Everything Sucks: Coming of Age in the 90's

When I watched the pilot episode of Everything Sucks (now streaming on Netflix), I was pretty disappointed.  The show seemed like a cheap knockoff of other high school coming of age dramas like Freaks and Geeks and The Wonder Years, just in a different time period.  The show follows a group of nerdy high school freshman in 1996, who are part of the AV club that produces the school's morning newscast.  The unofficial leader of the gang is Luke (Jahi Di'Allo Winston), a sensitive 14-year-old who pines for girl-next door Kate (Peyton Kennedy), daughter of the school's principal Ken Messner (Patch Darragh), a somewhat dorky but friendly widower.  Luke's best friends are McQuaid (Rio Mangini) and Tyler (Quinn Liebling).  Luke's mom is Sherry (Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako), a flight attendant who is away from home much of the time, leaving Luke alone.  Luke's dad left the family many years ago for unknown reasons.  There's also Oliver (Elijah Stevenson), a rather douchey older student and member of the drama club, and Oliver's girlfriend Emaline (Sydney Sweeney), one of the most popular girls in school.  I soon realized that this show isn't your typical teen drama.  As it turns out, Kate and Luke are not meant to be the new sweet young tv couple like Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper, because Kate is struggling with her sexuality and actually has a crush on Emaline, not Luke.  Through the season's 10 episodes Kate comes to terms with her sexuality, and after briefly dating Luke they remain close friends.  Another romance slowly develops between Ken and Sherry, which Luke opposes at first but eventually welcomes.  The later part of the season also follows the AV and drama clubs coming together to make a cheesy sci-fi movie, directed by Luke.

This show definitely has its weaknesses.  To start, the setting of the show is Boring High School in Boring, Oregon, which (although actually a real place) is just a little too corny.  Most of the actors, who seem to be rather inexperienced, also struggle to find their voice through the first half of the season, but in the end they all earn a passing grade.  In addition, some of the plots had me scratching my head a bit.  In what high school are the drama club kids the most popular kids in school?  Boring High School doesn't seem to have any jocks, at least none that are shown onscreen.  Finally, while the ending of the season is very heartwarming, things are wrapped up a little too nicely.  Kate's new romance in particular, which I won't spoil here, comes together a little too quickly and easily, in a way that would only happen on tv. 

However, most of these weaknesses are overcome by the show's strengths and overall charm.  The scenes in the back half of the season with the kids filming the movie are particularly fun to watch.  Here the actors feel like real kids who would be friends in real life, and the kid actors begin to come into their own and really start to develop their chracters.  From the beginning, though, Peyton Kennedy as Kate is the real heart of the show.  Her acting skills are far and away better than the rest of the cast.  She imbues her character's struggles with real depth.  One scene, where she talks about how she lost her mom, is particularly moving and heartbreaking.  Kate's relationship with Luke is also refreshing.  Rather than react badly when Kate rejects him and places him squarely in the friend zone, he sticks by her as a close friend and helps her navigate her uncertain feelings for women.  Kate returns the favor by helping Luke deal with the absence of his father.  In fact, Luke's dad shows up in the cliffhanger ending of the season.  It would be especially disappointing if the show doesn't return for a second season without exploring this part of Luke's story.  Finally, the 90's soundtrack and pop culture references in the show really add to its charm.  Kate and Luke are fans of Tori Amos and Oasis, and one gag in a late-season episode has Ace of Base's "Beautiful Life" playing over and over on repeat due to a stuck cassette tape.

All in all this show turned out to be a nice bingeable way to spend my snowy Saturday.  The whole season can be finished in less than 5 hours, so I suggest you dive in this weekend or another bad weather weekend soon.  You won't be disappointed.