PEN15 - General Discussion

[possibilities]

On 2/11/2019 at 4:47 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

"Do you want me to finger you?" is just so classy and romantic.

I laughed so hard at that whole situation. He said he loves her after! But he also didn't want to be seen with her!

I binged season 1 over the weekend, and they seem SO young to me. I don't think we squealed that much when we were in 7th grade, but maybe I'm wrong? I had a job after school when I was 14; these girls seem to me more like elementary school than junior high. But I grew up in the 1970s, not the 2000s, so maybe that has something to do with it? Were the generations different? I don't know.

There was no fingering, though, in elementary school. At least not among my friends.

Either way, I really like the show. It's PAINFUL, but also there's a kind of affection that makes it okay. The boldness of the two of them makes me happy. They are aware of not being popular, but they don't fully internalize the imperative to become self-hating and humiliated by life. That's a good thing.

I really love that their friendship is both extremely loyal and also has conflict. They actually don't fall apart over petty things, most of what goes wrong between them is rather serious, but at the same time they genuinely care about each other, even under a lot of pressure and a mountain of mistakes.

I thought it was going to turn into them growing apart. Maya keeps pulling away, and I do wonder if that's the eventual outcome. But so far they have always returned to each other.

I was very angry about Maya wanting Anna to leave when Anna was being helpful with dishes, etc and trying to be a good guest. Sometimes Maya is really a pill. She's often letting Anna down. But then Anna also really messed up on the racism issue. So that's a big deal and could be driving somewhat of a wedge even when it's not so obviously at a crisis point as it was with the Spice Girls episode. I like that the show is tackling REAL conflicts, not just manufactured petty bullshit.

I notice the show is portraying the boys as more romantically interested (not just horny) and emotionally vulnerable than the girls. Sam with Maya shows her being ambivalent and indirect and sometimes awful to him, while he's kind of pining and being there and being serious and taking chances sometimes. Anna's boyfriend with the terrible kissing still wants to be close to her even after she breaks up with him (he approaches her at the dance), and he wrote all those letters to her... it's a reversal of the usual tropes.

[possibilities]

So... I watched Season 2. There are 7 episodes? Seems like an unusual number.

For the first few episodes, I was finding it TOO cringey, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep watching. But it got less of a slog in the second half.

 

[nachomama]

I was a little confused. What was Moira's deal? I know she was manipulative but was she some kid that they kept having to move because she did crazy stuff and had meltdowns?

I know Maya definitely got crazy on Brandt but why was Brandt so odd? Awkward explains a lot of what goes on with 8th grade "relationships" but he asked, he felt them up, he told her he loved her and then ghosted her.

Is Gabe hinting at being gay?

[bilgistic]

I definitely think Gabe is gay. He kept taking long glances at the other boy in the play who seemed telegraphed to be gay (or at the very least effeminate and "artsy"), and he fantasized about the dark-haired white kid when they watched that weird erotic movie when he maybe spent the night at his house. I can't remember that kid's name; he ran after the car to say goodbye to Maya after the post-play dinner.

My boyfriend and I watch this together. He howls laughing through the whole thing. As a former teenage girl, it makes me laugh, but it's so cringy for me because I relate to it too much. I was in middle school in the mid-to-late 1980s. The show definitely nails the complete OBSESSION with boys heterosexual teenage and preteen girls have. It's pretty much all we think about.

I had a friend who lived two houses down from me, and she went to private Christian school (I went to public school). She had a playhouse in her backyard and we plastered the walls with magazine pictures ("Teen Beat", "Bop") of the likes of Kirk Cameron, Michael Jackson🥴, Ricky Martin, and John Stamos. I was about 10 at the time; she was maybe three years older than me. Once I hit middle school the next year, we drifted apart.

My heart just ached for Anna as she navigated her parents' marriage dissolution. My parents split when I was five, and I was used as a psychologist and go-between for their aggression (nothing passive about it) my entire childhood. It's abusive, and a literal child doesn't have the tools to deal with what's happening. Anna's anger and lashing out is natural for children of divorce. The way that was written was spot on.

Edited September 22, 2020 by bilgistic

[nachomama]

I was kinda leaning towards Anna's dad being the normal one until he showed up with the car at the end and was letting her know she had to choose a parent. The mom always seemed unstable up til then but now the mom seems to be very supportive (even if it isn't what Anna wants to hear) Now with convertible and earring dad seems very mid-life crisis.

