Never Have I Ever, Thoroughbreds, and the Olympics
Two different approaches to teen girls, plus the Games as seen through TikTok
Hello!
On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Never Have I Ever, a teen romcom drama about an Indian American girl, and Thoroughbreds, a dark comedy thriller about two white teen girls up to no good.
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05:05 Never Have I Ever, streaming on Netflix, is strongest when it goes beyond the silly high school tropes to touch on issues of grief, family, and mental health.
It’s comparable to Ginny & Georgia in that way: interesting when it does NOT focus on the minutiae of high school sleepovers and prom and love triangles. Coming-of-age tales are so much better when they focus on the true core of what it means to be a teenager — that is, the profound experience of what it means to grow up and come to terms with oneself, especially in the face of difficulty.
That’s why I found it more moving by leaps and bounds when Never Have I Ever focused on, in season 1, mourning one beloved parent while butting heads with the other (can I tell you that I cried when the show revealed Devi thought her mom didn’t like her?), and, in season 2, what it means to self-destruct and actually have to deal with some of the consequences?
But then again, I’ve aged out of a lot of the teen shenanigans. Adulthood means having to accept that not every show is tailor-made for me!!
22:48 Thoroughbreds, available on Hulu + Live TV or on VOD, is an unexpectedly clever portrait of privilege and sociopathy.
There are a lot of things to like about this movie, which stars baby Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke, as well as Anton Yelchin in his final performance. The film takes a wholly different look at what it means to be a teen: being able to start to think like an adult, act like an adult, but still not quite being able to fathom adult consequences. That’s what makes them so dangerous, in a way. Here, it doesn’t take much of a leap for these two girls to consider murder as not just a thought experiment, but a reality to pursue. Not just that, but saddling someone else with the crime is a given; it’s part and parcel of how they think through the idea of consequences.
But there are a couple of weaknesses to the film — namely, a script that errs on the side of frugal, in an effort to depict characters without much empathy or emotion. Sometimes plot points or character backgrounds aren’t made entirely clear. It leaves you wanting a bit more. Still, though, in a landscape of teen dramas, this one does stand out (and not just because of murder).
37:49 Plus, culture notes about the Olympics that we’re not watching except through Olympic Village TikTok.
Village tour! Dining hall! Cardboard beds! Training! Olympians have crushes too! I will probably post more in Instagram Stories later today — follow us @criticismisdead !!!
Bonus links
More and more people are talking about Old:
Even M. Night himself!
Good for Lukas Gage! (And you know what, Armond is right: he does look cute with this little bun)
Watching this canceled HIMYM spin-off pilot (starring Greta Gerwig!!!) in the year 2021 is wild.
Dev looks good as hell
HYPE ALERT!
Regarding Bennifer, Ms. Babalola is right and she should say it:
That’s it for this week. See you next time!
— Jenny
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Inquiries, complaints, and recs for what to watch can go to criticismisdead@gmail.com.
Some credits:
Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu