Maya pen158/11/2023 ![]() In Hulu’s PEN15, Mutsuko Erskine pulls double-duty: Offscreen she’s the real-life mother of star Maya Erskine (who plays a 13-year-old version of herself), but she also plays Maya’s TV mom on the innovative coming-of-age sitcom. Instead, “PEN15” belongs in the land of psychologically repressed memories, never to resurface.Mutsuko Erskine, Maya Erskine, and Dallas Liu in PEN15. If it was at least funny, there might be something to spare. The two lead actresses are so almost like middle schoolers - and yet so far - that it errs too close into the territory of the uncanny valley. The show is uncomfortable, disturbing and unsettling. But “PEN15” also emulates the reason we’d like to forget middle school ever existed. Even the soundtrack is full of 2000s alt-classics. The awkward clothing choices, the uncertainty about bras, passing notes and the strange way tweens and pre-teens talk to each other are all expertly captured here. If there’s anything “PEN15” does well, it’s capture the atmosphere of middle school. ![]() Instead, Maya gets to erase her name off the UGIS list in the boys bathroom for a triumphant win. Then the next night, when Maya asks Anna if she was being too harsh, Anna asserts that no, she was not. Even worse, Maya suffers absolutely zero consequences for this. The aforementioned scene wherein Maya says that Brandt’s uncircumcised penis is the reason why his dad died stands out for how uncomfortably shocking it was. As child-like as Erskine and Konkle might seem, they still visibly look like adults, braces or not.įor as much as the show lacks direction or humor, it also lacks conscience. ![]() But, adult actors in their 30s flirting with child actors is simply unpleasant. “PEN15” does not shy away from incorporating the strange way children attempt to interact with one another. One stereotype of middle school the show nails is the flirting and note-passing occuring between children who are beginning to understand their sexualities. Which brings me to the dynamic Erskine and Konkle share with their co-stars. Their classmates - who are all played by children - are just as bad at acting. It really is embarrassing to watch these two suspiciously youthful-looking women attempt to imitate middle schoolers. However, their acting is so insufferable - their voices so irritating - that all the jokes land closer to the side of pity than humor. Most of the jokes operate off of Erskine and Konkle’s air-headed characters. ![]() Yikes.įor a comedy about the struggle of navigating pubescent politics, “PEN15” cannot even muster a chuckle. In the end, she claims his uncircumcised penis is the reason why his dad died. In the end, she challenges Brandt (Jonah Beres, “Strange Nature”) to a trash-talking competition, where she almost stands up for herself. While Maya is at first lured into believing these boys “ like-like ” her, she is duped by the wicked popular kids, who christen her that year’s UGIS - the Ugliest Girl In School. The school lockers are plastered with “Dustin hearts Maya” and “Brandt hearts Maya” written on notebook paper. The premiere, “First Day,” shows their disastrous first day. The catch? Maya and Anna are played by adults, while the rest of the cast are acutal children (because that won’t make anyone uncomfortable, right?). The show follows two friends, Maya (Maya Erskine, “Betas”) and Anna (Anna Konkle, “Rosewood”), as they start the seventh grade together. ![]()
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