[bilgistic]

My father, a career police officer, got a Z28 when I was nine or ten. What a complete tool.

[mamadrama]

13 hours ago, nachomama said:

I was a little confused. What was Moira's deal? I know she was manipulative but was she some kid that they kept having to move because she did crazy stuff and had meltdowns?

I know Maya definitely got crazy on Brandt but why was Brandt so odd? Awkward explains a lot of what goes on with 8th grade "relationships" but he asked, he felt them up, he told her he loved her and then ghosted her.

Is Gabe hinting at being gay?

I'm having trouble coming to terms with Brandt, too. I know teen boys can run hot and cold and be awkward jerks, but this feels beyond that. He's verging on sociopath. 

[EdnasEdibles]

Oh Brandt rings so true to me. I feel like I encountered so many Brandts in high school. This seems young for the Brandt types. But yeah, I think it's more of a comment on toxic masculinity. I think on some level Brandt liked Maya but she's not cool. She's kind of a weirdo actually. It's easier for him to stay cool by making fun of her. As a weirdo, this kind of macho behavior lasts into college - hell, into adulthood, for some men. I know of so many women who experienced a first kiss or a first sexual experience with a Brandt-like guy. He's so nice in private, so into you . . . and ignores you or is outright hostile in front of others. 

I also remember so many Maura types from my youth. Hell, even my adulthood. 

[Dena0033]

On 3/23/2019 at 10:27 PM, nachomama said:

Did Brendan break up with her because he sensed the bad kissing? Did he think she was the bad kisser? I've been slobbered on like that. oi

I'm pretty sure that the character Becca overheard Anna reading her break-up note to Maya in the bathroom, realized she had some gossip, and then went and told Brendan. He sent her that note, basically dumping her before she could dump him. 

[possibilities]

Buying the car and getting the earring is one thing. But not showing up to her play? It looks like he didn't come to the play because he was out at that very moment buying his midlife crisis gear. THAT is what really tipped the scales on who's the supportive parent, even before he told Anna she had to choose which parent to live with.

I'd have expected a shared custody arrangement, either alternating weeks or half week with one, half with the other. But telling her to choose? That is worse.

Anna's mom is annoying, but annoying is better than abusive.

[Scarlett45]

This series was suggested to me so I’m joining in. Hi!

 

I was born in 1985 so only a few years older than these characters. It should be like memory lane!!

[tennisgurl]

I am only a few years younger than Anna and Maya, so this really hit that nostalgia button for me! The first few episodes might have actually been a bit too cringy for me, but I really liked the back half of the season, even if seven episodes seems like kind of a weird number of episodes. The slumber party was so alternately hilarious in how awkward it got, but in really recognizable ways, and uncomfortable in how you could see how Maura was throwing off the dynamics between Anna and Maya. I like that, while Anna and Maya are certainly likable and are basically nice kids, they could also been mean and petty, mostly out of awkwardness and insecurity, the way that lots of kids that age are. 

Middle school "relationships" are so weird, no wonder all of Anna and Mayas are so messy. Kids that age are often really just starting to hit puberty and get interested in dating, but arent really sure what dating looks like. 

Really funny and heartfelt, even with all the awkwardness. 

[Scarlett45]

I had some issues streaming yesterday so I didn’t get as far as I wanted, but the clothing and the CLEAR PHONE was so accurate it brought me back. 

[bilgistic]

I had that same clear phone (with a 50' cord!) in the late 1980s-early 1990s.

[tennisgurl]

I had the same clear phone, around 2002! I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

[mamadrama]

How did I miss that Maya's show mom is also her real life mom? 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.1: Pool

Ha, I loved that Isaac's mom was more upset about the fact that Maya and Anna were in the house in wet bathing suits than that they were in a bedroom with a boy with the door closed.

One of my favorite things about this show is how accurately is depicts the adolescent drama of middle school and the way kids that age interact with each other. The way Maya and Anna were so desperate to see the boys even though they were totally in denial was so realistic, as was the way that they ended up telling everyone what happened in the process of trying to find a witness to it.

Maya's overeager attempts to make conversation and coax any kind of response out of monosyllabic Brandt was way too familiar. It's been a long time since I was in middle school, but I remember that kind of conversation really well.

Battlebots and the see through phone were perfect throwbacks!

My favorite thing is how fiercely loyal Maya and Anna are to each other. I loved when Anna insisted that Maya would never lie to her.

