I recommend watching this
The Netflix algorithm is the one constant that keeps everyone subscribed to the service each month. The idea that there is always something for everyone and that this huge media empire of a service that has been created is just crazy, the amount of content Netflix makes is insane. It is easy to simply say that Netflix is just making shows out of thin air left, right and centre but what they should be congratulated on is their choice of ideas that they adapt. I Am Not Okay With This is an example of their great choices.
I Am Not Okay With This follows the story of Sydney (Sophia Wills, IT) who is a teenage girl trying to simply get through high school after her father kills himself. Sydney must juggle her tough high-school life, her complex family issues, her friends and her sexuality all while dealing with the fact she has suddenly gained telekinetic powers.
I Am Not Okay With This may feel familiar, I mean it is the perfect mix of Stranger Things meets End of the F***ing World, and that is because of who is behind the series. The series is based on the graphic novel by Charles Forsman, the acclaimed graphic novelist who made End of the F***ing World. Every episode of the series is directed by Jonathan Entwistle, the director of most of the first season of End of the F***ing World. On top of that, the producers of the series are the producers on Stranger Things, everything is connected and it is no wonder why the series feels like the perfect mix of the two shows.
I Am Not Okay With This is the perfect mix of 80’s feeling teen comedy/drama, made with a modern look at the world. There are instances in the series where you forget that the series is set in the 21st century. Set in a small town with a low population the series uses its settings to create the perfect small-town mystery atmosphere when you find out about Sydney’s powers. If the series were to be set in a big city, where everybody doesn’t know everyone, it would take away the show’s cool factor, take away it’s life. I Am Not Okay With This is another series set in a town where you’re rooting for the main characters to get out and live their lives.
The small town and the mysterious story of Sydney and why she has powers is just one great aspect of the series. The crucial element of the series, and one that is at the core of both Stranger Things and End of the F***ing World, is the characters and their relationships. Someone out there will definitely be a Sydney, someone will definitely by her friend Dina (Sofia Bryant) and someone will definitely one hundred percent be a Stanley (Wyett Oleff, IT), and not just because Stan is the coolest loser. Their relationships with each other and how they interact is as if John Hughes wrote their characters. They feel and act like the classic characters from all of your favourite eighties movies.
Much of the show is simply focused on Sydney’s life and what is happening around her. We see everything with Sydney’s voiceover or her inner thoughts. It’s a great way for us to connect to her and her story but with a short season we don’t end up getting too much into her powers and are instead waiting for more. The episodes are short and sweet and easy to watch but the twenty-minute episodes fly past quickly and will leave you wanting and waiting for more, which is both good and bad to be fair.
There is a reason why Netflix is doing so well and why people are staying subscribed to the service, they simply know their audience. I Am Not Okay With This is your next favourite Netflix show, fitting straight in there alongside Stranger Things and End of the F***ing World. I Am Not Okay With This is short and sweet, it has a killer soundtrack that is a blast from the past but most of all it’s a story that people can relate too even though we may not have powers. All of these eighties inspired shows are about relationships, our friends, our youth and our hard times, everybody has them and apparently we’re all suckers for it.