Grab your gel pens, butterfly clips, and favorite platform sandals; it’s back to school season!
Back to middle school with Pen15‘s BFFs Anna and Maya, that is. The first seven episodes of Pen15 Season 2 drop Friday, September 18.
Our favorite BFFs have quite a lot in store for them, including dabbling in wrestling, witchcraft, and the school play.
On top of that, there likely will be some fallout from some of last season’s events. After all, last we were with Anna and Maya on Pen15Season 1 Episode 7, “Dance,” Sam (Taj Cross) finally confessed his crush on Maya, the culmination of a season-long storyline.
While Maya didn’t address the revelation at the moment, given her longstanding friendship with Sam, it’s almost certain that isn’t the last we’ll see of that relationship or plot. Maya needs to work through her longstanding and ill-advised crush on Brandt (Jonah Beers), but hopefully, she’ll opt to explore something with Sam.
Additionally, Maya getting her period before Anna and keeping it secret from her surely won’t be received when Anna eventually finds out.
Maya and Anna, as similar as they are, still process and respond to the world very differently, and they tend to struggle when their life milestones aren’t in step with one another or when they feel their connection is at risk. This is an intersection of both.
While there’s clearly plenty of drama to mine, thus far, Erskine and Konkle have deftly balanced the angst that shadows everyone’s adolescence with the safe haven (and obsessiveness) of female friendship at that age. Regardless of what happens, Maya and Anna will make it through together.
Synopsis Season 2: Comedians Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine — who also serve as co-creators along with Sam Zvibleman — star as 13-year-old versions of themselves in the year 2000, acting alongside actual teens playing their classmates. In Season 2, Anna and Maya face school plays, pool parties and (yikes) sleepovers as they struggle to fit in and just be cool, man.
PEN15 — “Pool” – Episode 201 — Two days after the dance, Maya and Anna reluctantly go to a lame pool party. A crush unexpectedly shows up, causing them to question their sanity and reputations. Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine) and Anna Kone (Anna Konkle), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)PEN15 — “Pool” – Episode 201 — Two days after the dance, Maya and Anna reluctantly go to a lame pool party. A crush unexpectedly shows up, causing them to question their sanity and reputations. Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine) and Anna Kone (Anna Konkle), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)PEN15 — “Pool” – Episode 201 — Two days after the dance, Maya and Anna reluctantly go to a lame pool party. A crush unexpectedly shows up, causing them to question their sanity and reputations. Anna Kone (Anna Konkle), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Pool” – Episode 201 — Two days after the dance, Maya and Anna reluctantly go to a lame pool party. A crush unexpectedly shows up, causing them to question their sanity and reputations. Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine) and Dustin (Isaac Michael Edwards), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Pool” – Episode 201 — Two days after the dance, Maya and Anna reluctantly go to a lame pool party. A crush unexpectedly shows up, causing them to question their sanity and reputations. Gabe (Dylan Gage), Sam (Taj Cross), and Jafeer (Tony Espinosa), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. TJ (Cameron James Elie), Sam (Taj Cross), and Dustin (Isaac Michael Edwards), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Sam (Taj Cross), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. TJ (Cameron James Elie) and Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Sam (Taj Cross), Dustin (Isaac Michael Edwards), and Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Dustin (Isaac Michael Edwards) and Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine) and Mr. Brown (Chris Grace), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Mr. Brown (Chris Grace) and Sam (Taj Cross), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)
PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Anna Kone (Anna Konkle) and Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Wrestle” – Episode 202 — Maya zeros in on her crush, while Anna deals with the fallout from her parents’ divorce. Together they find outlets in an unexpected extracurricular activity. Sam (Taj Cross) and Gabe (Dylan Gage), shown. (Photo by: Lara Solanki/Hulu)PEN15 — “Vendy Wiccany” – Episode 203 — Anna and Maya discover secret powers within, allowing them to control rocky aspects of their lives through magic. Yuki (Mutsuko Erskine) and Fred (Richard Karn), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)PEN15 — “Vendy Wiccany” – Episode 203 — Anna and Maya discover secret powers within, allowing them to control rocky aspects of their lives through magic. Yuki (Mutsuko Erskine) and Fred (Richard Karn), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)PEN15 — “Vendy Wiccany” – Episode 203 — Anna and Maya discover secret powers within, allowing them to control rocky aspects of their lives through magic. Yuki (Mutsuko Erskine), Fred (Richard Karn), Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), and Shuji Ishii-Peters (Dallas Liu), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)PEN15 — “Vendy Wiccany” – Episode 203 — Anna and Maya discover secret powers within, allowing them to control rocky aspects of their lives through magic. Fred (Richard Karn) and Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)PEN15 — “Vendy Wiccany” – Episode 203 — Anna and Maya discover secret powers within, allowing them to control rocky aspects of their lives through magic. Yuki (Mutsuko Erskine), Maya Ishii-Peters (Maya Erskine), and Shuji Ishii-Peters (Dallas Liu), shown. (Photo by: Erica Parise/Hulu)
Promo video:
What are your hopes for the return of Pen15? What fads, trends, and pop culture moments do you want to make an appearance?
My fingers are crossed for BSB and NSYNC references, an appearance from an early-version cell phone, and some of those horrendous sweatpants with writing on the butt that dominated the fashion scene in the early-aughts.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Pen15Season 2 debuts Friday, September 18 on Hulu.
Cristina is a Broadway enthusiast, book lover, and pop-culture fanatic living in New York City. She once won a Fantasy Bachelor contest (yes, like Fantasy Football, but for The Bachelor), and can banter about old school WB (Pacey + Joey FTW) just as well as Stranger Things and Pen15. She's still upset Benson and Stabler never got together and is worried Rollins and Carisi are headed down the same road, wants justice for Shangela, and hopes to one day walk-and-talk down a hallway with Aaron Sorkin.
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