Edited September 25, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.2: Wrestle

Oh, poor Anna. Even though Jenna said that both Anna and Maya were being called sluts, it seemed like Anna was the only one actually getting slut shamed or treated differently.

I also felt bad when Anna and Maya were talking about how boys didn't gossip because it was only a matter of time before they found out that wasn't true.

I loved how this episode went from Maya following Brandt and joining wrestling to be near him to the way that girls are taught that their bodies are gross and smelly. I hate that this is true in real life but I'm glad that the show addressed it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.3: Vendy Wiccany

OMG, Are You Afraid of the Dark?! And Maya's Care Bear hoodie!

I really felt for Anna when her parents were fighting while Maya was over. It's hard enough to deal with your parents arguing but it's so embarrassing when you know other people can hear it too. My parents mistakenly believed that if they turned on the radio full blast, somehow we wouldn't know that they were screaming at each other.

I know that Maya has been selfish in the past, but she was sweet to pull Anna out of the house and distract her with the leprechaun/magic talk.

Hahaha, I loved that Anna made a spell book in one night. That is the kind of adolescent enthusiasm and focus I can relate to! Maya's skirt and Anna's white eyeliner cracked me up. I just wish that they had watched The Craft to get some more witchy inspiration.

Geez, the girls had a terrible day - dragged into the principal's office, rejected by the boys they like, and in trouble with their parents. That's like the trifecta of hell.

 

Edited September 25, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.4: Three

I was suspicious of Maura from the moment she showed up. I thought she was just trying to win a superlative by worming her way into Maya and Anna's friendship. Her weird story about her best friend WHO IS A DOCTOR and owns three mansions just confirmed my suspicions that she was desperate to have friends and was willing to do anything, including bribing them with junk food. Her outright campaigning made it even more obvious. Part of me feels bad that she's so lonely that she's willing to resort to handing out ring pops for votes, but the other part of me was surprised that she would be so mean to Maya so quickly. I guess that means her ultimate goal is to steal Anna away from Maya.

Adding a third friend to an existing BFF couple can be really tricky, especially when the third person wants to automatically be a BFF too. Usually when you have two people and you add a third, one person ends up feeling left out so I was dreading the inevitable confrontation for the entire episode. The fact that it hasn't happened yet makes me worried that it's going to be HUGE when it finally happens.

The relationships between the girls and their moms is so realistic. The moms love their daughters but they can't connect when the girls keep shutting them out. I really like that the show depicts what a weird age this is - the kids want to act like their older but they still have some very childish tendencies (Maya plopping herself on the floor and then refusing to admit to her mom that anything was wrong was a perfect example). As much as I fought with my mom at that age, I never would have dared to call her a bitch (and definitely not in a public place) because she would have killed me on the spot. As much as I sympathize with the moms, I still really felt for Maya and Anna. I remember what it was like to be that age wanting to dress like everyone else and having my mom present clothes that were definitely not my style.

Poor Gabe. He very subtly reacts every time Jafeer or Sam say that something or someone is gay, so I'm assuming that he's realized that he is gay and feels like he can't tell his best friends.

Edited September 25, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2.E5: Sleepover

Oh, gawd. As soon as I saw the title of the episode, I knew no good would come of this sleepover. Things were already on a slippery slope with Maya, Anna, and Maura but adding two more girls into the mix to peer pressure everyone else into whatever Maura wanted to bully the girls into doing. Thank goodness that my middle school friends were nice girls who never did anything mean at slumber parties. We just ate pizza, watched movies, played cards, played G-rated truth or dare, and went to sleep. If we were feeling brave, we would bust out the ouija board and then squeal and run as soon as the pointer moved.

Poor Gina - it sucks when your mom thinks she's being helpful by forcing you to socialize with someone else. Just because you're the same age doesn't mean you're going to get along or like each other. And you'd think that Maura would be really nice to anyone willing to be friends with her, but she was such a mean girl.

Ugh, having your period at a sleepover? That's like a 12 year old's nightmare. I was surprised that Maya didn't make an excuse to go home. I felt bad when she got outed. I loved that Maya's mom told her that privacy is different from keeping a secret.

No surprise that Maura was lying about Tonia. She wasn't very smart if she kept the magazine where she got the picture.

Maya's long list of secrets cracked me up.

I loved that Sam knew the girls were just prank calling him and didn't take it seriously.

Edited September 26, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2.E6: Play

Wow, that play seemed totally inappropriate for seventh graders to perform.

