[CMH]

Amazing show.



What was hard to get into at first?




I thought every character was rich. The choice to dedicate every episode to one character (which really meant like 51% of the time and not 100%) really helped add the needed history and context of every important character's decisions in the present. And it was done in a well-written way where you felt like you were experiencing a new event instead of some boring backstory about a person.


I also thought the acting was mostly on-point. Some actors didn't bring the energy I would have liked, but most notably I thought Zendaya (Rue), Hunter Schafer (Jules), Jacob Elordi (Nate), Maude Apatow (Lexi), and Angus Cloud (Fezco) were absolutely stellar.


That's not to take away from other performances that were also solid but those five were incredible in their parts. I know Lexi wasn't a major major character but I had to include her because I thought she delivered every time she was on screen, even if her part was just to react silently in the distance while other things were happening.


The topics covered in this first season were deep and done with a lot of respect. Made me both fear and learn what to be aware of in 12 years when my daughter is in high school - assuming of course the world hasn't changed so much that it doesn't matter.


If you've been keeping a distance, unsure to watch, keep in mind that the show is not for sensitive viewers. It covers everything from rape to drugs to sex to physical abuse to pornography to homophobia to cyber-bulling to pedophilia to whatever the hell you can think of that a teenage kid should never have to go through but probably does.


If you can handle all that, you're in for a non-stop ride.