#27 - ‘Everything Now’ Tackles Anorexia and Abortion Through a Black Queer Lens - Leftist Teen Drama

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hey. I'm Maria.
I work at a labor union by day
and write and watch too much TV by
night. I like to say I've been firmly
in The CW's clutches since it was The
WB.
As the great Seth Cohen on The OC
once said about the fictional teen drama, The
Valley,
TV teen dramas are mind numbing escapism.
They exist in a fantasy world where 20

(00:22):
something hot actors are usually cosplaying high schoolers
in melodramatic depictions of adolescents.
But that's honestly why I love teen dramas
so much.
I love the tropes and the ships and
the not at all subtle product placement.
I love the early offs theme songs and
the cameo performances by pop punk bands. I
love the newer generation
of shows that are more diverse and representative

(00:44):
of the vastness of teenage girldom.
And I especially love the moments when TV
teen dramas get political.
You guys,
we can organize,
stand together,
speak with one voice.

(01:04):
Karl Marx has come alive for me today.
Now it just seems so obviously wrong that
those who control capital should make their fortunes
off the labor of the working class.
Well, since you've fired us, you've given us
plenty of time to pick in.
Workers of the world, you're not profiting.

(01:27):
Long live the revolution.
Welcome to another episode of Leftist Teen Drama,
and welcome to Leftist Teen Drama season 4.
It's a new year of content, and I'm
of Teen Drama season 4. It's a a
new year of content, and I'm super excited
to kick things off with Adrian and Dondre,
2 of my childhood friends. Dondre has been

(01:47):
on this podcast many times, but Adrian, this
is, like, finally an excuse to have her
on. Do y'all wanna introduce yourselves briefly before
we get into everything now? I am Andre.
I've known Maria since
2,005.
I've known Adrian since
2004
ish,
and, I live in Los Angeles. I'm a
screenwriter,

(02:08):
and I also work in sustainability.
Ria, thank you for having me on your
podcast. I'm so excited. My name is Adrianne.
I live in bedside, New York, currently
recording from I'm on vacation in Amsterdam.
I am an artist. I like to do
cyanotype printmaking.
Dondre, you threw out the hard

(02:28):
years in which we became friends, which is
crazy.
I the it's crazy. I don't really remember
when we started all when we started hanging
out. Definitely, it was, like, middle school, that
time period. I was just talking to my
partner, David, about reading fan fiction
in your basement, like, erotic Harry Potter fan
fiction in your basement, Maria.

(02:49):
Yes. We really are millennials. You know? Like,
that's the kind of shit that where I'm
like, yep.
That's me.
Yeah. Yeah. That sounds right. That sounds right.
Good times. I always just, like, love whenever
I can have childhood friends on because, obviously,
this show is about teenage characters. I'm like,
who better to talk about it with than
the people who I was a teenager with?

(03:10):
You know? And so I feel like everything
now
was
I'm trying to remember. Is this something that
Dondre told me about?
You're, like, at, like, half the shows on
this podcast. It it was definitely on my,
top ten list for 2023.
So Okay. Yes. We always have Dondre's handles
when he is on social media. In the
bio, he does that. Yeah. He does pop

(03:32):
in and out. But, usually, he will do
his top list of the year, and I
I always feel like he gotta watch. Like,
it's, you know, it's, like, one of those
anticipated
end of year lists for me. But I'm
pretty sure that yeah. Like, I just vividly
remember the first time I watched Everything Now
was the end of last year when I
was in, like, San Diego for a work
conference that I had a couple hours to
kill after checking into my hotel before I

(03:53):
had to do anything. And, like, I just
put on Netflix because the hotel had Netflix
and everything now popped up. And I was
like, someone told me to watch this. Like,
I'm I watched the first episode, but then
didn't have time to keep watching it till
a couple months later. So I finally went
back to it and watched the whole thing
in the beginning of this year. And I
feel like I saw Adrianne posting about it,

(04:14):
maybe, at some point? And You did. Yeah.
And I never really post about shows. Yeah.
That was deep in.
So I was just gonna say, like, how
was everyone else's, like, first impressions slash how
did you come to everything now? I was
just on Netflix one day, and I was
looking for something
light and easy to get into. And I
saw the cover of it, you know, it

(04:37):
automatically plays a little clip, and I thought
it looked interesting and started watching it and
then got sucked in
pretty hard.
Yeah. I love me a good diverse ensemble,
so the the cover photo really was captivating.
It kinda instantly reminded me of Skins.
I didn't really know what the main topic
was, but I just I just love a

(04:58):
group of teenagers being messy and figuring it
out.
So, you know, they definitely fulfilled that for
me. Absolutely, same. Yeah. I felt definitely felt
like with the amount that sex ends up
being a part of it, like, it definitely
gave me Skins Cross of Sex Education.
Yeah. It was obviously, like, formulaized
for me to be obsessed with it. And

(05:18):
then the fact that it, like, kinda goes
there in a degrassi fence, but also I
don't remember what the the, like, marketing around
skins was, but I feel like skins also
went there, whatever the hell. It definitely goes
there as terms of subject matter, which, yeah,
is always something that makes me happy. So
before we get really into it, I also
wanna just give a verbal trigger warning. I'm
also gonna put it in the show notes,
but in case you got this far and

(05:39):
isn't obvious, this show dives deep into anorexia
and anorexia recovery. So we're definitely gonna be
talking about that. So if that's, like, not
something you can handle for whatever reason, maybe
see you next episode. But yeah. So, like,
show is set in London, and it follows
a recovering anorexic teenager, Mia Polanco, and her
family and friends. And she returns to school
after 7 months at an inpatient treatment facility

(06:02):
for her eating disorder. I think I saw
it in Adrienne's notes too as one of
the things that, like, most touched me about
this show is how much it seems to
care about, like, depicting
the way that, like, a mental illness, like
an eating disorder can, like, have ripple effects
and, like, affect so many different people
in, like, a community and also how, like,
we you know, you kinda, like, need your
community to recover too. I'm excited to talk

(06:22):
about it. Sadly, the show was canceled by
Netflix. Another one season teen drama that got
axed by Netflix. That's gonna be in our
hall of, you know, fame of ones we've
covered on the show. But it's really sad
because it has a 82%
score on Rotten Tomatoes, 90% from viewers,
and apparently a writer's room was already in

(06:43):
place for season 2. So they have, like,
ideas going.
Makes me so sad. Apparently, the algorithm wasn't
on their side. Yeah. A lot of things
aren't on a lot of things aren't on
people's side of the TV these days.
So Yeah. I was gonna say we are
recording this in July of 2024,
a year after writers went on strike, and
it is still rough out there. Very much

(07:05):
so. Yeah. There's a lot of stuff coming
out all the time, and I think things
get swallowed pretty easily. A lot of money
is being put in stuff, or at least
I felt everything now felt like a high
budget production
because of how it was shot, how many
characters,
and how many spaces they had in the
show to talk outside of school at, like,

(07:26):
and well, yeah, you got a taste of
individuals'
home life with their parents. They're all at
this age of Mia turned 17 in the
show, of 16, 17,
when they're still being governed by a parental
figure, but they're also
coming into adulthood,
and everyone deals with it really differently. Yeah.
It was interesting seeing Cam's home life, Mia's

(07:47):
home life. Yes. Definitely. And, like, Cam's was
kinda, like, snuck in there toward the end,
which I feel like was kind of, like,
now you understand him a little more kind
of reveal, for sure. But, yeah, I should
say that the main reason that I wanted
to talk about this is that I I
think that, like there have been so many,
like, anorexia plot lines in teen dramas over
the years, but, like, I think of, like,

(08:09):
Emma Nelson's, like, 2 episode arc on Degrassi
or whatever.
And then it's, like, maybe it's peppered in
a couple of episodes later, like, how she's
doing after. But, like, I just feel like
I've never seen a teen drama give this
much, like, time and care in showing, like,
all the stages of recovery.
And so I feel like that is something
to celebrate in and of itself because anorexia

(08:30):
is a very real thing that teenagers deal
with. I think we all, like, know people
who are when we were teenagers, dealt with
it. But I also just love that it
actually, like, gave us, like, Dondre said, we
both love a diverse ensemble cast. But a
lot of times, it's like there's one black
girl. And so, like, I just, like, loved
like, I love Becca as a character, but
I also just love that she fucking exists
in this show and that, like, me and
Becca get to have, like, their friendship and,

(08:51):
like yeah. And then also the fact that
they gave Becca an abortion journey
because I did an episode
last season about how it does follow the
pattern we talked about in the other episode,
which is that only non American teen dramas
go there because, you know, Americans don't wanna
piss off the conservatives.
I thought that it was a really great
modern depiction of abortion. You know, actual I

(09:13):
actually having, like, the abortion pills, which is
the main way that most people get abortions
these days rather than, like, the surgical procedure.
So, yeah, I just think that there's a
lot for us to unpack amongst all of
that, and I'm excited to get into it.
Yeah. That is great. I will say, though,
when I was watching the show a second
time, I was, like, there's no way in
hell this black girl will be named Becca.

(09:34):
Like, no way in hell. They lost me
with the name. But Yeah. The grace that
I gave her remember how we grew up
with Katie and Tywoe, and Katie changed her
name from Kande to Katie? That was my
assumption that, like,
in order for it to make sense for
her to be named Becca, like, maybe she
was assimilating in some way, shape, or form.
That's really

(09:55):
that really
helps. Yeah. I figured either that or her
parents were assimilating when they named her and
were like, let's name her a nice British
name, like, or something. I don't know. Or
they colorblind casted her, and she honestly wasn't
wearing them black.
It just happened that it went to her.
I could see the British
doing that. I feel like yeah. I mean,

(10:16):
not the color blind casting isn't good, but,
like, it has its ups and it has
its pros and cons as we can see
here. Because, yeah, writing a character as a
black woman from the beginning has a different
effect, I feel like. But then at the
same time, not writing her as black allowed
her to really live in all of the
like, you got to see a black girl
in a role that you don't usually see
her. Like, she's
in between a love triangle.

