Everything Sucks! is a Show You Need to Be Watching Right Now
Anyone who knows me knows that I have an affinity for the 90s. I think it is the greatest decade in the history of this planet, and yes I am biased to that because I am a 90s kid. I loved drinking Surge and watching Scream and She’s All That and listening to the Backstreet Boys. I love the music and the clothes and the movies and everything else that happened in the 90s. So it’s no surprise that I fucking love Everything Sucks!, Netflix’s new show set in Boring, Oregon in 1996.
(spoilers ahead)
When I first started watching it, I thought it was going to be a random amalgamation of everything that happened in the 90s and would leave me feeling like it was all style and no substance. But what I found upon going deeper in the show is that, yes it is set in 1996 and there are obvious winks and nods, but there are also multi-layered characters that have become some of the most interesting kids I’ve seen on a show since The Wonder Years and Stranger Things and of course the greatest teen soap opera of all time, Degrassi.
The show touches on topics like sexuality, adolescence, love, heartbreak, suicide, abandonment, and of course, Tori Amos. It’s a fun ride and you become invested in the characters and their pitfalls and pretentiousness. You become a cheerleader for the side characters when the leads are acting wack as shit. The show never asks you to sympathize with a character when they’re clearly in the wrong. They introduce these characters and, just as in real life, you fall in love and become annoyed with them as they journey through life making smart and questionable decisions.
The most endearing character is Kate Mesner, the principal’s daughter whose sexuality is dying to burst out of the closet. Watching her go from an awkward girl being teased for being a rumored lesbian to someone more confident in who she is, was my favorite journey of the show. I rooted for her from episode 1 to the finale and I can’t wait to see where she ends up in season 2.
Luke, unfortunately, whined more than any character on the show. He went from someone you really needed to see win, to a kid fueled with anger and heartbreak. He goes through more ups and downs than any character on the show, but by the last few episodes you should go back to rooting for him. Especially when you find out why he holds so much anger and sadness in his heart. He’s a fun kid who had a really bad string of episodes that I imagine turned a lot of people on him.
Let’s hand out some quick awards for season 1:
— Best Character: Kate Mesner
— Cutest Couple: Principal Mesner and Sherry O’Neil
— Funniest Character: Tyler
— Best Moment: Luke recording a Wonderwall mashup video for Kate
— Person Who Doesn’t Need to Be in Season 2: Oliver
— Best Song in the Show: “Fire Water Burn” by Bloodhound Gang
Final Verdict: RAD
