I Am Not Okay with This Season 1 Review

February 24, 2020 at 7:18pm
By Jason Stettner

This is a Netflix Original series that follows a teenage girl named Sydney (Sophia Lillis) as she deals with growing powers that are far beyond her control. It’s an interesting look at the whole concept of a youth gaining what are essentially super powers, having deep emotional issues and then having no guidance on what to do with them.

This is a very to the point show, being short and not having any sort of extra fluff to it. The narrative is always progressing, with each moment building towards something that gets teased a little along the way. It’s quite well done, very gritty and incredibly gory. It’s about more than just dealing with the problems of control, it also handles some of the issues one might face at that age. Figuring out who they are as a person, what sort of friends they want and that emotions are rather hard to deal with in a healthy way.

This had an excellent pacing to it, with an interesting narrative that was compelling to watch. I went through this in its entirety during a single viewing, and was left wanting more by the end. It actually really leaves things open as while it completes a main plot point it does also spark a lot of wonder as it teases an interesting second season.

This is a very intimate type of series, it focuses almost entirely on Sydney and from her perspective. She’s insanely awkward which was great to see, and well performed. There’s also a nice balance there as she deals with anger, loss and various people that aren’t always the best to her. She does connect well with a close neighbor Stanley (Wyatt Oleff) that also has issues of his own and dresses like he’s from the 70’s I believe.

The two have an awkward sort of connection, and that does help drive some of the drama. She also has a best friend Dina (Sofia Bryant) and that’s an interesting aspect of the story that plays out. This again has a rather neat style of shooting to it. Looks super gritty, sort of dark and definitely grounded in some realm of realism. It’s not too over the top as she does have interesting abilities, and I thought they handled that well.

The Conclusion

I Am Not Okay with This Season 1 is really great, it’s very dark and feels like a realistic depiction of a young woman dealing with problems, along with having powers she can’t control. It’s grounded, and has some rather insane moments that definitely stand out. The pacing was excellent, the season went by swiftly and I was left really wanting there to be more. It completed what I considered to be the main focus of this initial series, while also leaving room for more to happen.

The episodes didn’t waste any time, covering key points and building a group of people around the lead. It had a good look at issues from that age, and also just presented a sad gritty atmosphere to see play out. I thought Lillis was great here, being super awkward and that works well for this character. I’m very intrigued to see how they might built upon this going forward. I do wish that they maybe covered a bit more plot, as it did feel short and very concise.

I Am Not Okay with This Season 1 Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 8.4