(10:38):
She's the anchor of the friend group. Like,
I feel like that's not usually
the role that a black woman gets to
be given, but we get to
see a black woman be anorexic, but also
be the anchor for her friend group. So
it's just, like, it's we there's a lot
of duality here. So I guess we're talking
about the entirety of season 1, which is
sadly the entirety of the show. So I

(10:59):
thought we would just kinda, like, go through
different parts of the journey based on, like,
topic. And, you know, if other topics come
up as we go, that's totally fine. So
I thought to start, we would really talk
about, like, the kind of the main plot
of the show, which is Mia
trying to recover from anorexia
and being at the part of her journey
where she reentered society rather than being an
inpatient treatment, which is very delicate balance to

(11:20):
to strike there. And so we, like, open
on Mia waiting to be released from her
treatment program,
and we sort of get a taste of
what her life has been like the last
7 months, that her you know, all the
food she's eating has been monitored and every
pound of weight she's put on chartered.
And she clearly is really ready to get
out from this opening monologue. The other thing
that I really love from the first episode

(11:41):
was the first time she's in the lunch
room, like, that scene.
And, like, do they have the food set
aside for her? So, like, that plays into
the whole, like, she's the anorexic girl of
it all, which I think is she's very
sensitive to. Her internal monologue is, like, a
big part of this show, I feel like.
And she, like, kind of talks about and
reflects on how difficult it is when your

(12:02):
trigger is something you actually need to live.
And I feel like I'd never thought that
anorexia that way, and that quote really stuck
with me. That quote stuck with me too.
Yeah. It's something that she has to confront
regularly, and it's something that she's being monitored
for, and it's evenly paced throughout the day.
She's on a schedule to continue her progress

(12:22):
while while also adjusting into back into school
into an environment which people know that she's
been absent for 7 months. And so it's
kind of a mixed reaction when engaging with
other students
and feeling, like, time has sped up. She's
catching up to things that are happening around
her. Oh, wow. There's the friend group hiding

(12:43):
different things that she's been missing to protect
her. So it's, like,
she can try to feel a sense of
normalcy again, but
even the people that she would go to
as her, you know, day ones
are presenting a different version of themselves, which
I think she can kinda get the sense
when she returns. But it's like everyone's treating

(13:03):
her with this fragility,
which makes it even more hard to get
back into the swing of things. It's interesting.
It's like everybody has an opinion about, like,
how she should recover in a way, because
they're all, like, oh, well, this piece of
information I need to keep away from her,
like, because she can't handle that. And it's,
like, a lot of things are happening not
on her terms about her recovery, I feel
like. Even before the recovery with Cam going

(13:26):
to her parents, like,
it's all these decisions being made about her
without her
being present for. As you see over the
episodes, she
mistrusts her friends because
they
confessed about
her eating disorder. She mistrusts her friends because
they talked to her parents and went to

(13:46):
her parents because they didn't know what to
do. And it that kind of anger
comes out in different ways. But you really
in the first episode, you really begin to
see how Mia's feeling about her body. So
you really are beginning to get an understanding
of what her anorexic voice or interior voice
thinks. I do like that you have Mia's,
like, like you said, anorexic voice, and then
you also have the doctor Nell moments where

(14:08):
he, like, very succinctly explains what's happening based
on, like, the science of the disorder. And,
like, that's crazy. Yeah. He really broke it
down so hard. Yeah. I don't think it's
him last episode. Right? I think so. I
just feel like I've never heard anorexia broken
down like you said, broken down like that
before. So, like,
digestibly,
like, that's kind of a weird word to

(14:30):
use, but it is what it is. She
approaches
doctor Nell at a breaking point. She's started
to skip meals again, and she doesn't
know why she's going
backwards
in a way, and she's really upset. And
he
says that by confronting these feelings,
this is her making progress,
being able to ask for help and state

(14:52):
what's going on. And then, yeah, he broke
down that anorexia is, like, her friend in
her interior voice, someone that's with her and
talks to her all the time. But, of
course, the things that they say are quite
negative and not helpful. So he starts to
explain that that's not
really her, and she can get a sense
of loneliness when she's
recovering and missing that friend. So a dependency

(15:14):
on that routine or that control
is interesting. Yeah. I'd never heard it broken
down like that. I'm eating
when I should. I'm taking all the meds.
I'm coming to see you, and and I
did all the right things, but I still
didn't feel any different.
You know, being me wasn't easier, and waking
up in the morning wasn't easier, and I
just I couldn't

(15:35):
try
anymore. And now I'm right back. Well, I
started only worse because now I know there's
no way out. And
and I'm so lonely.
I'm trying so hard, but I can't connect
with people, and I don't understand why. Well,
it's because anorexia

(15:56):
was your companion all day,
every day.
It means that you were never alone with
the painful thoughts. You've been holding on to
a friend that was never a real friend.
But that doesn't mean the grief isn't real.
You know what I felt

(16:17):
when I found out about Jenna?
Go on.
The first thought,
I didn't cry.
I didn't scream or anything.
I just thought that she won.
She
beat me
because her illness took her to a place

(16:37):
that I never had.
Because
she
didn't have to get better, and I did.
And that's the first thought
I felt when I heard my friend died.
I'm so proud of you. Well, proud. I

(16:59):
just told you. I know what you told
me, but I also know that your disorder
thrives on secrecy.
And that anorexic
voice inside you relies on you living in
shame. And what have you done today?
You've been honest.
You've asked for help. 2 things you would
never have done a year ago.

(17:21):
You are different.
You
are different,
and I'll keep telling you until you believe
me.
I think I wrote something along the lines
of, like, big healing is nonlinear moment. He

(17:42):
earned his check. He earned his check with
that little monologue. I will say that.
Yeah. I forgot Mia was talking about her
loneliness, and I forgot about her suicidal thoughts
because that really comes up because
in a way, yes, she does hate her
body, but I feel like something deeper is
also going on. Yeah. And, yeah, it's in
relation to some kind of

(18:02):
maybe lack of self love.
Yeah. I'm not sure. I don't think I
can really
sum it up.
Yeah. It's interesting because I feel like there
was definitely problems with the Palango family before
Mia's situation.
Mhmm. And it's so interesting that the whole
entire show is through the lens of Mia's
predicament, but you can still see that, like,

(18:23):
there was problems with the parents, there was
problems with the brother kinda feeling avoided.
Like, there was issues before this, and and
then Mia's situation just kinda intensifies everything for
everyone.
She tries to it, but it's the kind
of thing that, like, eventually forces you to
confront it, you know, when she, like, drops
drops to the floor in her house Right.
In which we see through a flashback that
her dad finds her. And, yeah, it just

(18:44):
feels like a lot of things that
aren't being confronted in that family by then
being forced to confront because of me and
film this. Mhmm. Yeah.
Yeah. It really does radiate
outward.
And her mom, Viv, and her dad, Rick.
Right? His name, Rick? Yeah. You got it.
Mhmm. Yep. They ended up divorcing,

(19:06):
and Mia's gets really kind of angry or
misbehaves in
reaction to that loss of having her dad
in the home and this kind of fractured
environment. So it's it's you still get the
sense that Mia still needs this care and
her father around to help protect her or
guide her, and she's forced to now spend

(19:27):
more time
with her mom in a different way. And
her mom, Viv, is really interesting. She's a
bit too So interesting. Yeah. Thinks of her
daughter in such a general way and doesn't
think about the specifics of her daughter's interests
and what she's actually like. Like, she buys
her gifts that are a lot more feminine
than Mia would wear or bold, and they
don't have the same sorts of pleasures.

(19:48):
They're really different people. Her mom is kind
of, like, a go getter,
really busy, sometimes, like, a workaholic for sure
Yes. Which didn't help her relationship.
Yeah. I also going back to what Adrienne
was saying about her mom giving her general
advice and not specific advice, like, when
her father's having the conversation with her at
the kitchen table,

(20:09):
and her mom goes, oh, well, well, tons
of girls eat like that. You know, that's,
like, only normal. Like, she doesn't even see
the red flags for her specific daughter because
she's so in this go getter mode. So
I thought that was really interesting too. Yeah.
And also on the family therapy session, when
they were like, what do you think the,
like, barriers are to her recovery? And then,
like, the mom was like, well, probably, like,

(20:30):
you know, unrealistic expectations in magazines and stuff.
And it's like, that's not in any way
specific to Mia's situation. Probably more specific to
her upbringing than anything.
Yeah. Just probably projecting, honestly. Yeah. But, yeah,
Viv is very interesting.
And, oh, man, the whole divorce plotline,
it was the first time I watched it,

(20:50):
Rick, like, explaining what happened was the exact
same phraseology that my dad used where he
was like, I met someone. And it's like,
that's an interesting way to say that you
had an affair. Like,
That is an interesting way to say that.
That's
soft. That's a soft launch.
But, yeah, it sucks because it's it seems

(21:12):
based on flashbacks that it was a long
overdue divorce, actually. But, like like, they probably
shouldn't have been together for a while. But,
like, it sucks that, like, Mia's illness ended
up being the trigger to make them actually
separate because then she has to fucking deal
with that shit now while she's also trying
to recover it. It's just when it rains
the poor, it's kinda moment. When Rick is
talking to Viv about who he's seeing, and

(21:36):
he he says that he went to all
of these parent groups in Mia's recovery
center, like, parent therapy,
and met this woman whose daughter was in
recovery. And he kind of blames Viv for
the divorce, saying she's not around or she
doesn't show up. And so he's, like, I
had to move on because I can't stand,
like, being ignored like this. Totally understand it,

(21:58):
though. I mean, I feel like, weirdly enough,
that woman losing Jenna
probably aligned them a lot more than him
and Viv, because Viv Mhmm.
Wasn't even willing to
stand 10 toes down with it. Like, she
just, basically, was, like, it's a quick fix.
Everything should be fine. So I I I
can I can understand

(22:19):
weirdly enough why he felt compelled to move
away from Viv into his new life? Yeah.
And that whole nugget was, like, it the
reveal, I think, in the last episode that
Mhmm. That the yeah. That his new girlfriend
is Jenna's mom. I'm so curious what would
have happened with that if they'd have season
2 because that was you. Yeah. Because that
was such a good setup for, like, drama

(22:39):
in the next season.
That was a good setup.
For sure. The way these relationships go in
the show, everyone is hooking up with everyone,
and it's just real team energy.
Yeah. They're trying to to to, like, write
up all the Are you gonna map it?
Couples. I tried to map it, and I
was also thinking about just special friendship relationships.
And I was, like, okay, there's Mia and

(23:01):
Cam, best friends,
allegedly, like, have each other's back.
Julie. Yeah. I don't know. They're just, like,
drifting apart in a different way or there's
been some miscommunication
and, like, a lack of intimacy.
Yeah. And the rest of Cam telling on
herself.
Yeah. Yeah.
Then there's Mia and Becca, like, girl love,
best friends. Becca's really careful with Mia and

(23:23):
always shows up, and it was interesting in
one moment in the show where Becca almost
blamed herself for why Mia's,
like, Mia's eating disorder. When she goes missing
again? Yeah. Yeah. Which I thought so so
heartfelt. Like, I really felt that that friend,
that friendship is so deep. Becca is so
loving. It's it's a little, like, insane.

