Everything Sucks! Review: Back To School (Season 1 Episodes 1-5)
To be honest, I went into the new Netflix series, Everything Sucks!, just to see if The X-Files was mentioned. It’s a show about high school kids in the 1990s, so it’s not out of the realm of extreme possibilities.
Mulder and Scully are not discussed in the first five episodes, but I find myself captivated by the story anyway. (However, if they’re not mentioned in the second half, I’m gonna be pissed. Just fair warning.)
There are tons of great 90s references, and the feel of the show is kind of Degrassi meets Freaks and Geeks with the premise being the same as Dawson’s Creek if Joey was a lesbian.
I guess what I’m getting at is if you’re fond of the 90s and like shows about kids in high school you will probably like Everything Sucks!
I was in high school in the 90s so this show really resonates with me. Kate Messner (Peyton Kennedy) goes around with a terrified look on her face most of the time, and that pretty much sums up the high school experience from my recollections. And Kennedy skillfully conveys all the variances of that horror with understated expressions.
Much of the plot centers around a rivalry between the drama club and the AV club, which doesn’t make sense to me because the interests of these two clubs kind of go hand in hand.
The incidents that create the clash center around Kate questioning her sexuality which is the most interesting aspect of the show, in my opinion. On Everything Sucks! Season 1 Episode 4, “Romeo and Juliet in Space,” the two clubs reach an understanding.
The decision to bring them together halfway through the season is advantageous. There is enough going on with these kids that a forced competition is not necessary. And the two cliques interacting with each other looks like it will add even more drama and funny situations.
On Everything Sucks! Season 1 Episode 4, “Romeo and Juliet in Space,” Oliver, king of the drama dorks, discusses acting with goofball Tyler.
Oliver: So, then you like Jim Carrey?
Tyler: He’s okay?
Oliver: Jim Carrey is the most underrated actor of our time.
Tyler: Oh, yeah yeah yeah, totally. He should win an Oscar.
Oliver: He will. You think he won’t?
Tyler: No no no, I think he should.
Oliver: He will.
Now that the two groups are joining forces, I foresee a lot more of these kinds of interactions.
At the end of that same episode, Kate finally voices out loud that she thinks she is a lesbian. She says it during Seven Minutes in Heaven with her “boyfriend,” Luke (Jahi Di’Allo Winston).
Just like the decision to not play out the clash of the clubs, ending her charade with Luke proves to be a good idea in terms of plot development.
The shift in Kate and Luke’s relationship is sweet. He is understanding and wants to help her figure things out. But, I can see his struggle to just be friends with her coming from a mile away.
On Everything Sucks! Season 1 Episode 5, “What The Hell’s A Zarginda?,” they come up with a code word in case he starts to fall in love with her. This entire scene in the library with Kate taking the sexuality quiz is great, and a highlight of these first five episodes.
When Luke says the code word is “banana slug,” I am sure that he’ll be saying it by the end of the episode.
And I am right.
This is predictability in a good way—the best way. Kate is genuine and soulful—I get the appeal, and poor Luke doesn’t stand a chance. I’m interested to see how their friendship progresses now that Luke is unable to deny his feelings for her and that Kate is unable to deny her attraction towards the same sex.
This main storyline is the most intriguing, but I am sucked in by everything else, too.
Usually on shows about teenagers, I’m not really into what is going on with the parents. But on Everything Sucks! the sub-plot of the school principal and Kate’s dad, Ken Messner (Patch Darragh), and Luke’s mom, Sherry (Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako), is quite engaging in its own right.
It is mostly to do with the wonderful performances by Darragh and Nako. Darragh plays the clueless but well-meaning dad/principal role with such a subtle charm that you can’t help but root for him. Nako brings an enviable earnestness to Sherry, a single mom who constantly worries she’s not doing a good job as a parent.
These are two very real adult characters that add another layer to the very real situations going on with the teenagers on the series. The balance of this works really well.
I am pleasantly surprised by this engrossing coming of age series that aptly shows the good and the bad of high school with just the right amount of drama and comedy.
Stray Observations:
- Let’s be real: this show had me at the opening scene with the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “The Impression That I Get” playing over it.
- “Cool beans.” “The coolest beans.”
- “What kind of fairytale world does Alanis Morissette live in?” “Canada.” This is the best.
- There is a character named Scott Pocket and his classmate says his name to the tune of the Hot Pockets commercial, and it’s hilarious.
- “The president is a woman.” YASSS!
What did you think of the first half of Season 1 of Everything Sucks!? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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Everything Sucks! Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.