PEN15
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PEN15has never shied away from the dark side of adolescence.
Throw in the ongoing fallout from Annas parents divorce and Wrestle makes for some pretty painful viewing.
This episode revolves around anger and what, if anything, girls are allowed to do with theirs.
And its not afraid to make that subtext text.
When Maya first shadows the boys at wrestling, Coach Browns exhortations quickly evolve from the standard Focus!
to Grab all the rage inside and let it out …
Handle it like a man.
Destroy something privately or, better yet, on a team.
Before long, shes gone full meathead, pumping iron and bragging about her peanut-butter-and-egg method for bulking.
(It tastes like Reeses Pieces!)
In its total liberation from shame, Mayas goofy, stop-at-nothing enthusiasm is almost admirable.
But the potential for a darker turn is there.
The episode isnt all doom and gloom.
Hes better than ever here, as is Dylan Gage as the nerdy, heartbroken Gabe.
(Unfortunately, Jafeer, like all of the shows Black characters, is something of an afterthought.)
As Maya puts it, theyre animals.
Like last seasons masturbation episode, its relatable in the worst possible way.
The girls will get over this incident eventually, but theyll never get over patriarchy in general.
