she and Tegan make headway with friends at their new school and are invited to a party. But as Tegan begins to make friends of her own, Sara starts to realize how important Tegan is to her.

S01.E03: Hang On To The Night

As Tegan becomes closer to Maya, she gains more perspective on her relationship with Sara. Tegan feels responsible for Sara at all times and it starts to weigh on her, especially compared to her friendship with Maya, which feels easy. Meanwhile, Sara struggles to balance her new friendships and interests with her relationship with Phoebe.

S01.E04: Welcome Home

After a turn in her relationship with Phoebe, Sara is in a funk and can’t stop feeling sad. As a distraction, her new friends decide the best way to cheer her up is to take her to a rave. The idea of going to the rave is the first thing that’s made Sara look excited in a month, so Tegan feels obligated to go as well, despite her fears that they’ll get in trouble.

[Cranberry]

High School review – it’s Tegan and Sara: the grungy teenage years

Quote

You don’t have to be a fan – or even to have heard of – Tegan and Sara to enjoy High School (though I imagine it would help you get through the exceptionally downbeat start). It’s a heartfelt, eventually rather touching portrait of sisterhood – the actual and broader kinds – and of the power of friendship, the vexed business of negotiating the complexities of a queer adolescence, finding yourself, and the joys of uncovering a voice and a talent you can make your own.

Tegan and Sara’s “High School” Is the Lesbian Teen Drama I’ve Been Waiting For

Quote

High School accomplishes a lot of impossible things. It honors Tegan and Sara’s memoir. It keeps their story as accurate as possible, and that means including plenty of bratty youthful moments they had the courage to share. It introduces us to snippets of music that will become the songs that launch their careers. And it’s eminently watchable, no matter how little or how much you know about actual Tegan and Sara. It’s just a damn good queer teen drama, one I’d be praising even if it was about two imaginary people I’d never even heard of.

High School review: Tegan and Sara's origin-story drama is a teenage dream

Quote

As far as indie-rock origin stories go, it's pretty tame, but that's a big part of High School's appeal. The eight-episode series, based on Tegan and Sara Quin's 2019 memoir of the same name, is a moody and touching tale of queer adolescence told with artful simplicity and excellent '90s alt-rock.

‘High School’ Tells Tegan and Sara’s Coming-of-Age Story Their Way

Quote

And High School structures itself so that all the episodes before the season finale are presented through specific points of view, with title cards to clarify whom we’re following for half of each installment. At first, the show is just trading off between Tegan and Sara. But soon we get to see what Simone is dealing with, both as a social worker and in her relationship with Patrick, and Patrick gets his own spotlight, as does Phoebe and, later, Tegan’s new best friend Maya (Amanda Fix). Sometimes, the stories are entirely disconnected from one another, but at others, the show loops back to revisit an earlier scene from a different character’s perspective. By the finale, which is more of a pure ensemble piece, we have a thorough and potent understanding of who everyone is and what’s motivating them, which only makes certain choices hit harder.

Tegan and Sara Drama ‘High School,’ From Director Clea DuVall, Is the ‘My So-Called Life’ of Queer Teen Dreams: TV Review

Quote

For as good as “High School” is, though, it was hard for me not to feel a melancholic pang while watching it. Even now, decades into television’s explosion into producing thousands of episodes a year, you can count shows like it — “Freaks and Geeks,” “My So-Called Life,” “Everything Sucks!” — on a single hand, and even fewer that take queer teens half as seriously. That “High School” will also be dropping on “Amazon Freevee” (the confusing platform formerly known as IMDb TV) is even more frustrating. Will the audience that deserves to see themselves onscreen even know where to look? Given the way the show’s first season ends without much resolution (no spoilers but: they’re not exactly a successful band yet), I sure as hell hope so.

[AnimeMania]

High School      October 21      Amazon Freevee

Episode 5-6   Titles and Descriptions 

Spoiler

S01.E05: Freedom

While stuck at home, grounded, Tegan and Sara discover Patrick's old guitar, and learning to play it becomes their new obsession. Not only does this launch them on their journey as musicians, but their newfound shared love of playing music begins to repair their fractured relationship.

S01.E06: Hello, I'm Right Here

As Tegan and Sara begin writing songs together, they start to bond and grow closer in a way they haven't been all year. This complicates Tegan’s relationship with Maya, as Tegan chooses to spend more time with Sara than with her.

[AnimeMania]

‘High School’ Stars Railey and Seazynn Gilliland on Being Plucked From TikTok to Play Tegan and Sara — Without Any Musical Experience

[AnimeMania]

High School      October 28      Amazon Freevee

Episode 7-8   Titles and Descriptions 

Spoiler

S01.E07: Fix You Up

As Tegan tries to repair her friendship with Maya, Sara makes an effort to ensure that Tegan feels included by her and Phoebe by introducing Tegan to Phoebe’s friend Cass. Tegan and Sara start performing their songs in front of more and more people, leading to an exciting opportunity and chance for them take their journey as musicians to the next level.

S01.E08: The Con

(Season Finale)

As the school year ends, Tegan and Sara get ready to play their first live show at a party. But will a secret that Tegan must keep from Sara threaten their debut performance's success? Meanwhile, Sara still feels awkward after her fight with Patrick but is excited for summer to begin so she can spend more time with Phoebe. Tegan gets closer to Cass but also misses Maya.

[Mr. R0b0t]

This show is a gem.  I hope people discover it and come to discuss it cause I have thoughts.  

[QQQQ]

I'm on episode 5 and loving Cobie Smulders.

[Cranberry]

I love it too, although I didn't post before because I couldn't really think of how to articulate my feelings here. It just feels so much like the teen shows I used to watch that were about everyday kids. You know, the Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life kinda shows. Sort of grungy, not glamorous, but really compelling and real. I think the acting is great for a couple of kids who have never acted before, and Cobie is of course killing it. I was so disappointed that there were only eight episodes and I hope we get more.

[QQQQ]

18 hours ago, Cranberry said:

I love it too, although I didn't post before because I couldn't really think of how to articulate my feelings here. It just feels so much like the teen shows I used to watch that were about everyday kids. You know, the Freaks and Geeks, My So-Called Life kinda shows. Sort of grungy, not glamorous, but really compelling and real. I think the acting is great for a couple of kids who have never acted before, and Cobie is of course killing it. I was so disappointed that there were only eight episodes and I hope we get more.

Yes. The beauty (and pain) are found in the small moments.

Age-wise, I fall between Sara/Tegan and their mom. I like seeing the generational differences.

Wow, Last Day of Our Acquaintance took me right back to college.

Edited November 18, 2022 by QQQQ