Summertime: Season 1 Episode 1 “I Hate Summer” [Series Premiere] – Recap/ Review with Spoilers

[Unless Said Otherwise] Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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For those looking for a new teen drama, “Summertime” likely can deliver the romance and drama you desire.

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Created By		Miko Cetrangolo, Anita Rivaroli
Directed By		Lorenzo Sportiello
Written By		Miko Cetrangolo, Anita Rivaroli, Francesco Lagi, Enrico Audenino
Aired (Netflix)		4/29/2020
Genre(s)		Comedy, Drama, Romance, Young Adult, Non-English
Introduced This Episode
Summer	Rebecca Coco Edogamhe
Blue	Alice Ann Edogamhe
Edo	Giovanni Maini
Sofia	Amanda Campana
Isabella	Thony
Alessandro	Ludovico Tersigni
Dario	Andrea Lattanzi

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Plot Overview

With graduation on the horizon, Summer is just trying to work through the summer and eventually use the languages she has learned at High School of Cesenatico to travel the world. Which perhaps is an inherited trait from her father, a jazz trumpet musician, the desire to travel. But don’t associate him with anything beyond that for when it comes to Summer, she isn’t necessarily the fondest of her dad.

Why? Well, she thinks he is cheating on her mom, Isabella, and did leave her with two kids, Summer, and her younger sister Blue. But family drama is but a small part of Summer’s life. There is also Edo, her male friend who seems like he could be her boyfriend, but she is very much single, and then Sofia. Someone who you can foresee having a blow-up with Summer just because Summer rarely, if ever, matches Sofia’s energy.

We should note though, the show isn’t just about Summer, it is also about Alessandro, an injured motorcycle racer. One whose dad is pushing him to make a comeback after a nasty crash, but Alessandro, Ale, isn’t so sure about that. Plus, he also is a bit distracted. For if it isn’t his exes or his dad, there is also his best friend Dario, who he has spoken to about maybe working on the pro track as a mechanic, but hasn’t fulfilled that promise. So, Dario just DJs on the side and works at a local auto shop.

Now, as for how these two worlds co-exist and collide? Well, it begins at a party Sofia coerces Summer to go to where Ale meets Summer, and she curves him. But, with Summer interviewing for a job with Ale’s mother, and him walking in during her interview, it seems as Ale contemplates what next to do with his life, he’ll be spending far more time around his momma.

Highlights

It’s Likable

From Summer, who is not the bubbly Black girl, but sort of over all the nonsense of the season she shares a name with, to her little sister, Blue, who gets in a fight, and nearly every character we could name, everyone is likable. No one comes off disagreeable, and for those who enjoy eye candy, it is plentiful. And I’d even say, moving away from a more shallow viewpoint, there seems to be more than enough here to keep you entertained across its 8 episode season.

First and foremost, there is the romance between Summer and Ale, which will cross racial lines as well as them being in two different socio-economic classes. Alongside that, though doubtful, there is the possibility of Summer’s experience as a Black Italian woman, though Blue might be the main one struggling with that, and of course, there is all the high school drama. Especially from Sofia and Edo, who seemingly want from Summer what she may not be willing to give.

Add in some decent family drama in the form of Ale’s dad relying on him to either live a dream or make money, and you got a lot going on to help see you through COVID-19 quarantine.

On The Fence

You Can Foresee It Following Familiar Patterns Quick

One of the main issues “Summertime” may have is if you’ve grown tired of stories like this, you probably won’t see this as trying to do anything new. You can easily imagine all that will go down from Edo confessing he has feelings for Summer to both Dario and Sofia having fights with their respective best friends. Never mind the drama Summer and Ale will have as she deals with the distrust her father instilled in her by taking that out on Ale.

Which isn’t to say this by any means will be a bad thing to watch but, rather, if this type of show isn’t the thing you love watching, you may get through the first episode and get through the rest at your leisure.

Overall

Continue To Watch? – It’s Not For Us

First Impression: Divisive

One of the niches Netflix caters to heavy is that of the young adult drama. Be it through licensing shows like “Riverdale” or originals like this and “Elite,” Netflix knows it can have potential hits by casting a slew of beautiful actors, and getting them in all kinds of drama. Then, add a little bit of sensationalized drama, a dash of sex, possible violence, drugs, and maybe more? With an added touch of personal drama just so that defenders have a means to counteract the criticism – which we aren’t mad at.

However, like so many Netflix series, we feel this wasn’t necessarily made to binge watch and will lose its luster quickly if you gorge episode after episode – unless what is advertised is seriously your jush.

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