(23:44):
Yeah. And then there's, like, Becca and Cam,
Mia and Carly, Viv and Rick,
Mia and Allison,
Will and Garrett, question mark, cheese guy,
Alex,
Alex and Mia. I'm like, who's Alex? Oh,
her brother. And then Carly
and Cam, that brief Yeah. Romance

(24:06):
to which Carly was like, I can't date
this man. I need to back away. Yeah.
And then there's Cam and Alison. And Alison
is the biggest enigma in this entire show.
Her emotions
don't even mold her, but she has so
many of them. Yeah. I funny to give
to a bimbo y well, not bimbo, but,
like, a white girl that's really rich and
really disconnected, but also very emotional.

(24:26):
Yeah. I thought for a second they were
gonna go with Kim and Allison at the
end. I was like, please, I can't take
another.
Like, it just I thought so too. It's
just too much chaos between those 2. I
I I I was really hoping they didn't
go that far.
Too chaotic. It seems like more of, like,
maybe they had a one night stand that
that's is gonna be fallout from it was
kind of, like, the vibe that I read
from it. Because then they, like, go and

(24:47):
get drunk together or something. Yeah. And so
I just, like, thought as, like, they probably,
like, hooked up, and then they're, like, we'll
never do that again. But then, like, all
the other characters, we're gonna find that out
and see some tea. This is why I
get so annoyed. I'm like, yeah. I think
I can see the seeds you were planting.
They planted some good seeds. Yeah. Oh my
gosh. The the scene when Cam
angrily walks up to Becca in the school

(25:09):
yard and calls her
skit. One to watch. That was really hard
to watch. The hell is a skit. What
the hell is a skit? I know. He's,
like, yelling it, and I'm like, this seems
bad, but I don't understand British slang enough
to understand what level of bad
Yeah. I I felt like it would mean
slut. And looking it up now, scat means
a promiscuous girl or woman. Okay. It's just

(25:30):
so corny. It's like Some of them moments
are so corny in the show. I know.
It kinda felt like like someone, like, calling
someone the c word here, but that's obviously
not the same meaning in Britain, but that
was, like, kind of the vibe I was
getting, like, that he was calling her something
that was, like, the worst thing. I don't
know. That was that was rough. And that
was so self aggressive
So Oh, yeah.

(25:51):
Blame the girl that you
have a crush on to get angry at
her for her moving on
is
out of line.
Yeah. I think it also
the way that he found out though, I
thought was a really interesting commentary on how
boys, a, gossip
more than girls, in my opinion,

(26:12):
but, b, like, how
your perception as a man can lead you
to do things that you necessarily wouldn't want
to do. Like, he clearly loves Becca. He
wants to, you know, be with her. But
the fact that other guys are kinda making
him out to be, like, a sim,
like, it triggered that reaction. So I thought
that was, like, that,
you know, those growing pains of being a

(26:33):
boy. It's, like,
needing to always prove yourself as a man.
I thought that was a good instance of
that with Cam. Because I feel like out
of all the characters, he's the male straight
archetype of it all. Mhmm. So I thought
that was good commentary on how, like, you
know, even though I really love you, I'd
rather call you this dirty name because you
just embarrassed embarrassed me with other men.
Right. That's what it's all the root of

(26:54):
it. Yeah. Damn. That is
he's such a funny character. He's such a
bad boy who works out and is really
rich, and his dad is only home 6
or 7 times a year, and his mom
is in bed with depression.
He feels I think he's definitely lonely and
lost. Yeah.
I mean, the fact that he felt like
he needed to, like, immediately, like,

(27:16):
be with Carly even though there doesn't seem
to be much there between them like, for
both of them, it feels like, you know,
one of those, like, one of those people
who have so much going on, they always
need to have, like, a relationship or a
romantic entanglement
because, like, I feel like yeah. And then
when when he was, like, kind of rejected
by Becca or at least he thought he
was at the end of the 8th episode,
he may have slept with Allison, and that's
not confirmed. So it's like

(27:39):
feels like he's always just distracting himself with
another person. Yeah. Our wait.
Yeah. He's
definitely a player, and he's always on the
scene and making games of people.
Oh, man. Yeah. It's a really fun ensemble
for sure. It's also how he hides the
sensitivity
Yes. By being, like, kind of boisterous.

(27:59):
Mhmm. I did appreciate that he I think
it was in the last scene with him
and Mia, like, kinda having a heart to
heart at the end that he, like, actually
broke down and cried in her arms, I
did appreciate that we, like, eventually got there
with him. Yeah. I do feel yeah. I
do feel like he's the kind of male
that yeah. Any time of vulnerability or sense
sensitivity,

(28:20):
he makes it into a joke or joke
or masks that really quickly and doesn't actually
have an outlet for some of his emotions.
And so when he and Mia hash it
out, it's really beautiful. I know when he
calls her home,
like, thank God you, like this is someone
who benefits from female friendships.
Oh, yeah.

(28:41):
Oh, yeah.
And having someone just, like, tell them about
themselves in a way that they can't see
themselves, you know? Yeah. There is nothing like
a
woman's love Sure.
For better, for worse.
Or, like, fee female
friendships
or Yeah. Why am I saying friendship with
females? I it's weird to say females.

(29:03):
Yeah. Yeah.
I don't know. As as, like, a black
fem, I know many people benefit from my
friendship.
Yes. Say it like that.
Yeah. That's how you say it.
I dole out a lot of care. I
believe it.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
It's interesting
how much Allison is actually part of, like,

(29:25):
her her journey in different ways. They feel
so forced, though. I'm like, why why is
this relationship still a thing? Like, she's the
one who, like, finds her at the store
trying to find clothes for the date she
thinks she's going on with Theo. And, like,
she has that whole moment where she's like,
let's have a montage moment. And then, like,
obviously which it at first, she saves Mia

(29:46):
from being asked what her size is from
a sales girl, which was an obvious trigger.
But then she brings her to a changing
room, which is, like, another trigger.
And, like, Mia has a whole monologue about
how, like, mirrors are one of her biggest
fears. And, like, then later, obviously, like, she
ends up in a relationship with Alison,
like, without
even realizing it. She kinda, like, herself into

(30:07):
a relationship with Alison.
But then, like, there's that, like,
really cringe social media post that Oh. Alison
makes at her birthday party. Girl. Hashtag anorexia
warrior. Yeah. That's what I was looking for.
Okay. That was a hashtag.
And, like, Mia doesn't even have social media,
which I thought was I know. I love

(30:27):
her for that. I I do love that
they actually, like because I feel like that
would be a very obvious, like, recovery rule
to kinda follow. And, like, they have I
think they have her parents give her, like,
a flip phone and when she comes back
Mhmm. Home. But, like, I like that they
just, like, actually stuck with that. And because
I don't know. It's it's interesting. These days,
Gen z shows have have so much social
media, like, baked into them. And, like, not

(30:49):
that there isn't. Like, obviously, you see, like,
Cam and Becca looking at each other's, like,
Instagram likes and stuff like that. But, like
Oh my gosh. The longing.
The late night. Well, to look at photos
of your beloved.
But yeah. Becca has some bomb selfies. They
did that. Yeah. Yes. No. She is really,
like she should be having her pick of
guy. Well, it just seems like she does,

(31:10):
but, like Yeah. She yeah.
Yeah. She's desired and revered, and people love
her. Yeah. No. Absolutely. One with this show.
I'll give him that.
Yeah.
But yeah. And then Allison is also there
when Mia gets her period again. Sorry. I'll
just back on on like, she's just there
for a lot of moments, and it's, like,
again, awesome. The mom moment. Yeah. Oh my

(31:32):
god. Yeah. Also, side note, when Allison said
she follows Beyv on Instagram, I was like,
oh my god. I want to see that
Instagram so bad. I know she runs that
shit like a fucking marines. Like, she she
like, I just probably the ultimate lifestyle. Yeah.
Overly curated, like
With, like, a lavender work related.
All work related. Has a lavender theme.

(31:54):
Yeah. Isn't she's like an interior designer. Right?
That's like Mhmm.
So, like yeah. Like, I could just see
it being all, like, color and, like, curation
and yeah. I mean, her bold lip. Yes.
And it's very interesting that Alison, like like,
reveres
Viv and, like, that they are almost the
most alike of, like I feel like of
anyone of the friend group. Like, Allison would

(32:14):
be the one who would see Viv that
way. It's like, you know, like, she's so
cool. Aspirational.
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. She's such a strong woman.
Aspirational. Cool.
Girl boss. Like cool. Yeah. The thing that
I liked about the moment, though, when Mia
got her period for the first time and,
like, obviously, it sucked that it had to
be when she was in a white robe,
like, the worst possible time for this to

(32:35):
happen. But I did think the the scene
between Viv and Mia when that happened was
really I thought that that was, like, one
of the few moments where, like, they actually
seemed to connect, and Viv actually, like Gets
her right. Yeah. She gets it right. She
was there when she needed to be, and
she did what she needed to do.
You know, getting her privacy and, you know,
the obviously, the tampon she needed and all
of that. While being really discreet Yeah. Because

(32:58):
it seemed like Mia was really paranoid or
aware of being in public and just had
a lot of feelings with getting her period.
And it was interesting how they really
amplified some of the small details about anorexia
recovery, not only, like, the mental, but, yeah,
the the physical of where your body starts
to function properly because it's getting enough nutrients.

