Everything Now is a British teen drama series released on Netflix and created by Ripley Parker. There are 8 episodes with a runtime of about 45-50 minutes and they are directed by Alyssa McClelland, Charlie Manton, Dionne Edwards and Laura Steinel.
The ensemble cast of the series includes Sophie Wilde as Mia, Lauryn Ajufo as Becca, Harry Cadby as Cam, Noah Thomas as Will, Jessie Mae Alonzo as Carli, Niamh McCormack as Alison, Vivienne Acheampong as Viv, Alex Hassell as Rick, Sam Reuben as Alex, Stephen Fry as Dr Nell, Robert Akodoto as Theo and others.
Everything Now Review
The show starts off with Mia Polanco, a 16-year-old teen getting out of eating disorder rehab after almost 7 months. Even when sitting in the therapist’s office waiting for her discharge papers, it can be sensed that Mia hasn’t really recovered but lying through her teeth to get out of there. Soon enough it’s quite evident that she developed the disorder due to her stand-off(ish) family dynamics. Her father seems to trying his best to care for her while her mother seems she have always been too busy to have enough time for her family. However, the real trigger of her disorder isn’t really explored but hinted at in moments.
On the bright side, she has some really good friends – Cameron, Becca and Will, who try their best to protect and be there for her at all times. But some things have changed in the past seven months and they have to be cautious to bring it in front of Mia. After all, they are learning and growing teenagers with endless issues of their own, which often feels like the end of the world. Mia can sense the change, so to combat the feeling of lost time, she creates an ever-evolving bucket list.
Jumping headfirst into the intoxicating world of dating, partying, drinking and glowing up like every other teenager on earth (or as shown in the fictional teen world). Call it beginner’s luck but things do seem to improve when her childhood crush seems to be into her, or when Mia casually gets a massive crush on the new girl in school or when the popular frenemy tries to be friends or even more with her. Mia seems to be having the time of her life or is she fixating on something else while trying to ignore the issues that will bring her spiralling back down?
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Talking about Mia’s character, I wouldn’t say I am a fan but it’s a realistic portrayal of a person in any kind of recovery. They often start to feel that others don’t understand what they are going through, and their sincere concern starts to feel like nagging or shackles, that aren’t letting them live the life they want. We can blame some of her (issues after coming back) on her illness but not respecting other’s feelings and taking your friends for granted just makes you a bad person (which is a typical trait in lead characters of teen shows).
On the other hand, her friend group is quite impressive, sticking through with her through everything. Through Becca, Cameron and Will we get a perspective of teenagers and what makes them do all the wacky things that might make a good story later or just become simple regret. The way they want to be more like adults – partying, drinking, having drugs and lots of sex. Maybe TV shows have a hand in creating this fun, glamorous image of the teenage years that people in real life try to achieve, to make up an image of a ‘cool person’.
What they don’t understand is the consequences that entail and how they might end up being just a ‘pretending’ person. The pressure to have done-it-all and other ‘fun’ experiences often pushes them to the dark side or makes them an outcast. Through Mia and her friends, we get to see how every individual is different and one doesn’t need to fall under peer pressure, but rather follow what they truly like or believe in. One character that turned out quite unexpected in a good way was Alison, played by Niamh McCormack.
At first, she seems like the popular mean girl, out-of-touch-with-reality kind of girl. But actually, she turns out to be a much more considerate and better companion than her best friends at that moment. She does have a bit of out-of-touch eccentricity to her but she means no harm. However, the way Mia treats her is truly upsetting. Even though almost everything is from Mia’s perspective, you would find it hard to understand her actions and rage sometimes. She does actually come around to rectify her actions but you don’t really expect much from her in the end.
If Netflix is trying to replace the empty spot that Sex Education has left after its final season, then Everything Now can easily take that spot. The ending also leaves lots of possibilities to follow along the character’s further journey. I especially like how the show didn’t end with – “Oh Mia, you have come around. Now everything’s fine and you can have it all”. But it shows that there’s a long road of recovery before her & the course of her life depends on the decisions she will make.
It’s a teen drama show that should be on everyone’s watchlist. From heartfelt and strong friendships to shedding light on some realistic & relatable issues, there’s something for everyone to take away and enjoy. I only wish what really triggered Mia all of a sudden to develop the disorder was better explained, or that could be explored in another season, if there will be one.
Rating: 4.5/5
Everything Now is available for streaming on Netflix.
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