I liked that the play served as the thing to force Maya and Anna apart. It's a lot easier to spend all your time together when you have the same classes and you hang out together after school, but the end of middle school/beginning of high school is when different activities/schedules pull people down separate paths.

Hahaha, I laughed so hard at Anna's full transformation into a techie. Freshman Steve was ridiculous but at least he knew that the play was a pile of dog shit.

Oh, Gabe. I felt so bad that he felt compelled to ask Maya to be his girlfriend to hide his sexuality.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S2.E7: Opening Night

I really felt for Anna's mom. She was trying so hard to be supportive of Anna's new activity and Anna was completely shutting her out.

And then poor Maya. She was so shocked and disappointed by Gabe putting his hand over his mouth that she totally froze and completely forgot her lines. I loved that after all the drama kids vs techies stuff, everone on the crew was rooting for Maya to recover. Thank goodness for Anna feeding her the next line or who knows how long that awkward silence would have gone on.

Awww, Sam! I'm glad that he finally apologized for what he did last season.

Ugh, Anna's dad sucks. He couldn't buy a car any other time except when Anna's play was happening? And despite that, Anna was still taking his side and mouthing off to her mom. I know it's easy to take one person's side and demonize the other when your parents are fighting, but Anna has been putting her dad on a pedestal and putting all the blame on her mom. Meanwhile, he couldn't even be bothered to show up for his only child's play. As Veronica Mars said, the hero is the parent who stays.

And as if it wasn't already obvious enough that Anna's dad is a jerk, he's been shit talking her mom to Anna all season. A responsible and mature adult wouldn't put a kid in the middle of their marital squabbles, let alone badmouth the other parent.

Oh, Gabe. Adolescence is hard enough without trying to hide such a huge part of who you are. But it's also not fair to keep leading Maya on. She wouldn't have been so hurt if he hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend in the first place. It's so realistic for a girl to get rejected by ONE guy and then assume that it's because she's ugly. I wish I could tell all 13 year old girls that what a boy thinks about you is usually wrong and doesn't matter.

I really liked that Anna became more assertive due to being a techie. It got a little over the top before the play started, but she made up for it when she helped Maya later and then walked away from Steven when she knew that Maya needed her. I love their friendship so much, as imperfect as it is.

A+ for using One Fine Day.

Edited September 26, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[possibilities]

I agree Gabe is gay, knows it, and is unable to tell anyone. But his absolute panic at kissing, even as part of the play, rings odd to me. Plenty of us queerer than queer folks fake it, especially for theater.

I didn't blame him for asking her out (he may have even thought maybe he could make it work, because he was briefly struck my her acting chops), or for breaking up, or for trying to delay the "real" kiss. But refusing to kiss her on stage was something else.

[Cotypubby]

On 9/24/2020 at 8:41 PM, mamadrama said:

How did I miss that Maya's show mom is also her real life mom? 

Ohhh now that makes so much sense! I was wondering why Maya’s mother seemed so old, I thought she was her grandmother at first, but she’s actual 33-year old Maya’s actual mom. 
 

They’re in 8th grade(??) now? Was Steve supposed to be a high school freshman? He seemed so much older than everyone.

Season 2 is only 7 episodes? The first one was 10 so I was expecting more. I’m guessing it was cut short because they had to stop filming?

Edited September 28, 2020 by Cotypubby

[mamadrama]

2 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Ohhh now that makes so much sense! I was wondering why Maya’s mother seemed so old, I thought she was her grandmother at first, but she’s actual 33-year old Maya’s actual mom. 

Yup, it's a family affair: drama teacher is her husband and mom is her mom. That's cute.

 

[possibilities]

Thanks for the insight into why only 7 episodes. It struck me as so odd. I mean, even a short season would be 8, not 7, typically. I also had no idea about her mom.

 

[CaliforniaLove]

I read somewhere that season 2 is 14 eps, with the back half coming in 2021. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

21 hours ago, CaliforniaLove said:

I read somewhere that season 2 is 14 eps, with the back half coming in 2021. 

Yes, it was announced that this was the first half of S2.

[methodwriter85]

On 9/28/2020 at 1:43 AM, Cotypubby said:

They're in 8th grade now(??)