(33:19):
So,
yeah, things like hair getting thicker,
menstruation,
and other sorts of stuff is, like, a
return to, normalcy, and and you're departing from
those moments of starvation where your body's heavily
stressed. Yeah. We wanna get back into
maybe the, like, the idea of Mia's search
for normal that we kind of get throughout

(33:41):
the season
and just her kind of being Oh, the
bucket list. Yes. Definitely, we should talk about
the bucket list. He just comes back and,
like it just, like it it is, like,
kinda realistic, but also a little much that,
like, that many things happen in 7 months.
But, also, when you're a teenager, 7 months
is kind of a long time. So it
also kinda makes sense. But, yeah, her coming

(34:02):
back and finding out that, like, half her
friend well, she thinks all of her friend
group has had sex even though we know
Will is actually lying about that. But, you
know, in her initial read of things, all
her friends have had sex, have started drinking
and doing drugs and going to parties, talking
to people who they would never talk to
before because of all of those activities. And,
yeah, she immediately is like, oh, so is

(34:23):
it this isn't about recover. Like, I feel
like she, like, uses, like, being normal almost
as, like, a distraction from her recovery. Like,
I don't know. Like, it's just, like, this
thing that at certain points,
I don't know. Like, it's just, like, this
thing that at certain points, she almost prioritizes
above, you know, her recovery. Like, the time
that she blows off her doctor annel appointment
to, like, what was it, do drama stuff
with Carly
because she wants to cross stuff off her

(34:44):
list having to do with, like, you know,
having a girlfriend and, you know, all of
the various things related to, like, love and
and relationships.
I love that crush. Like, newest crush on
Carly.
That really
that was a good plot. I also like
Carly as a character. I thought she Carly's
character is amazing. She's so cool. Yeah. I

(35:04):
would have thought she was so cool at
high school. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. She just
kinda, like, breathes in and out of situations.
I feel like
Mhmm. Yeah. And she checks in on people
too. Yes. She's she's way beyond her years.
Like, just like Becca, I feel like her
and Carly, like,
in a way, they knew what was, like,
best for everyone. Like, even if they didn't

(35:25):
say it, like, they knew what the right
thing to do was. Like, when she tells
Mia that she can't save her, like, no
high schooler is gonna think that way. I
feel like most high schoolers would just go
along with the toxicity and just make it
happen, but, like, she's, like she's know that
she's done enough for people at her very
young age of 16 slash 17,
which is sad. But she knows already that

(35:45):
she has a boundary, and she's not gonna
be someone's savior. So I thought, like I
don't know. Just
the emotional intelligence of some of the characters
was really, really, interesting to see at such
a young age. Yeah. That's a really good
point. She's so wise beyond her years. She's
Like, where are they coming from?
Yeah.
Apparently having an alcoholic mom. Yeah. That's the
reason.

(36:06):
Yeah. But she's so gentle and not bitter
and
yeah. She has really good timing.
One thing that
Carly says to Mia
is I can't be your fix. Like, I
can't be
a distraction.
You need to deal with things first
Mhmm. Before we can even pursue something

(36:26):
because I can't carry that.
Yeah. I can't be around people who aren't
gonna help themselves.
Gen z understands understands boundaries.
That's what this show told me. When Mia
says to Carly,
like,
every day, like, I don't really have, like,
a reason to get up in the morning,
but, like, you you are or she I
don't know if she says it in an
interior monologue, but she says that, Mia says

(36:48):
that to her. Out loud. Yeah. Yeah. She
says, like, you're the reason why I get
up every morning and why I move.
Just all this intense, like, love bombing. Carly
becomes this beacon of light and hope
and of love. Like, they're constantly talking about
love in the show. Yeah. Yeah. And you
you want them to get together.
Yes. Totally. And I think you're also right

(37:08):
about the whole beacon of light thing. Like,
I'm pretty sure that, like, when you first
see Carly, she's literally, like, lit up by,
like,
some light because they're like and it's when
she sees her on the dance floor at
that party. Yeah. Dancing in slow mo. Yeah.
And so it literally is, like,
very clear that, like, throughout the season, like,
really Carly is that for her. And, like,
she she just says it out loud finally

(37:29):
at the end of the season. It's a
guitar scene when they almost kiss. Oh, yeah.
But, Allison comes in the room, and Allison
Leonard doesn't know doesn't notice. He's like, girl,
how did you not realize this? Like, I
can't
deal with this right now. But We think
that this is Allison's first woman on woman
relationship because I think it is. And Yes.

(37:51):
I think that that her not being able
to clock that
backs up my point. Yeah.
The way Carly flirts is
nice.
Yeah. She's like, I'd like her to flirt
with me.
No. I literally, I got a crush on
this character. I was like, what's wrong with
me? She's just so cool.
Well, you know, the actor is inevitably, like,

(38:12):
29 or something, so it's not weird. Yeah.
I yeah. Yeah. I was looking at some
of their ages. Like, Mia's, I think, 26.
I really don't know how old Carly is.
Shoot.
I'm I'm sure it's fine. Definitely, like, 25
and up.
She's 21.
She's breaking up.
I'm screaming.
That's a working woman. We're gonna have to

(38:33):
edit this out. Jennifer's gonna cancel us.
Age gap discourse.
Man,
nothing to say here.
Oh, and so, like, there's also speaking of,
like, the Carly relationship, there's the whole thing
where, like, Mia, like, at first tries to
have Carly, like, not know that she's anorexic.

(38:55):
And then, like, she had found out through
the rumor mill, and she gets, like, really
triggered when she finds out that Carly knows
without her having told Carly herself about it.
I really I think that it is something
that throughout the season, me of contending with
is, like, I am the anorexic girl and,
like,
how do I break out of that? But
also that is who I am. And, like,

(39:16):
it's just
it's so hard for a teenager to have
that label put on them, and it makes
sense why she tries to push her way
out of it over and over again. I
wonder if it'd be like the drama club
plot line or other ways she tries to
reinvent herself.
Her fame is overwhelming.
I just also clocked that the word normal
is just used, like, a lot throughout this
show. And, like, at in the birthday lunch

(39:38):
and the second to last episode, like, Viv,
like, gives her a gift, and it's like,
I really feel like you're back to normal
almost. And, yeah, it's interesting because at the
same time that she's trying to get back
to normal, it's clear that what normal means
has shifted while she was gone. And so
it's a very interesting thing that she's striving
for that feels obviously, being normal isn't even
really a thing. Like, what does that even

(39:59):
mean? But Yeah. I agree. I I thought
it was interesting that everyone
gave Mia the goal of returning to normalcy
while their own worlds were spiraling out of
control.
Right. Like Yeah. How can you expect that
of her
when Becca and Cam is happening, when her
parents are divorcing, when her, you know, her
brother's nudes got leaked. Like, there's so much

(40:21):
going on in their own lives that they're
not able to extend that for Mia. They
want her to just go back to normal,
which I thought was I don't know how
people
kind of view the disease. Like,
they don't
understand how
it plays out for someone and the expectations
that can, you know, feel heavy on a
person. So, yeah, just thought that was kind
of a combined side. Yeah. I feel like

(40:42):
this is where
in relation to conversations around normalcy in the
show, the bucket list is kind of a
list of things to do to kind of
get to that sense of normalcy or be
a regular teenager.
And I hate the bucket list plot. Like,
I don't know. It was helpful because it
really comes in throughout the show, and it
really weaves moments together, and it causes action

(41:05):
to happen, like throwing a house party,
joining the drama club.
You see, it's, like, something that Mia's motivated
by, really motivated by. And that's I find
that really interesting that she would cling to
this
document
the whole time. Well, almost like a way
for her to cover all the bases that
she missed while she was away. Like, you

(41:26):
know, by
compiling all these activities that she thinks someone
her age should be doing,
it was almost like a guaranteed way to
be caught up. Yeah. So one of the
other clips I wanted us to watch is
also from the last episode.
One of the things that I think this
show does really well is, like, really determining
the stakes of, like, having anorexia.

(41:48):
And, like, the moment where Carly realizes that
Mia is skipping meals and then, like, they
have that back and forth, I just thought
really showed especially post finding out about Jenna
having passed away, shows how much, like, the
actual consequences
of anorexia,
the ultimate consequences that you could suffer are
really in the back of Mia's mind.

(42:08):
I got you one anyway.
No. You shouldn't have. I'm, like, really not
hungry.
Well, we haven't eaten yet today. It's almost
5. You know what we should do next?
We should get out of London. And and
we can go on the train and we
can go anywhere. We can go to Manchester.
Check out your own haunts. Okay? Yeah. No.
I just wanna have one good day, Carly.
Okay? And we can finish the lift. Why

(42:28):
do we have to finish it today? What's
the rush?
Why are you being so boring?
But if you don't wanna do it, I'll
just do it myself.
There'll be other days. Oh, really? Do you
know what the average recovery time for anorexia
is?
7 years.
And I have 7 years left to work

(42:49):
and worry and fuck up, and that's if
I'm lucky. It's like not even half the
people make it that far, and I deserve
one day,
Carly, one day to be free.
My friend died,
and she was the stronger one. And if
she couldn't make it, what chance do I
have?

(43:12):
None.
If you keep running away.
But, yeah, that also, like, has a lot
to do with the list, obviously.
And,
like, Mia just kind of relying on the
list by the end of the season, I
feel like. And using it as an escape
from actually confronting what she needs to confront.
Yeah.
Because I think it's easy to do as

(43:33):
a teenager, you know. Like, it's, like, when
you're growing up, you don't have a sense
of, like,
this is what I need to be the
best version of myself. Like, you're in school,
and you have classes and stuff. But in
terms of, like, that emotional part of yourself,
you really don't have a road map, and
I think that's even intensified for Mia because
of the condition that she's dealing with. But,

(43:53):
yeah, I just think this showed me that
platonic friendships are important in the sense that
when you're going through your shit sometimes, you
can't even really see
the tunnel, but sometimes you need people to
hold them there up to you
and kinda show you the ways that you're
running away from yourself. Yeah. I think Carly
really sets it in this moment and does
that for her. Yeah. That's, like, the true
power of friendship, the way that it's a

(44:15):
it takes a community to
help her
get on track in a way or confront
her. Because you're only your teenager, so many
people are lying to you, you know, whether
they to be your friend or to get
something out of you. So it's
I feel like,
at least when I was in high school,
the strongest memories that I have is when
a friend either held me accountable
or when they were able to nurture me

(44:37):
when no one else could. And I feel
like this is definitely one of those moments
for Mia where she's like, oh, wow. This
is she's telling on herself by revealing all
of her thoughts to Carly, but it's not
until Carly is like, well, you're not gonna
change if you keep on thinking like that.
You know? So Yeah. I thought it was
a really beautiful suit. Yeah. Oh, before it
may you probably mentioned this before, Maria, but

(44:58):
I meant to ask you, but just since
I haven't been on this before, what your
relationship with teen romance
shows is?
Like, in general?
Yeah. In general. I don't know. I love
that.
I have a podcast about that. I don't
know.
I need you to be more specific.
Yeah. I guess or what made you initially

(45:20):
want to turn
your love into a podcast? Probably
that one Tree Hill episode that I watched
where Brooke Davis
organizes her workplace.
Just, like, once I watched that and I
was, like, this is, like, a a real
thing
that exists, I started, like, tracking
political moments on TV teen dramas, like, every
time I was watching. And then once I

(45:40):
had a lot of them, I was like,
oh, I'll make a blog. And that failed
and, like, was stupid. And then, like, I
did that Riverdale podcast, and so then, like,
that was over, which I'm so glad I'm
not doing that anymore. And I was like,
well, now I know how to do a
podcast.
Mhmm. I have this list of things
that I'm interested in. Like Might as well
run with it. This is better for a
podcast medium maybe than a vlog. But, yeah,

(46:01):
it just kinda all came together. But, yeah,
I don't know. I just I love teen
dramas, and I feel like I didn't realize
how much I love them until I got
to college and actually was just able to
watch what I wanted to watch and not
what Sofia was watching or what, you know,
my toxic ex best friend told me was
cool.
I do remember watching Gilmore Girls in your
basement. You were always watching Gilmore Girls. Yeah.

