The new Netflix original series, I Am Not Okay With This, deals with well-worn themes of coming-of-age, love, sexuality, and dealing with grief as a young adult. Based off of Charles Forsman’s graphic novel of the same name, it tells the story of Sydney Novak, played here by Sophia Lillis of the revamped It movies. Sydney is a very angry 17-year-old girl who simultaneously has to deal with the pressure of school, family, friends, and her budding telekinetic abilities.
I have to admit, I’m an easy mark for stories like this. I love coming-of-age narratives and how different creators, writers, and artists portray that time through different lenses. I especially love coming-of-age stories with an apocalyptic, supernatural, or magical bent to them. I’m thinking of shows like Netflix’s Daybreak or Shaun David Hutchinson’s novel We Are the Ants.
This first season acts as the set-up to the rest of the series, more than a full-fledged story in its own right. Characters, motivations, and dynamics are all established, but there’s not much of a full narrative arc to the season. Partially, this is due to the condensed timeline of the show. This season takes place over the course of about two weeks, and in that time people get together, cheat, break up, go to parties, get detention, develop telekinetic powers, and go to homecoming. That is a lot to accomplish in seven 20-or-so-minute episodes. At times it feels true to the whirlwind nature of time, but it can also leave characters, storylines, and themes unexplained in the rush to get to the next thing the writers need to set up to make the series work.
I Am Not Okay With This also falls into the new media trend of shows that take place in contemporary times but are styled and presented as if they are a historical piece. It borrows aesthetics mainly from the ‘80s horror craze. Not only does it use a couple of the young actors from the new It franchise, it also plays homage to Stephen King’s Carrie quite a bit. The show is not subtle about this, with the first shot being Sydney in a formal dress covered in blood walking down the street. Other than that, the show is styled and shot with a competence that is rarely ever groundbreaking but often produces interestingly blocked scenes.
This show, however, does suffer from some problems. Problems which I would like to discuss, but require me to spoil some later parts of the show. These are not necessarily deal breakers, but are things that I’d like audiences to be aware of, especially as they can be harmful.
First, Syd’s father died from suicide due to unchecked and untreated mental health illnesses. It’s heavily implied in the show that these symptoms ended up manifesting in the same telekinetic powers that Sydney is now dealing with. Mental illness taking the form of superhuman abilities can be considered a negative trope that can do real life harm. That is, it can contribute to individuals not seeking or undervaluing potentially helpful services and adds to stereotyping, which is never a good thing.
Second, Sydney is in love with her female best friend, Dina. This is a story thread that is very present throughout season one. It culminates in Dina’s ex-boyfriend outing Sydney at the homecoming dance. If you have ever been outed against your will and consent, this scene could be quite triggering. Outing a person can lead to bullying, harassment, and potentially violence against the person who was outed. It is never okay to reveal that information about somebody else.
The first season of I Am Not Okay With This feels a little unfinished and is far too conventional a story for me to really think it was worth my time. That being said, I think it will connect to most people more than it did me. While I am curious how season two will take this set-up and expand it, I will most likely not be checking it out.