No, this is still 7th grade. The season picks up literally a day or two after the season 1 finale of the dance. They intend to keep the characters in 7th grade for the entire duration of the show because they want to keep it in the purgatory of junior high. (I also think they want to avoid having to tackle 9/11.)  If this gets to a season 4 it's going to start getting really funny because the kid actors will be like 17 or so and still pretending they're 13. Good thing Sweet Valley High prepared me for characters staying in the same grade for multiple seasons. I'd personally go with two seasons of 7th grade, two seasons of 8th grade, and then a final season set the summer after with the final moment being them heading into high school, but I am not them so it's not my call, lol. The techie guy does seem older and I wonder if they hired an 18-year old so they don't need to use a body double for him and Anna to kiss. They definitely seemed into each other.

[Dena0033]

I googled Sylvanian dolls, and now I keep getting targeted ads! 

[Ilovepie]

On 10/11/2020 at 12:51 AM, methodwriter85 said:

No, this is still 7th grade. The season picks up literally a day or two after the season 1 finale of the dance. They intend to keep the characters in 7th grade for the entire duration of the show because they want to keep it in the purgatory of junior high.

I get that, but they might have to abandon that when the kids are clearly not looking like Jr. Highers anymore. I realize Maya and Anna are grown adults, but if everyone is an adult playing a jr. high kid it might get weird. I was already distracted by how big Sam was compared to Season 1. He already looks way older.

And is it just me, or was that play way too adult for a Jr. High production? If I was a parent, I would have been appalled by having my 12 yo kid yelling curse words in a school play. But I went to private school, so I have no idea if that is normal for a public Jr. High. At my school, the drama teacher would have been fired for putting this type of thing on.......

[bilgistic]

The play seemed very "mature content" to me.

This is tangentially related and I think about it every now and then: When I was in public high school in the early 90s—I don't remember which year—we were having a talent show. I remember there being tryouts and a couple of acquaintances—a male and female duo—were going to sing Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". Someone in charge made them change their song choice because of the line "Turn down the bed".

[mamadrama]

4 hours ago, Ilovepie said:

I get that, but they might have to abandon that when the kids are clearly not looking like Jr. Highers anymore. I realize Maya and Anna are grown adults, but if everyone is an adult playing a jr. high kid it might get weird. I was already distracted by how big Sam was compared to Season 1. He already looks way older.

And is it just me, or was that play way too adult for a Jr. High production? If I was a parent, I would have been appalled by having my 12 yo kid yelling curse words in a school play. But I went to private school, so I have no idea if that is normal for a public Jr. High. At my school, the drama teacher would have been fired for putting this type of thing on.......

They've mentioned the play in a few interviews. That it was too old for the kids, over the top, and bordering on inappropriate was kind of the point. They wanted something crazy. The drama teacher wrote it, just as the band teacher wrote the piece in his "Night of Amazing Music." I saw stuff like this in my high school: our drama teacher dreamed of being a famous actress or playwright but ended up teaching Spanish and drama in a private high school. The majority of the plays we put on were written by her. They weren't very good, but that's how she was living out her dream. They were about her, not us. 

[Ilovepie]

1 hour ago, mamadrama said:

They've mentioned the play in a few interviews. That it was too old for the kids, over the top, and bordering on inappropriate was kind of the point. They wanted something crazy. The drama teacher wrote it, just as the band teacher wrote the piece in his "Night of Amazing Music." I saw stuff like this in my high school: our drama teacher dreamed of being a famous actress or playwright but ended up teaching Spanish and drama in a private high school. The majority of the plays we put on were written by her. They weren't very good, but that's how she was living out her dream. They were about her, not us. 

That’s sad yet funny. I’m glad it was intentionally inappropriate - I was watching thinking “how is this ok?” 😂 

At my school drama productions tended to be big popular musicals. My senior year (1990) it was Music Man......

[Ilovepie]

3 hours ago, bilgistic said:

The play seemed very "mature content" to me.

This is tangentially related and I think about it every now and then: When I was in public high school in the early 90s—I don't remember which year—we were having a talent show. I remember there being tryouts and a couple of acquaintances—a male and female duo—were going to sing Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me". Someone in charge made them change their song choice because of the line "Turn down the bed".

Hilarious - there wasn’t a Kids Bop version they could substitute? 😂

My son’s entire fourth grade class two years ago wanted to use “Old Town Road” for their talent show performance at the end of the year. It was vetoed for obvious reasons by his teacher. The used “Sunflower” instead. 😋

[bilgistic]

I looked it up, thanks to remembering the story; the song was released in 1991. Kids Bop wasn't founded until 2001 (thanks, Google). I graduated in 1993. I remember thinking it was a weirdly "adult" song for high schoolers to sing, along with the fact that the male half of the duo was a closeted gay future performance artist.