(46:23):
In the show,
it felt like I and I didn't notice
this the first time around, and I never
do this kind of deep rewatching
or I'm actually taking notes and tracking moments
in the show
and seeing how relationships
are coming in and out and wiggling around,
and it's really messy.
I didn't realize how at every second of
the show, not like every second, but there's

(46:45):
so many dramatic moments where someone is upset
at all times
and someone is trying to, like, navigate something.
I didn't realize it had this high intensity
throughout. And with all these relationships, I was
like, wow. The show kept busy
And they're weaving between all of these scenes,
and I found myself infatuated
with when they spent time in the grocery

(47:06):
store. Like, it was so random. Like, somehow,
Carly works there too. Like Yes. I think
that's how, like, she is, like, added to
their friend group is, like, Will knowing her
from work. From work. Yeah. Yeah. But, yeah,
they like grocery store. I like that setting.
Her space.
Yeah.
Yeah. That felt very high school too, going
to your friend's place of work and bothering
them. Yeah.

(47:28):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Absolutely.
So funny.
And I also think that someone always being
upset
is very realistic for For a teen drama.
Yeah.
Like, I mean, if yeah. If you have
a big enough friend group, I promise you,
and you're all teenagers, someone is always upset.
Someone's always upset. I was like, nobody's okay.

(47:51):
Like, Mia's birthday party, it is a round
of people being upset. Oh my god. Yeah.
Mia's birthday party was insane. Seeing Mia at
different parties across this world. Yes. Like, her
her vomiting at the first party,
like, on the carpet and on the DJ.
Crazy. God. And just moving past her limit,

(48:12):
her body can't metabolize alcohol because her well
or is metabolizing it fast,
because her weight is so low. So and
she just maybe I don't know if she's
drank before, but she's trying to catch up
so fast. That's what I have a question
about. Is that, like, I feel like partying
was, like, the main thing she kept on
trying to really make work for her, but

(48:33):
I'm like, you just don't seem like a
party goer. So it made me wonder. I'm
like, was there a time where Mia liked
to party, or is this just something that
she thinks she has to do now that
she's back? Because I it just felt like
she had
no natural personality around it when it comes
to partying. Like, she didn't know what to
do with herself all the time. Yeah. I
got the, like, latter,
like, impression, like, that, like, her friends were

(48:54):
the kind of people who, like, didn't go
to parties and, like, didn't talk to those
people, and then, like, that changed. She was
gone. That was, like well, maybe I'm also
projecting my own experience. I don't know. That's
what I that's what I'm writing. If I
just man. Me because, like, if I have
gone away for a while and come back
and suddenly, Dondre was, like, going to parties,
I would be like like, in high school,
I would have been like, what the actual
fuck? Like Yeah.

(49:15):
I thought we didn't do that. I thought
we hated those people. You know? Like, so
crazy. That was literally me and Megan in
special dance. Oh my god.
I was like, you're drinking. You're talking cigarettes.
What the fuck?
Damn.
It's yeah. It's an interesting friends go at
different paces and stuff like that, but usually,
it's it's not so all

(49:37):
all encompassing as, like, leaving,
coming back, and everyone having, like, moved on
back. You like, it's just yeah. It's FOMO
times a1000.
Yeah. The second party where you're, like, alright.
Mia's got this. She's in control.
She's confident.
She looks really good. She's talking to everyone,
and she's not shy. But then Mia's

(49:58):
almost being too,
like, boisterous or confident or loud where she
just starts
unraveling all of these mean statements about everyone,
dissecting everyone at the end of the party
where she's rude. Yeah. And it it it
enforces or reinforces that she's very self centered
and she still has a lot of anger

(50:18):
regarding her anorexia and feeling left behind and
friends moving on and lying to her.
But I I find it interesting that she
finds it at all
appropriate to air everyone's personal business like that.
Mhmm. She's really digging into people. It's kind
of like,
I don't trust you, so why should I
care? Like, why should I

(50:39):
I don't know. I don't know how to
describe that.
Yeah. It kinda reminds me of this scene
in Crazy Ex Girlfriend
where the main character who has, like, borderline
personality disorder, like, goes in on all of
her friends when she's, like, at a bad
place in her, like, mental health journey. Like,
it does feel like something
that I do feel like a very mentally
ill person would do. Yeah. And so it's,

(51:02):
in that sense,
kind of realistic,
really hard to watch, but yeah. Yeah. Kind
of delusional.
And she really messes up her relationship with
Will. She went so hard on Will. Mhmm.
Just outing that his crush or his relationship
that he keeps talking about is fake, and
that person doesn't exist, which is true. Yeah.

(51:24):
And then at the yeah. You see this
moment where Will is kind of
vulnerable about his sexuality. He hasn't quite had
so many experiences,
and I doesn't maybe necessarily want to. He's
maybe a little shy about everything because when
Theo comes into the picture, which they really
didn't
make that a big deal in any way.

(51:44):
Like, Theo, who seemed very straight, very masculine,
ends up being queer
and has, like, a softer side,
yeah, that is doled out in a way
that is so different from how you engage
with Theo at first. And such a stark
contrast to when Mia thought she was going
on a date with Theo, but it turned

(52:04):
out to be kind of a check-in
to see how she's doing and to, like,
an assimilation to make her feel like she's
normal. But, yeah, it's all this nice guy
stuff, and she has so much shame when
people are trying to engage with her. In
a way, she thinks it's fake. She thinks
they're only doing it because they feel that
they have to, and they don't, like, like
anything about her, which is interesting. Yeah. When

(52:26):
friends came there's nothing like a group of
friends coming to a situation when she thought
it was a date
crushing.
Yeah.
Yeah. I actually think that that's first of
an interesting point about, like, kind of the
show's entire depiction of queerness, which is that,
like, nobody comes out at any point. Right?
Like, everyone just kind of, like, flow it

(52:46):
almost feels like everyone's pansexual in this show.
Like, it just feels like everyone's, like, loading
in and out of, like, relationships. And, like,
I don't know if this is just supposed
to be like, this is how Gen Z
is, and we're all just queer. And, like,
woo hoo.
But, like, it is interesting. It's very different
from the way the other shows that we
grew up with in that sense. Yeah. Where
it doesn't seem like they have any need

(53:06):
or desire to define
what anyone's individual label is or anything like
that. Like, I don't I don't know that
and, like, we don't know if Mia was
already
queer before this relationship or if Carly's the
first girl she's been interested in, like, it's
which is fine, but it's just, like, I
think that's those are the kind of questions
that I feel, like, are often answered in
these shows, and it's interesting that they choose

(53:26):
to not even, like, really engage with them.
Yeah. They usually define it so that there's
no confusion, but I I think they just
kinda absolve themselves of having to do that
altogether, which I think is the future anyway.
So
No. I I don't have to fairly have
an issue, but I just thought it was
interesting. Yeah. Maybe it's a little bit closer
to how Gen z or people are navigating
high school now. A lot more fluidity Mhmm.

(53:50):
And a lot of, like, yeah, gay relationships.
I was recently talking which makes me feel
like a relic when watching the show. That
was so not the case. I'm jealous. I'm
jealous as hell.
Yeah. Everyone gets to be, like, sexy and
gay
all the time and having fun, but that
was not
really I had to carve that out for

(54:11):
myself. I had to carve that, like, a
motherfucker. Like, I'm still carving that out.
All we had was, like, 1 or 2,
like, lesbian couples of hot girls that everyone
that or not everyone, but a lot of
people were
excited about in a spectator way. But it's,
like, 2 girls kissing,
you know. And also because, like, we're gapele
wood, but, like, that was only true for,

(54:32):
like, adults. I feel like that wasn't really
true for, like, teenagers.
No. Definitely not black teenagers.
Mhmm. No. Yeah. All I have is a
Parker.
Stop. That's so funny.
Oh my god. Hey, y'all.
Stop.
Scratnude.
Yeah.
I feel like not having any romantic relationships

(54:55):
in high school is my main way that
as an ally, I I can relate to
the queer community.
Yeah.
Same. Like, I was at all the parties,
but I wasn't, like, doing a whole lot
sexually. Yeah. Hey. So At least you got
to the party. Yeah.
I was just hanging out with Andre. We
were driving around. We were in our basement.

(55:17):
I'm like, you could've come to the party,
but I don't know if you would've liked
it. We But I didn't like it all
the time. I wouldn't have. Sometimes I had
fun, but
I think I just like getting ready for
a party. That's Which I've really I've really
discovered that, like, that routine to, like, groom
to be seen.
Mhmm. That's the best part of the night.

