Every now and then, television dishes out a show about teenagers that becomes wildly popular. These teenagers have spot-free faces, an impeccable fashion sense and they fight to save the world. In short, nothing like real teenagers.
Pen15 revolves around two thirteen-year-old girls who have no interest in saving the world- they just want to have a fun seventh standard. But you can’t have fun at thirteen, without embarrassing yourself.
1. Quick Review
Pen15 is an American cringe comedy-drama about two adolescent girls who try to navigate their way through puberty and the tumult of emotions associated with it.
Their antics are hilarious and reminiscent of our own teen years.
2. Info Card
PEN15
Air Date: February 8, 2019 Status: Upcoming Season 2 Studio: Awesomeness TV, Lonely Island Classics, Odenkirk Provissiero No. of Seasons: 1 No. of Episodes: 10
3. Is it Worth Watching?
Pen15 is a show for all the thirty-year-old people who were in middle school in the early 2000s. It is a delightful throwback to the years when AOL and flip phones were all the rage.
I. Plot
It is the year 2000 and best friends Maya Ishii-Peters and Anna Kone are preparing for the beginning of seventh grade. Maya has a comical and impulsive nature while Anna is more reserved.
In addition to seventh grade, she also has to deal with her parents separating. Together they solve their middle-school problems- cliques, crushes and bullying.
II. Detailed Analysis
The tone of the show is properly set through the title itself. It might not be evident to adults who have long forgotten what made their pubescent selves laugh. It is a joke that is typical to middle-school kids and their silly sense of humour.
The comedy of the show also comes from the fact that the two thirteen-year-old protagonists are played by women who are in their thirties.
It shows that Pen15 does not take itself too seriously and it asks the audience to leave their cynicism behind as well.
Although the actors are in their thirties in real life, their makeup- especially the braces and the bowl cut- helps immensely in hiding their age.
With their body language, the gap between the protagonists and the other actors, who are all in their teens, quickly vanishes and it becomes much easier to believe the events of the show.
Despite the comedic premise of the show, not all of it is just jokes. Pen15 is a heartfelt show about adolescence- growing up a lot in a very short span of time.
It manages to talk of serious issues like peer pressure and bullying in a not-so-serious manner.
There are a lot of instances in the show where Maya and Anna become victims of peer pressure, one of the most poignant ones being when they were jeered at school for “still playing with dolls” which made them give it up.
Female friendship is another theme that the show deals with. Throughout the show, Maya and Anna have been there for each other- in every weird idea or plan one had, the other was there.
Therefore one of the saddest parts of the show was when the two had a ‘friend break-up’.
Despite it being hilariously relatable, some parts of the show are exaggerated for comedic effect. At times, the show becomes a bit much to handle, in terms of comedy and outlandishness of the situation.
III. Characters
The main characters of the show are the stars of the show. Maya Ishii-Peters is played by Japanese-American actress Maya Erskine and she plays the immature and spontaneous Maya down to a T.
On the other hand, Anna Konkle plays Anna Kone, the more mature but reserved one of the two is a perfect foil to Maya.
Both the actresses skillfully inhabit the skin of thirteen-year-olds. Their body language and mannerisms mirror awkward, underconfident teenagers in the throes of puberty.
It is their acting that breathes life into the situations designed for teenagers. If the actresses did not fit into the story as thirteen-year-olds, the show would not be what it is.
4. Grade
Story: A-
Acting: A
5. Final thoughts
Pen15 is an over the top comedy about two teen girls. Their story is funny and relatable.
If your preferences include slightly boisterous, exaggerated cringe comedies, this show is definitely worth watching.
It is definitely memorable for all the early 2000s kids who have left their teenage behind. If you have already seen the first season of the show and enjoyed it, Maya and Anna will be back for a second season worth of hilarity on September 18th, 2020.
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