A dramedy TV show about beautiful rich Americans living in the picture-perfect Massachusetts town of Wellsbury, this show stars a financially challenged mother-daughter duo and an add-on son who is seemingly not a very important family member.
Georgia (Brianne Howey – ‘Batwoman‘) is a mother, and with legs for days, a banging body, and luscious blonde locks of hair, she has decided to weaponize beauty to make the world her plaything. It does not seem to have worked in her favour so far, but her beauty is remarkable nonetheless and men do fall under her power pretty instantaneously.
Her daughter Ginny (Antonia Gentry – ‘Candy Jar‘) is 14-years-old, extremely cute, and very prone to making the silly errors that most teens are born to do: shoplifting, white lies, smoking pot, etc, but every time Ginny slips up, her young and street smart mother comes to the rescue with a shoot-first-ask-questions-later-attitude.
Austin (Diesel La Torraca – ‘Little Monsters‘) is the son and he is cute but not yet established as a central or important character, just a kind of filler character for now.
It’s unclear if the unconventional nuclear family is on the run but much like Reese Witherspoon’s ‘Little Fires Everywhere‘, this show looks at an unusual family unit, both physically and financially moving into the American dream where everyone and everything is just perfect. Until of course, we discover Wellsbury isn’t perfect at all and flawed newcomers Ginny & Georgia are somehow the missing ingredient everyone needed to learn how to really feel and cope with the absolute struggle of being rich and perfect.
As we get to know Georgia more and more we discover she is a complex character with handy flashbacks that show why she is feisty, devious, and defensive. Her mantra is something to the tune of, ‘sting before you get stung’ and she spends a lot of time trying to pull off petty crimes and the occasional scam to keep her family going. Despite her financial woes, they live in a mansion and have the best of everything, including an incredible car and never-ending cash.
Ginny is plucky and clever and stands up for herself, but is also a low self-esteem teen in the company of her peers. She’s never really had friends and doesn’t know how to set clear boundaries to establish and maintain healthy relationships. One neighbour in particular pops in her window uninvited from time to time and literally has his way with her, and though she probably consented, she also didn’t really fully consent so it’s uncomfortable to watch.
From questionable sexual acts to hilarious one-liners and the United Colors of Benetton cast of diversity, this show has tried to be the best thing on tv this spring and is definitely a binge-a-thon in your future. Unfortunately, a lot of sloppy decisions have left it far from exceptional television and made it just kind of “enjoyable”.
Bonus Brownie Points
Hot and diverse cast with gay and straight characters. They present the angst and awkwardness of being a teenager in a refreshingly raw and authentic style. So, you will wonder things like, “Why is passive racism so ‘present’?” Or, “When was it ever OK for boys to pop in your window and finger you uninvited?”
Minus Brownie Points
The show feels a little undercooked, with a lot of potential to say and do something new but no actual delivery on that promise. It is very very close to ‘Little Fires Everywhere’, which for me means this show has already been done to a large extent. A fondness to present problems for you to reflect on and to make your own conclusions rather than working anything out for you is refreshing at first but quickly smacks of sloppy unfinished script writing.
The budget is enormous and everything looks gorgeous and over the top, huge houses, big cars, fashion-forward, and an enormous cast. If only it felt like something new and not just ‘Sex Education‘ meets ‘The Politician‘.
All episodes of GINNY & GEORGIA are available to watch on Netflix
Netflix Review – ‘Ginny & Georgia’
Reviewed on Netflix, March 2, 2021. Rating: 16+. Running time: 10 x 55 min.
PRODUCTION: A Netflix release of a Blue Ice Pictures, Dynamic Television production. Producer: Claire Welland. Executive producers: Jenny Daly, Debra J. Fisher, Holly A. Hines, Daniel Iron, Sarah Lampert, Armand Leo, Daniel March, Lance Samuels, Jeff Tahler, Anya Adams.
CREW: Directors: Anya Adams, Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, Renuka Jeyapalan, Sudz Sutherland, Aleysa Young. Screenplay: Briana Belser, Mike Gauyo, Sarah Lampert, Danielle Hoover, David Monahan, Tawnya Bhattacharya, Debra J. Fisher, Ali Laventhol. Cinematography: Gavin Smith. Editing: Erin Deck, Jonathan Eagan, Susan Shipton. Music: Ben Bromfield, Lili Haydn.
CAST: Brianna Howey, Antonia Gentry, Diesel La Torraca, Jennifer Robertson, Felix Mallard, Sara Waisglass, Scott Porter, Raymond Ablack, Mason Temple, Katie Douglas, Chelsea Clark.
Reblogged this on Boeklovers.