(55:38):
Yeah. Out and out of the Getting ready
in pre gaming is always the best part
of the night for sure. I'm sure Mia
agrees.
Yeah.
I had a lot of friends who were
fast in high school. Yeah. And so
Not fast.
Yeah. I said that as a joke.
But, yeah, a lot of friends who were
in these, like, in multiple relationships had, you

(55:59):
know, multiple
boyfriends or multiple sexual experiences.
People who are very desired, and they always
had someone crushing on them. And I was
really I would be in such proximity to
that, but that wasn't my pace. And my
pace wasn't the same for a lot of
reasons. One of them also, like, I'm black
and dark skinned, but that was really

(56:19):
that's a that's a real moment. Like, things
happen at different times with different people. It's
not a scheduled thing. Like, life isn't linear
and that it's interesting reflecting about that. I
was recently talking to someone a lot younger
than me, and they were, like, tell they
were telling me they're in early college,
and they were telling me that their last
girlfriend made them straight. And that all throughout
high school, they've been in all these, like,

(56:41):
lesbian relationships, but they were, like, yeah. My
ass girlfriend wrecked
me so hard that now I'm straight, and
now they're like, you know, talking about dick
this, dick that. And I'm like, this is
so funny, this sort of, like, schizophrenia.
No. I'm like, oh, I'm like, shit. Schizophrenia.
So I feel like you're a hardened, like,
you know, like, late twenties or something. Been

(57:01):
in the dating pool for so long. Now
I'm straight. Like, it's like you're early college.
Like, what? Culture moves faster now. People move
faster now. Like Oh, great. Okay. Just like
Carly saying, you know, that she had that
boundary at age 16. Like Yeah. What what
have you experienced by 16 that she already
had those type of boundaries? Like, that's I
just think people move faster now. Yeah. I

(57:22):
agree.
There's a lot more awareness of, like, emotional
awareness,
a lot more therapy, and a lot more
interior looking Yeah. And a lot of language
that was not around Yeah.
About your sexuality,
about
race, how you engage with others. We're definitely
in a new world. That's for sure. It's
really cool. This this show really, you know,

(57:42):
is a good little time capsule for all
of that. Oh, yeah. So I did wanna
talk specifically about Becca and Mia's friendship for
a bit, and there's also I wanted to
watch that really pivotal fight scene they have
that then turns into a panic attack and
them helping. So it's a very I feel
like it's a very good friendship scene. That
was a great scene. Yeah. But before we
get to that, I just wanted to also
talk about the fact that, like, they literally

(58:04):
have Becca and Mia kissing the pilot,
which is very Veronica and Riverdale of them,
but also just, like I feel like there
are probably people who ship them. But I
I just I don't know. I thought it
was also a really tender moment to, like,
have your friend, like, really help you with
something like that, especially
since Becca knows
how insecure
Mia is about having missed stuff. Like, they

(58:25):
already have the moment where after it's clear,
like, publicly that Becca's not a virgin anymore,
like, later, Becca pulls Mia aside and is
like, I'm sorry for not telling you, like,
you know, whatever. Virginity is the social construct
of the patriarchy or whatever she says. So
then to, like, kind of, like, tenderly and
nonjudgmentally,
like, help her learn how to kiss later
when they're alone, I just thought was a

(58:45):
really sweet moment that really points to how
deep their friendship is, which we've said. Came
in handy later when she's playing spin the
bottle.
Oh, yeah. Where did she learn to kiss
like that when she kissed Cam? But no.
That that's a really tender moment.
I forgot about that.
Yeah. It's going back to the show moving
so fast. I'm, like, I watched
the whole season this week, and I'm, like,

(59:06):
yeah, I forgot about that too.
It just it's a very compact show, which
I think makes sense because I feel like
when you're a teenager,
like, it's all happening to you. You know,
you don't really have the time to step
outside of it and see what's going on.
So Yeah. I thought that the pacing was
pretty on point too. Yeah. Because, like, British
people have been doing the whole 8 episode
show thing for a while. For a while.
But I feel like they are better at

(59:28):
pacing their, like, short season shows, whereas, like,
sometimes it feels like
American shows are trying to just, like you
know, they just were given 8 episodes, and
they're just trying to shove it in there.
Exactly.
Exactly. Like, it was really supposed to be
a 10 episode show. Yeah. And, like, you
know, I'm very pro more more episodes per
season as the people who make it are

(59:48):
because they want money.
I know.
That's a good point. I was like, I
like 8 episodes. Really tolerable. Really manageable.
You know? Yeah. But you have a good
point.
I think there are critiques of 22 episode,
like, season culture having been, like, too much
on people.
But, also, I think that, like, the 8
episode

(01:00:09):
season model has writers out of work for
the majority of the time, so I feel
like we have to find a balance here.
Yeah. Nice. Try telling them that. Yeah. Try
try telling the actual capital that. That's the
problem with having people who don't actually care
about art with the purse strings. Yeah. Exactly.
Imagine if, like, streaming streams turned into a
dollars for some. Right? Like, the Oh. Ways

(01:00:30):
in which the show can be so accessible,
so revered, but the people on it aren't
paid or compensated
in relation to
how popular it is. They don't reveal the
numbers, so you don't know how good your
show is doing.
Yeah.
Anywho. So many problems. I do think there
are a lot of, like, great one on
one Becca and Mia scenes where as I

(01:00:51):
think we said before, when we were talking
about Becca, like Becca's really there to check-in
with Mia, and she really, like, notices when,
like, Mia's off her game or, like, something
is clearly wrong. Like, they have that heart
to heart after Mia, like, walks out of
drama club and is like, I'm not gonna
do this anymore. And she says, I think
maybe I need to stop trying to be
a whole new person, and, like, Becca's kinda,
like, validates. Like, yeah. I like you the

(01:01:11):
way you are. I mean, I think we
talked about it a bit already, but I
just, like, I really love how deep their
friendship seems to be. And in a group
of friends that is very diverse, it must
be
really, like, comforting to have another black woman
there to bounce stuff off of. But I
feel like they understand each other in a
way that none of the other friends are
gonna understand. Yeah. I agree. That that's definitely
the song I spent about the whole entire

(01:01:33):
show with Sarah and Becca. Yeah. They really
do, like, work
together in a way. They fit one another.
I do feel like, not that it matters,
but
Becca's often doing some of the more heavy
lifting, like, just care stuff, whether or not
it's good for her, but she really softens
the environment for Mia so she doesn't freak

(01:01:54):
out at times. And she doesn't get enough
credit for that, not that it's something that
needs to be credited. But, yeah, it's interesting
with the panic attack, it switches to a
moment in which Mia has to
help Becca
and think outside of herself, and that was
a total, like, 180 for her in that
moment. I really like that scene.
Yeah. Let's let's watch it now. Yeah. Because

(01:02:16):
she gets pulled. It's just when she's being
mean to everyone. Yeah. That we were talking
about before.
She gets pulled out by Becca.
What the hell is wrong with you? Me?
Yes. You. How could you do that to
him? Why couldn't you just let him have
this?
Well,
you knew.
Of course, I knew.
Will once spent the whole of summer telling

(01:02:37):
us about how he's the prince of Siam.
Why didn't you say anything?
Because he should be allowed to have his
secrets. What's the matter with you? Since when
do we have secrets, Becca?
No. No. No. No. How come you didn't
tell me about you and Cam?
Oh my god.
That's why you've kissed

(01:03:00):
him. Why don't you just ask me? Because
I shouldn't have to. Why don't you always
expect so much more from me than anyone
else? I mean, wick as cam, he he
lets me down.
But you you you were the one person
I trusted to be straight with me always,
and you've been lying to my fucking face
ever since I got trusted to be straight
with me always, and you've been lying to
my fucking face ever since I got here.
Why do you think I do that?

(01:03:23):
Do you have any idea how exhausting
it is
being your friend?
You know, it didn't start at Red Day
for Cam and I. It started
when I was tutoring him for his maths
reset that he fell because all he could
do was think about you. Don't.
We were terrified.
All the fucking time. Well, you know what?

(01:03:45):
Nobody asked you to be. I never asked
you to take care. Wait. Are you going
to die, Mia?
We thought you were going to fucking die,
and then and then you come home, and
we thought maybe just maybe she'll give us
a chance. Maybe she'll let us show that
we love her and love to help her,
but no. You know what? Don't give me
that. You have no idea, Becca.
You have no fucking idea what I go

(01:04:07):
through.
I I have no fucking idea.
Do you know what?
I have no fucking idea. But, Becca, come
on. Come on. Say it. Whatever it is,
say it. Why don't you try being honest,
Bawans? Why don't you try being a real
fucking friend?
Sometimes I wish you'd never come home.

(01:05:06):
I was here to say 5 things that
you can see.
I see.
I can I can see I can see
the tree?
I can see the stars.
I can see the moon.
I can I can see the the grass?
They
can see me. But,

(01:05:29):
yeah, that was such an intense beautiful scene.
Oh, man.
Yeah.
Mia saying since when do we have secrets?
I guess she really feels that her secret
got outed, and they do speak about anorexia
thriving on secrecy. And once her secret got
outed, she's like, well, no one's business deserves
to be private.
Mhmm. Because mine wasn't

(01:05:51):
kept private.
Hurt people hurting people.
Yeah. It really reminded me also of the
scene with Will when they were at the
old folks' home, and everyone went out to
go look for Mia in pairs, and Will
was holding down the fort there. And they
kept cutting back to scenes of Will being
really stressed, not knowing
what was

(01:06:11):
going on with Mia's current state. And so
Will's, like, stress eating,
stress drinking, and has, like, a very visceral
response. And I am also thinking, like, right
here, Becca had a very visceral response to
this anger and this hurt in relation to
Mia. That's just another way in which her
eating disorder is having a huge effect on

(01:06:32):
her friends in ways that she has absolutely
no idea about. Yeah. It's just so hard
for her friends because it's like, they know
it's her disease, but she's also
exhibiting really selfish behavior. And so, like, these
moments bubble up where it's like,
I know that your disease is the reason
that I'm mad, but, like, it's still real,
and you still actually did that to me.

