A drama club is a breeding ground for evil. Forget death row. Don't worry about any military death squads or murderous dictatorships. High school drama clubs are the worst. It's 1996 Boring, Oregon. Luke O'Neil and his two nerdy friends are freshmen in the Boring High School. He's a videophile and they join the AV club. He falls for sophomore AV member Kate Messner. She's a loner due to a family tragedy and her father who is the Principal of the school. Oliver and Emaline lead the flamboyant drama club. Kate is struggling with her sexuality and Emaline bullies her for being a lesbian. Kate's lonely father starts a relationship with Luke's mother.
This short-lived Netflix show has a great center but I do have some issues. Peyton Kennedy and Jahi Di'Allo Winston are two terrific young actors. She especially has an unique sincere innocence. Her height allows her to be an awkward outsider. She delivers moments of emotional flash while being a compelling lead. Jahi also has a brilliant sincerity. All the kids are great.
While using the drama club in place of the jocks is interesting, it does bring with it some awkward oddities. The first false note is not a couple of weird artsy students doing an impromptu performance. It's that the other students decide to clap furiously. The better move is for overwhelming disinterest from the student body. That would be funnier and more real. After Luke's well-made music video, Oliver should approach him to do a movie with the drama club. It makes no sense that a drama club fails to see the opportunity. I can see the premise being manufactured here to create artificial drama but it feels oddly fake. This should work better than that. As for the constant 90's music, some of it works great as a part of the show. It's great to work in Tori Amos and Ace of Base bit is hilarious. Others drown the show in 90's nostalgia. When did Blockbuster become nostalgia shorthand? There is a ceiling to that sort of thing. At some point, it becomes too obvious and too forced. Overall, I love Kate and all the kids. Not all of this works but plenty works good.
This short-lived Netflix show has a great center but I do have some issues. Peyton Kennedy and Jahi Di'Allo Winston are two terrific young actors. She especially has an unique sincere innocence. Her height allows her to be an awkward outsider. She delivers moments of emotional flash while being a compelling lead. Jahi also has a brilliant sincerity. All the kids are great.
While using the drama club in place of the jocks is interesting, it does bring with it some awkward oddities. The first false note is not a couple of weird artsy students doing an impromptu performance. It's that the other students decide to clap furiously. The better move is for overwhelming disinterest from the student body. That would be funnier and more real. After Luke's well-made music video, Oliver should approach him to do a movie with the drama club. It makes no sense that a drama club fails to see the opportunity. I can see the premise being manufactured here to create artificial drama but it feels oddly fake. This should work better than that. As for the constant 90's music, some of it works great as a part of the show. It's great to work in Tori Amos and Ace of Base bit is hilarious. Others drown the show in 90's nostalgia. When did Blockbuster become nostalgia shorthand? There is a ceiling to that sort of thing. At some point, it becomes too obvious and too forced. Overall, I love Kate and all the kids. Not all of this works but plenty works good.