I Am Not Okay with the ending.
Sophia Lillis stars as Sydney Novak in I Am Not Okay With This. CREDIT: Netflix
This post for I Am Not Okay With This Season 1 is spoiler-free.
With only seven episodes in its first season, I Am Not Okay With This (2020, created by Jonathan Entwistle and Christy Hall) manages to shock audiences with a cliffhanger ending. Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Charles Forsman, the series follows Sydney Novak (Sophia Lillis) who discovers that she has telekinetic abilities when she is put under stressful circumstances.
The series relies heavily on voiceover narration by Sydney to tell its story. Sydney’s narrations act as part of her “Dear Diary…” sequences, where she reveals to audiences about how she is feeling. Some of these narrations are redundant and is meant to fill the awkward silence when Sydney is emotionally overwhelmed. Lillis is excellent in her portrayal of a struggling teenager, who can’t quite seem to get her shit together.
The show finds familiarity in The End of the F**cking World, as the style of camera work and direction is similar. I find the show original in portraying teenage angst and complexities, but the mundane as per usual high school scenes are cliché, especially that one detention scene which was a clear reference to John Hughes’ The Breakfast Club. Too many high school series has referenced Hughes’ work over the years, and I’m beginning to find it dreadful to watch as it makes present-day content lacking in originality.
I’m surprised that the series didn’t make it to the usual Netflix 10-episode season, but instead ending off with an odd number seven. I’m curious to see more as the show clearly has more to tell. With an ending that was literally mind-blowing and straying away from the original graphic novel’s storyline, I’m certain that I Am Not Okay With This will return to our small screens soon.
Rating: 3/5
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