(01:06:53):
Like, it's just it's a really complicated place
to be, especially for teenagers.
Yeah. Although, I'd say one, like, lighter note
of, like, a time that's hilarious. That's a
Mia and Becca moment is, like, after
Mia has sex with Allison, and then they're
on the train the next day. And, like,
she's trying Oh, yeah. Like, find her that
she had sex. And then, like, I guess,

(01:07:14):
like, what? And then she ends up, like,
yelling I had sex with Allison, like,
to the entire train car.
Yeah. The second time I'm in
was making noise.
Yeah. Yeah, Allison raising her hand and being
like, I'm Allison, so that everyone can, like,
really know the tea is so funny.
Allison's always clueless, and it's it's funny. Like,

(01:07:36):
her causing Mia stress by throwing that surprise
with my party. With the theme being, like,
insane theme?
But was it again? It was some it
was something like It was like same shitters.
Yeah. I love that theme, though. I was
like It's so fun. So good.
Unless the person whose party you're planning it
for has, like, explicitly signed off on the
theme, it's a very, like, you know, specific

(01:07:59):
I don't know. Like, I wouldn't That party
was about her. Exactly. Like, that's, like, so
not Mia. She rented out a club.
Mhmm. Craziness.
Yeah. I thought that we would briefly talk
about Becca's, like, abortion arc. So I think
that in addition to the fact we've already
talked about, she really, like, keeps her friends
together. She clearly also keeps her family together.
She's like like, her mom

(01:08:19):
is, like, a realtor, I guess, and, like,
seems to be very, like, busy single mom
since her dad has passed away. And so
she, like, takes care of her siblings a
lot, and it just seemed like she's just
the glue that's keeping, like, everyone in her
life together. And then she's also very involved
at school. Like, we find out when Mia
is, like, being given the, like, tour of
all the extracurriculars
by Cam, we, like, find out that Becca,

(01:08:39):
like, leads the feminist society. And they have,
like, some funny thing where there's, like, a
devil's advocate who always comes or something, which
just funny. Mhmm. But, you know, she's just
like and she's, like, known for having good
grades and, like, being the sensible one. Like,
I think Cam said that at one point.
Like, you're the smart and sensible one that
we all can rely on. And, obviously, that's
a lot that's a lot to hold as
a teenage girl. And also cares for her

(01:09:01):
sibling and her home in some capacity.
Yes. Like, takes on a lot of responsibility.
Yeah.
All while, like, acting in any way.
Yeah. And was she almost, like,
someone a teacher warrants her about burnout?
Mhmm. Or,
she asked if Pekka could still complete a
task that was, like, assigned to her few

(01:09:24):
weeks ago, like recruiting students for something, x
y z. Oh, right. Yeah. And she'd forgotten
about it, and then says, like, I can
do it, I can do it, but then
the teacher's, like, let me just take this
off your plate. You can make it up
to me in another way. I don't want
you to get burnt out.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. She definitely seems like she would
be exactly the type of person who would
get burnt out, and you don't wanna be

(01:09:44):
burnt out before you even graduate from high
school. Yeah. You know, it's interesting to see
how there's a character like Carly, but there's
a character like Becca who really is struggling
to set boundaries because she's
that person for everyone. So, yeah. That's that
just popped into my mind how Becca really
the teacher really has to take the task
away from her because she really feel she

(01:10:05):
has to show up for every single part
of her life, which is so draining.
Yeah. That's such a good point.
Yeah. I never perceived Becca as someone who
didn't have the ability to set boundaries
or still, like, learning how to do that,
But that's absolutely true. Yeah. And then, obviously,
she has a very tumultuous love life throughout

(01:10:26):
this season. It's interesting because it's, like, the
most responsible character
being irresponsible
in, you know, kind of, like, you know,
in the traditional sense of how, like, you
know, a parent might see it. And
it's like she finally lets her guard down
because she actually, like, has feelings for Cam,
and then she gets pregnant. Like, you know,

(01:10:46):
like, it's like the world is, like, not
gonna let her get away with just, like,
being young, wild, and free. I like the
way that they depict her, like, decision to
get an abortion, how it's very just clear
cut for her, and she knows what she
wants for her life, and this isn't it.
And she doesn't really have any, like, oh,
no. But what about the baby? Like, even,
like, having feelings for the father of the

(01:11:07):
baby, she still doesn't,
like, think of, like like, I feel like
a lot of times and this is what
I talked about a lot in my abortion
episode. A lot of times, it's like they
force the character to, like, do the whole,
like, Manny and Craig, like, maybe we'll raise
the baby together, like, before they get to
the abortion. And I feel like I just
really appreciated this with just somebody being like,
nope. I just want an abortion. Like, let
me figure out. Let me Google abortion pills.

(01:11:28):
Let me, like, you know, do exactly what
I need to do to get this done.
Like Yeah. Yeah. They removed the debate area
of it all. Yeah. And then I just
also really love the way that Becca's mom
actually ended up responding to this and being
really supportive. And so I thought we would
just watch that scene because it's really beautiful.
There are being more pet about the house
than the actual
pool.

(01:11:50):
That's so funny. Yeah. I can't really do
that to that house. Right. I mean, and
they also They're tearing the clothes? Yeah. No.
Crazy. And, like, a pool and everything. I
just I honestly just don't believe they got
away with it to, like Yeah. Like, that
they didn't get broken up, like, on the
night of. Like, obviously, they didn't get away
with the secret. But yeah.
Hey. Okay.

(01:12:11):
Don't freak out or don't start with sentences
like that.
I'm pregnant.
Mom, but I I know what I'm going
to do. I've already spoken to a doctor.
It's only been 6 weeks since my last
period. I I have the prescription. It's it's
for once Slow down. I'm
so, so sorry, mom.

(01:12:36):
What?
Sorry. It's not funny at all.
I just thought you were finally gonna tell
me what you and your friends did in
the Ponderosa house.
You you know who?
You did a pretty good job with the
clear up. I'll give you that.
Mom, I'm I'm not angry.

(01:12:57):
I mean about the pregnancy.
I'm livid about the house.
I don't want you to make any decisions
because you're worried about what I think.

(01:13:18):
Because I'll support you,
whatever you decide.
And you've taken on a lot
with your siblings since your dad died. I
know that. Mom, that's not why. If you
need more time I don't.
I know what I want. I I wanna
finish my a levels.
I wanna go to university.
I wanna travel. God, baby.

(01:13:38):
I don't doubt you'll get to do everything
you set out to do
and more.
Whatever choice you make,
I just wanna make sure you've thought about
this.
Yeah. So that was pretty much the best
possible conversation you could have with your mom
once you found out you got pregnant, I
feel like. Especially also having done, you know,

(01:14:02):
a party real at her house. Yeah. It
would not have gone so smoothly
for forever.
Mom's really cool. Yeah. For that. And I
like that the mom gives her the option
to make sure that this is what she
really wants to do. You know, like, yes,
I'm happy that she already got the pills
and everything, but, like, there are options. And

(01:14:23):
I feel like Becca probably didn't feel that
way before that because it was a secret,
and she had to get rid of it
and just, like, do not think about it.
But the fact that the mom gives her
space to explore
different things that she can do, I thought,
was really refreshing. And is supporting her. Like,
things are out in the open. There is
no secrecy.
There's a lot of relief and helping her
slow down. Yeah. Yeah. She could see, like,

(01:14:45):
Becca kinda going into, like, her unusual mode
of, like, okay. These are all the things
on the checklist that I have to, like,
check off to be done with this, and
I've done this, this, and this. And, like,
I'm gonna do that, that, and that. And
then, yeah, it was also her acknowledging that
she knows that, like, she has so much
on her plate because of the siblings. And,
like, you know, it's not like a situation
where, like, it's in their control why it's
like that. Like, it's clearly only like that

(01:15:06):
because her dad passed away. And so it's
I feel like it's, like, one of those
things where it's, like, sometimes moms put too
much on their oldest child, and it's in
their control, and this is, like, not one
of those. Yeah. Yeah. That's the one that's
when kids have to grow up a little
fast
to take on responsibilities,
but they're still kids.
Still kids. Yeah. So, yeah, it's nice because

(01:15:28):
I think
minus her mom,
until after the abortion happens, you don't see
her really talk about it with anyone else.
Like, she's very alone in the experience until
her mom finally comes into the picture. And
then after the abortion, we we don't see
Becca tell Mia, but, like, Mia later checks
on her and asks her how she's doing
so clearly. Like, at some point, she found
out. And then there's, like, a, you know,

(01:15:49):
pivotal scene in the final episode where while
Becca and Cam are looking for Mia, who
has gone missing, she just kinda comes out
and tells him that she had the abortion.
And I do really like a line that
he says that I think shows that he's
shown some level of growth during the season,
which is, like, when she says, I'm sorry
for not having told him, he says, don't
be. I just mean that I wish I

(01:16:10):
could have made you feel like you could.
Mhmm. Like, I thought that was a a
very mature reaction.
Yeah.
Yeah. Especially for Cam. Yeah.
Yeah.
That was a really nice scene.
Yeah. It made me wonder, though, where Cam's
change came from.
Like, what made him what made him not
respond in his normal reaction to make it

(01:16:32):
about himself, you know?
It just felt like, oh, now he's gonna
be mature. That's great. I didn't know if
that was just because he wanted just to
be in Becca's life by any means possible
and he could get past it, or I
don't know. It just felt like a little
unearned.
Yeah. I did appreciate it. I did appreciate
it, definitely. But No. I feel I feel
you. I feel like his journey was kind

(01:16:53):
of, yeah, not as well paced as some
of the others.
No. Yeah. I do feel like Cam's growth
comes from him maybe overcoming partially or this
is really separate, but I know one of
Cam's central problems is he, like, fears getting
rejected and fears
going deep with people. I usually have sort
of, like, an angry response or is just

(01:17:16):
trying to really make people like him or
get down to the details. Like, he wants
to know if Carly is interested so he
can pursue her further. He couldn't get over
Becca,
like, breaking things off with him and then
confront her in the courtyard
angrily.
And then this time, the situation is just
so big that he has to be real.

(01:17:38):
There's, like, no space for him to make
it about himself. No. Because that's, like, something
hard to go through alone,
and he just can sense how strong Becca
is to have made this decision and done
it. That's a good point. I wonder if
he would have reacted differently if Becca had
included him in the process, you know, like,
what that would have looked like. Because you're

(01:17:58):
right. Because by the time that Becca tells
him, there's really nothing for him to respond
or react to, because she's already handled it.
So Yeah. It's a good point. And she
really closes the door on it too. Yeah.
And he just has to accept it. Like,
she goes off with Jonah. Eventually, even after
Cam confesses that he loves her, she's, like,
it's too late. I'm glad Jonah didn't work
out though.

