SummarySydney (Sophia Lillis) was already trying to manage issues with her family, high school, and her friendships, when she starts to manifest superpowers in this adaptation of the Charles Forsman graphic novel from Jonathan Entwistle.
SummarySydney (Sophia Lillis) was already trying to manage issues with her family, high school, and her friendships, when she starts to manifest superpowers in this adaptation of the Charles Forsman graphic novel from Jonathan Entwistle.
The seven episodes are lean and punchy, most coming in at just over 20 minutes, which allows the characters themselves to be illuminated. ... What feels so excitingly fresh about "I Am Not Okay With This" is that it actually takes time to explore the rage of adolescent girls.
The themes the series tackles aren't inherently novel or unique, and Sydney can be a frustrating heroine at times, but I'd argue that's the point and also why the show ultimately succeeds as a vehicle for teenage ennui.
TEOTFW, in its first season at least, followed a clear story arc — teen psychopath discovers his humanity — while Not Okay waters down its bittersweet saga of loss and self-discovery with unnecessary supernatural hoo-hah. ... The It co-stars have a sweet and comfortable chemistry.
The true pleasure of the thing lies in Lillis’s wonderful performance, which manages to convey the depths and numbness of loss beneath the layers of more ordinary teenage fury and frustration all lying beneath the traditional pose of sardonic disaffection. ... There are snippets of Daria in there, Freaks and Geeks’ Lindsay (Stanley would fit in nicely with them, too), Janis from Mean Girls and Angela Chase, linchpin of the much-lamented My So-Called Life. And you might catch the occasional whiff of Heathers, too.
The new show, on the other hand, has barely gotten going when the finale ends, and its concluding chapter raises some intriguing questions for a potential sequel. Hopefully, a follow-up will offer a more robust story befitting the righteous anger of its heroine.
This lackluster execution of a potentially interesting idea haunts “I’m Not Okay With This” in more ways than one. The two standout story twists — i.e. Sydney’s powers and understanding of her father’s death — develop too slowly given that the season only has seven episodes in which to explore them.