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It’s the end of an era, or just 7th grade if you want to be lame and less dramatic. But, nonetheless, things may never be the same.
| Network | |
| Netflix | |
| Director(s) | Bryan Francis, Mike L. Mayfield |
| Writer(s) | Gil Ozeri |
| Air Date | 10/4/2019 |
Recap
The End Of An Era: Jessi, Nick, Andrew, Missy, Lars, Jay, Caleb
Setting aside Caleb coming up with the idea of everyone being superheroes, let’s get to the heart of the episode: Everyone taking sides on whether Missy trying to be with Nick being wrong or not? An issue driven by Andrew, who in jealousy, tells Lars, and being that Lars is no different from Andrew, in terms of being possessive, that leads to many turning on him. Yet, in this huge battle, very few look at Missy and her role in all of this.
But, alas, despite all the fighting and more, it seems Nick didn’t really want Missy. What he really wanted was her portrayal of Demi Moore, further proving no one seems to really like Missy for Missy. They only like certain parts of her. Be it the dork, the straight-A nerd, or her Mirror Missy side. As for the person who encompasses all of that? Not so much.
It isn’t all about Missy, however. Jessi learns that her mother wants to move to New York, and with no one’s reaction leading to the desired result, it is devastating. Not Depression Kitty coming out level devastating, but she isn’t a happy camper. Then when it comes to Jay, with him acknowledging Nick’s family is nice, but not his own, he tries to bring some of what he learned over spring break to his family and reeducate them on how to love and be civil. A tough job, but it seems to pay off in the end.
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Leaving one last thing to note: Nick and Andrew aren’t friends anymore. Andrew feels all Nick does is look down on him, and the Missy thing was the straw that broke the camel’s back. So now, while he doesn’t necessarily hate Nick, after Nick apologizes, he is tired of the back and forth and just wants things to end. He doesn’t see Nick truly changing and rather move on. Tough words to hear for Nick, but Andrew must find his own stable form of happiness.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Anyone else felt this ending seemed like something made for 8th grade ending instead of 7th grade?
- If Caleb’s superhero thing was all a fantasy, how did things really go down?
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Review
Highlights
Sometimes People Aren’t Meant For Each Other
Looking beyond the Missy and Nick thing, I believe the more important breakup was Andrew and Nick for it has been a long time coming. Since season 1 there has been a competition, and while you could think it was just them comparing due to puberty, it has slowly gotten nastier over time. This season alone, during the Florida trip, it became clear Andrew wanted Nick to suffer or, at the very least, have some sort of empathy for Andrew.
I mean, like Jay, but without the abuse, Andrew seemed to seek out Nick since he had normalcy in his life. He wanted access to that and also a sense of something stable. Yet, when a person can replace you with a cell phone so easily, what does that say about your friendship? If they would be willing to make out with the girl they know you still like, and would lie to your face about it, can you say you are really friends or just someone convenient to hang out with?
It’s a harsh truth, and now we shall see whether Nick and Andrew find options or if, like before, they seek out others, like Jay, and when that doesn’t click, they go back to what’s comfortable. Only to split apart against when they realize they’re only settling for what’s available.
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Recognition That People Need To Love All Of You, Not Just Some Parts
Since the beginning, one of the issues the girls have experienced is the boys only liking what they can give in very specific terms. Nick liked Gina’s breasts and tried to expand beyond that, in terms of the status symbol element, as shown this season, but not much else. Andrew and Lars liked and wanted Missy because no other girl showed them affection since they were different.
Yet, all the girls ever wanted was someone who’d accept them as a whole. Heck, even when Jessi was seeing Jay, briefly, what she wanted him for, beyond the rebellion, was that nice guy Jay shows himself capable of being when he isn’t acting like a dog in heat. But, with Jay being Jay, his emotional dependency ruined things for it really wasn’t Jessi specifically he wanted, just anyone, or anything if we’re honest, that would make him feel good. Sexually or otherwise.
But this is a show about middle school romance, puberty, and lives. So to not expect people to be together for shallow reasons, get together one day, and break up the next, would imply you had a very different middle school experience.
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Caleb’s Superheroes
While it would have been a strange thing to watch long term, you have to appreciate Caleb’s fantasy world while it lasted. Be it Andrew turning invisible when he farted, Jay bending his bodily fluids, Gina being flexible, Ali a transporter, Lars kinetic, Matthew having vocal projection powers, and Missy having weather manipulation abilities. Oh, and also Nick being able to grow in size.
Altogether, while helping us understand how Caleb sees everyone, it also pushed you to understand how volatile things really were. Also, it threw things off a bit and made you pay attention.
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