(01:18:18):
Yeah. She really annoyed me. I don't know
why.
Wait. He didn't work out? Did I miss
that? It's actually in the final scheme we're
gonna watch. But, yeah, she she mentions very
casually that that isn't a thing anymore. Yeah.
I mean, I think they they were obviously
setting it up for Becca and Cam to
rekindle something in some form in season 2
is my my assumption, but never know.
Never know. I would like to talk about

(01:18:40):
her brother. That brother episode was really Yeah.
That's what that was actually that was the
next thing I was gonna say. We should
talk about the POV episode. It was really
cool
because it's we're so deeply in Mia's head
that it was really cool to, like, shift
into someone else's perspective like that. Yeah. I
think it was a really great job of,
like, showing how anorexia
impacts the people who not the person who

(01:19:02):
has it, but the people that that love
that person and how that plays out for
them. This show, it's probably one of the
show's biggest strength. Yes. Because
I feel like to see Alex navigating his
own boyhood,
but then having concern for Mia, I feel
like usually on TV shows, like, the brother
character doesn't really care as much. Like, they're
not as invested, but the bond between Alex

(01:19:23):
and Mia was really well done as well.
Like, you could tell that he really cares
for her. He wants her to get better.
He's also losing his parents'
relationship, so I I thought that was really
well done. Oh, also, them making him lie
was just some fucked up parent shit to
do to a kid.
I was not a fan of that in
the position I put Alex in. And, yeah,
I just I loved

(01:19:44):
Alex's perspective
because
it really just, like, made him into it
was interesting 6 episodes in for them to
make him into a full person. Like, you
find out he has this love interest, and,
like, you know, he has his whole plotline
with, like, sending nudes to the shitty, you
know, guys in his class who, like, leaked
them to everyone.
And it really, like, vividly illustrates, like, oh,

(01:20:06):
like, everyone, including us, the viewer, has been
caught up in what's going on in Mia's
life, and, like, no one's paying attention to
all this other shit that's happening in Alex's
life. I wish she'd really said his inner
monologue. It was so good. Right. I don't
know if it would've I don't know if
it would have snapped Mia out of her,
yeah,
out of a state of being in her
head, but

(01:20:26):
it would have really,
woken a lot in that room, like, the
parents too. Mhmm. They're, like, constantly, like, asking
for help, and he's just trying to put
on a strong face. And when him saying,
like, how much smaller can I make myself
was really
unique? I do think
also not to go back to the but

(01:20:47):
I'm going back to the Okay. Yeah.
The scene in which Viv, finds Mia's food
stashed in her room and, like, Viv is
kind of becoming the first responder of this
second round of a flare up of the
eating disorder.
Gives her a lot more proximity
to what
Mia's going through instead of that distance. Yeah.

(01:21:09):
It's almost that the absence of the father
forces Viv to
really experience this firsthand. Like, she can't really
run away from it because now it's just
her. That's so true.
Yeah. Yeah. And she says something really, like,
bad when she, like, goes to, like, the
old folks' home where all the characters are,
like, you know, volunteering or whatever. And Becca's
like, none of us have heard from her,
and she just says, like, wow. It's happening

(01:21:30):
again. I didn't realize I was watching it
happen. I forgot. Okay. And
it is sad because, like, you know,
it if she'd gone to that support group
with Rick, would she have been able to
see the signs in a way she wasn't
able to? Like Well, even Rick even Rick
said, like, you're supposed to sit down with
her. You're supposed to watch her. Like, you
would have known all those things had you

(01:21:50):
been active in practicing them with her. So
Yeah. Really shows that parents are imperfect as
fuck because they're both so imperfect. Like, he
has hurt them so much to, like, leaving
them
in the way that he did, and she
has hurt them by not really being fully
invested in Mia's recovery the way that she
maybe I mean, definitely should have been. Yeah.

(01:22:11):
Yeah. And then also one of the Alex
lines that I really like that just really,
like, illustrated the same thing from his internal
monologue was when he gets into Viv's car
after having gotten into that fight because of
the nudes. And she's just like, today of
all days, Alex, really? Let's just try to
focus on Mia. Because it's like the day
of the family therapy session. And so he
says, like, that's the moment you realize you're
not even worth being mad at because it

(01:22:31):
will always be about her. And it's, like,
wild that he's, like, literally almost, like, yearning
to be, like, yelled at. Like,
just to, like That's so funny.
To have, like, emotion
directed at him that, like, would show that
they're, like, thinking about him for longer than
a second.
Yeah.
But yeah. So I thought that we would
end on watching the, like, the ending. Although

(01:22:53):
there are lots of feeds planted for season
2, it does end in, like, kind of
a satisfying way. And then we can, like,
you know, give all of our final thoughts,
but I thought this would be a good
way to start our conclusions.
Oh, well. Doesn't this look like a total
My god. Becca's outfit in the scene. Come
on. Yeah.
Oh. It's just a I've got the fluffy
jacket on. Yeah. The Raven Symone jacket. Yes.

(01:23:13):
Yeah.
I think I'm starting to understand just how
much I've put you all through, and
I know I'm not always an easy person
to be friends with. We're not mad that
you're not perfect.
You know, we're not meant to be. We're
meant to accept each other,
warts and
all.
It's a verruca.
Cut off on Saturday in the bin by

(01:23:35):
Sunday. That's it. Let's leave it. Disgusting. I
just I just want you to know that
I'm gonna put the work in.
I'm gonna get better. We're not giving you
any other choice.
How'd it go with Alison?

(01:23:58):
Well, I wrote all that about. I don't
think back
yet. Just give it a bit more time.
Now the crying is over. How are we
gonna wind away the hours? What? You got
a hot day with Jonah? Mhmm.

(01:24:19):
Actually, that's nothing anymore.
Mhmm.
Okay. So when in doubt, we consult the
list. Right? What's left? What's left on the
list? Get rid of the fucking list. Yeah.
Just burn the motherfucker. No. I thought we'd
make a new list together. One that's for
all of us. Number 1, plan Willow party.
Ugh.

(01:24:40):
My birthday is only 53 days away. South
End? What looks for
that? Let's go on holiday.
How about grief? Oh, no backpacking. Excuse me.
Can you imagine the space in a hostel?
And I just know you guys will shop
for me. Okay. I think we're done.
Okay. Let's have a look.
What? Eat in a restaurant? Preferably Italian. Family

(01:25:02):
games night, Jenna. What? It's supposed to be
aspirational.
I mean, this is just stuff that anyone
could do.
No. Not anyone.
Not you or me yet. I want to
be well enough to just get up every
day and
do things that make me happy.
Even small things, especially small things.

(01:25:25):
Like ride a bike or eat a sandwich.
Kate, I wanna get someone hot.
Am I winning?
Doesn't feel like it.
Feels like a sandwich.

(01:25:46):
Maybe
for now,
that's enough.
That's everything.
Yeah. Ugh, man. I think that the Jenna
flashbacks really do tie the whole listing together.
Like, I didn't think about it before when
we were talking about the list, but, like,
that scene made me remember it. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. It's just it's so, like,

(01:26:07):
bad yet also, like, beautiful, the, like, the
way that it really shows that, like, yeah,
like,
literally all this kid wants to do is,
like, you know, the simple things in life
and, like, she and it's just it's also
just, like, so sad because it's like Mia
is like, you can do more than this.
And, like, the sad fact is that Jenna
was, like, right on the money with, like,
what she could expect for herself for the

(01:26:30):
rest of her life. Like,
it's so sad.
But it also is, like, beautiful that Mia
have, like The chance to go take, you
know, to Yeah. Live it out. Yeah. And
that she's not, like you know, there was
a part of her post hearing about Jenna
that was like, oh, well, if the stronger
one of the people I knew dealing of
this couldn't make it, then, like, whatever. Definitely.
I don't give up. Like and so the

(01:26:51):
fact that she's not giving up, but using
Jenna's memory is, like,
like Fuel. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
Yeah. That suicidal
talk really
comes out
She tells on herself a lot in this
show
She does she really like her the ways
of thinking are so transparent because it's

(01:27:13):
the disease is so clouding, you know, she's
also always wondering who's
watching her who's who even notices her
at times too, which is such a, like,
secrecy being a part of how you talk
to yourself, but then also just a back
and forth of wanting people in her life.
And, yeah, I just love that that scene,
like, there's, like,

(01:27:34):
the very direct acknowledgment
of, like, what like, Mia, like, actually
stating that she realizes what her disease has,
like, the effects it's had on other people.
Like, I feel like that's a big breakthrough
for her because
she really and I mean, maybe partially that
fight she had with Becca, where Becca really
laid it out very clearly, helped her understand
that. But, like Yeah. It didn't feel like

(01:27:55):
something she really understood at the beginning of
the season.
No. She was still chewing it. Yeah. And,
everything was too raw, just even being around
others.
Yeah. It's like grating.
Yeah. And, like, I yeah. I'm the movies
have talked about it throughout, but I'm very
sad there will be no season 2. I
would have really loved to have seen the
ideas they had. And then having a season

(01:28:17):
2 would have been really cool because, like,
they already make the point that, like, healing
is nonlinear and, like, you know, it's always
gonna be, like, you know, a part of
her life being in recovery and everything.
But I think it would have made that
point even more if there had been multiple
seasons.
Yeah.
But at the same time, I feel like
the way that they ended the first season,

(01:28:38):
they didn't know that they weren't gonna come
back. But I feel like with her saying
that, like, you know, she's not at the
point where
she's overcoming it, but she it's still just
a sandwich to her and taking it step
by step. I thought that was a good
place to end even though they didn't know
that was gonna be the end. Yeah. You
know?
I think so too.
Yeah.
Yeah. Thinking about when the moment which the

(01:29:00):
moment
that she might get to where food becomes
background and not foreground Mhmm.
Or even pleasurable,
that would be interesting to see in the
future.
Yeah. I think this show is gonna definitely
I mean, in in my mind, definitely, like,
probably my favorite depiction of, like, this particular
type of plotline that I have ever seen.

(01:29:21):
Yeah. I would definitely recommend to others, even
though you won't get a season 2, that
it's it's worth the watch. Yeah. Definitely.
Thanks for having me, Andre. Yeah. Thank you
both so much. It was a great episode.
Thanks for listening to leftist teen drama. Follow

(01:29:42):
us on social media for updates. Links to
our Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and TikTok are in
the show notes along with links to suggested
additional reading on the topics discussed. And don't
forget to read us on Apple Podcasts and
Spotify.
Solidarity forever, free Palestine, and abolish the PIC.
Finining off, Maria.

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#27 - ‘Everything Now’ Tackles Anorexia and Abortion Through a Black Queer Lens

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}#27 - ‘Everything Now’ Tackles Anorexia and Abortion Through a Black Queer Lens