I love that we all have these odd school memories that would fit right in with Anna's and Maya's world. The show really captures the awkward bizarreness that was one's teenage years.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Maya Erskine is engaged and pregnant!

[methodwriter85]

14 hours ago, mamadrama said:

They've mentioned the play in a few interviews. That it was too old for the kids, over the top, and bordering on inappropriate was kind of the point. They wanted something crazy. The drama teacher wrote it, just as the band teacher wrote the piece in his "Night of Amazing Music." I saw stuff like this in my high school: our drama teacher dreamed of being a famous actress or playwright but ended up teaching Spanish and drama in a private high school. The majority of the plays we put on were written by her. They weren't very good, but that's how she was living out her dream. They were about her, not us. 

When I was in 8th grade, our school put on a play for Black History Month that was written by one of the teachers. It was about modern black teenagers who learn a lesson when they're transported back in time to slavery America. As I am not black, I was asked to play a slaveowner looking to purchase slaves. The big line I got while assessing a slave was something like, "Wow, she look real pretty. I bet I can get a lot of good work out of her." I did not feel comfortable with it and I dropped out. I also did a monologue for my 9th high school audition where I played Tom in The Glass Menagerie, so much of the theater experience resonated with me.

Edited November 3, 2020 by methodwriter85

[bilgistic]

Holy shit, @methodwriter85! The layers of how chillingly wrong that line is... And they wanted a child to say it! You had more wisdom and empathy at 14(?) than adults who were EDUCATORS.

[methodwriter85]

On 11/3/2020 at 10:45 AM, bilgistic said:

Holy shit, @methodwriter85! The layers of how chillingly wrong that line is... And they wanted a child to say it! You had more wisdom and empathy at 14(?) than adults who were EDUCATORS.

Yeah, I picked up on the general tone of what the line was supposed to mean (Sally Hemmings and her "romance" with Thomas Jefferson was a big discussion in history by this time) and I didn't want to say it. I feel like if this had happened in 2019 instead of 2001, one of the parents would have raised a big fuss on social media like what happened recently when an educator had black students pick cotton on a farm. But yeah, this was another odd school memory that would fit right into the world  of Pen15. Right down to the fact that the staff member who wrote the play wrote a monologue for themselves where they delivered the moral of the story at the end of it. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award nomination!

BEST COMEDY SERIES

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle on Their Twin Pandemic Pregnancies

[mamadrama]

I adore this show. However, even though having new content and hearing their voices was great, I didn't dig the animated special. For me, not only was the story not that interesting but the whole thing felt...flat. IMO the best part about the show is the amazing chemistry between the leads and you just can't get that in animation. Still, love the show and will take whatever I can get. 

Edited August 28, 2021 by mamadrama

[possibilities]

I was looking forward to this, but I couldn't even get all the way through it. I don't know if I'm just done with the characters and their same beats, or if I can't get interested in the animation, but I agree it was... terrible. Disappointing.

[Ilovepie]

On 8/28/2021 at 3:21 PM, possibilities said:

I was looking forward to this, but I couldn't even get all the way through it. I don't know if I'm just done with the characters and their same beats, or if I can't get interested in the animation, but I agree it was... terrible. Disappointing.

It was terrible. I was horribly distracted by the distorted facial features on the girls - I get that they actually feel like that especially after seeing the exaggerated cartoon of themselves, but why did they stay like that the rest of the entire episode? I just don't think their regular awkwardness translated very well in cartoon. And the animation itself was pretty bad.

[Mr. R0b0t]

Glad to have the gals back and not in cartoon form.  The little recap at the beginning of this last batch of episodes did a lot to capture what made this series (that will not go on any further per yesterday's announcement) so unique.  Hidden in the absurdities and mundanities of awkward middle school kids just trying to survive puberty are serious topics like divorce, love, loss, and what it means to be a real friend to someone.  

[Soobs]

Looking forward to the new episodes but I'm sad the show is ending. I'm happy for them that they're in demand. I was hoping that we'd get an episode or season in the future to see how they ended up as adults.

[possibilities]

I didn't even know the show was back. You'd think Hulu would send out some kind of announcement. Every other streaming service is constantly bombarding me with release dates and other show news.

[aghst]

9 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I didn't even know the show was back. You'd think Hulu would send out some kind of announcement. Every other streaming service is constantly bombarding me with release dates and other show news.

I got an email this week, even though I canceled Hulu about a month or two ago.