By Lena Dibiasio, Grade 10, Staff Writer
If you liked Gilmore Girls, then you won't be able to stop watching Ginny and Georgia! At least, that's what the creators of the new Netflix show want you to think, and it couldn't be further from the truth.
Ginny and Georgia follows the lives of a mother and daughter duo who move to a new town after the death of Georgia’s husband. Ginny, played by Antonia Gentry, is a young biracial girl who navigates the struggles of teenhood, new friends, and what it means to be mixed. Georgia, played by Brianne Howey, embodies the stereotypical teen mom trope, in which she acts like more of a sister figure to Ginny than a mother. Both have vastly different storylines that do not intermingle very much, quickly creating a confusing plot.
Though there are some similarities between Ginny and Georgia’s relationship and the one between Lorelai and Rory, everything changes when the show reveals that Georgia is a murderer. Georgia murdered both of her husbands, whom she only married for their money and social status. One minute, you are watching Ginny try to acclimate to a new school, and the next minute, you’re watching a flashback where Georgia is running an illegal gambling ring by herself at the age of 16. The plotline is scattered, with a new love interest for Georgia almost every episode and a rushed affair between Ginny and her next-door neighbor.
Questionable conversations also transpire between Ginny and her half Taiwanese, half white boyfriend Hunter. Ginny and Hunter label one discussion the “Oppression Olympics,” in which they throw a series of racial stereotypes at one another. Each targeted the other’s mixed identity as an invalidation of their heritage. When you take into consideration that mixed people often feel alienated by the non-white aspect of their identities, this conversation came off as very tone-deaf and uncomfortable.
Though this was only one controversial dialogue between the teens of Ginny and Georgia, there were several other areas of teen communication that fell flat to actual teenage watchers. The way young people interact in real life, as well as online, was portrayed poorly by the millennial scriptwriters. The instances where Hunter dabs or where one of Ginny's friends says “Sksks and I oop!” in a conversation speaks to the adult worlds’ misunderstanding of adolescent interactions. It's rare to find any piece of media that can truly portray a realistic conversation between teenagers, and Ginny and Georgia painfully proved that point.
In attempts to be a multifaceted show that stays current and addresses important issues, Ginny and Georgia fails to meet these objectives. The concept and idea of the show are well-intentioned, but watching it feels like watching a train wreck—albeit an entertaining one.