I Am Not Okay with This (episode 5) Television 

Five Thoughts on I Am Not Okay with This’s “Another Day in Paradise”

By | April 2nd, 2020
Posted in Television | % Comments

Hello and welcome to Multiversity Comics’ weekly review of I Am Not Okay with This, the coming-of-age Netflix original series co-created Jonathan Entwistle and Christy Hall, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Charles Forsman. This week, we look at episode four, “Another Day in Paradise.” As always, our wide ranging discussion could touch on anything from the acting and editing to the production design and script. Please be warned, however, there may be occasional spoilers.

1. Come On, We All Knew This Moment Was Coming

Okay, let’s be honest: in this self-referential, hyper media-literate age, you can’t make a TV series chock full of 80s references and not pay tribute to The Breakfast Club. Not to be alarmist, but I hear if you even try, they take your Director’s Guild card. Seriously. You might never work again. The only real question is whether the iconic film will be referenced somewhat subtly or if the creators will spend an entire episode paying homage to one movie.

In this case, screenwriter Tripper Clancy and director Jonathan Entwistle essentially opt for the latter, centering the action on five disparate character types as they collectively suffer through after school detention. It’s not an unreasonable choice – and generally the episode works – but it also feels like the long way round to advancing the plot only slightly, squandering the series’ momentum.

2. Jenny Tuffield Delivers Her Best John Bender Impersonation

As noted two weeks ago in my Five Thoughts about episode 3, if the main characters stop what they’re doing to mention a new character by name, that new character’s role is about to be huge.

Enter Jenny Tuffield, the leather-clad, degenerate rebel who lives to jack up the scene.

In The Breakfast Club it doesn’t take very long for jean-jacketed bad boy John Bender (Judd Nelson) to begin ridiculing the others. After a brief confrontation with the quintessentially jockish Andrew (expertly played by Emilio Estevez), Bender asks pointedly if the jock and the popular socialite (Molly Ringwald’s iconic Claire), are a romantic couple. Escalating things quickly, Bender mockingly taunts, “Come on, Sporto, level with me. Do you slip her the hot . . . beef . . . injection?”

Not to be outdone by a decades’ old characterization, after Dina briefly tries to rally everyone to make the best of things, Jenny sarcastically shuts her down and forces a darker agenda. Launching into a game of “F**K, Marry, Kill,” Jenny first goes after Brad and then tries to vilify Dina before unloading on Syd, whom she characterizes as a pathetic, asexual outcast.

All of it works fairly well in terms of the plot, providing a natural reason for Syd to bolt and retreat to the library, but there’s no subtlety or depth to Jenny’s character. Bender remains an icon because he is complex and surprisingly vulnerable. TV shows and movies are obviously different forms, but in the context of this episode, Jenny is barely more than a cartoonish stand-in for one of the most memorable teen movie anti-heroes in recent memory. It’s unfortunate that the script fails to give the actress who plays Jenny, Sophia Tatum, enough real substance to work with.

3. At Least the Library Scene is Different

Unlike the characterizations in this episode, which often tend to feel like flat approximations of the exemplars they celebrate, the plot continues to get ever more complex and intriguing. Early in the series the audience understood the basic mechanics of Syd’s newly manifest powers, even as they remained a mystery to Syd herself. Whenever Syd’s powers erupted, there was always clear cause and effect. When Syd’s anger and frustration spiraled out of control, nearby objects flew through the air, broke into pieces or were instantly leveled.

As the series progressed, however, everything seemed to get a little murkier. Lights began to flicker, blinking on and off. When objects began to hover, they were accompanied by a faint high-pitched squeal, creepy organ music and bizarre whooshing sounds. At the end of episode 4, there was even a spectral presence that seemed to be stalking Syd before it suddenly turned to dust and blew away. In short, it seems obvious that something else is out there, not only beyond Syd’s control, but beyond her comprehension.

Continued below

Earlier in episode 4, in his self-appointed role as Syd’s guide and mentor, Stanley references the idea of a mysterious visitor sent to explain Syd’s powers and show her how she can “use them for good.” Alone in the library, that mysterious, spectral presence seems to make itself known, slinking through the shadows and whooshing around the room. Syd gets up and follows, trying to make contact, but it’s always one step ahead. Then suddenly, for unknown reasons, the specter vanishes. Almost immediately, either Syd or the ghostly presence levels the bookcases – knocking them down like toy blocks.

Syd has been confused, worried and frustrated since the series began. As she tells Stanley about the unseen presence she felt in the library, however, she looks and sounds truly frightened. She knows shit’s getting real.

4. Janitors Named Carl, Dropping Truth Bombs for Decades

Not coincidentally, in The Breakfast Club and I Am Not Okay with This both janitors are named Carl. Both could be considered, “the eyes and ears of this institution” and both are clearly working at menial jobs far below their capabilities.

When Assistant Principal Vernon whines, “I’ve been teaching for twenty-two years and each year these kids get more arrogant,” the original Carl immediately calls him on it. “Aw bull shit, man,” he says. “Come on Vern, the kids haven’t changed, you have!”

Here, when Dina does her best to play the ditzy seductress and get Carl the janitor’s keys – with women’s empowerment posters in the background, no less – next gen Carl says, “Stop.” As it turn out, he’s married. Not only that that, he’s gay. Also, as he tells Dina, with genuine empathy, “I find your behavior to be a little bit offensive, and not just to me, to you.” Concluding, he suggests that maybe Dina should just, “Try asking politely next time.”

Who knew there’d be life lessons in the midst of a caper built around ‘burrito bombs’ and a vice principal who can not resist a fire extinguisher?

5. . . . I Just Came in Here to Pee, and Now We’re All Just . . . Chilling

When Brad began detention by suggesting a truce with Syd “for Dina’s sake,” we all knew Syd was right to be skeptical. Clearly, a guy like Brad almost always has a hidden agenda.

Maybe it’s the way Jenny smirks at Brad when she first enters the gym, or maybe it’s how Brad seems a little too eager to play Jenny’s game of FMK before Dina cuts him off, but as the episode unfolds, it’s clear Jenny’s trap is set and ready to ensnare its prey – which is everybody but Stan.

In the penultimate scene, Jenny and Brad are talking in the girl’s locker room. As the scene begins, they’re in the midst of a quarrel about how they got busy at Ricky Berry’s party. Syd quietly enters and inadvertently hears everything. Brad tries play it cool, but immediately starts to panic, pleading with Syd to remember “Dina’s happiness comes first.” Predictably, given the obvious set-up, Jenny makes a crude joke and Dina wanders in.

From there, the rest of the scene is damn near flawless, not an easy task with 4 separate characters, several distinct eyelines, two speaking roles and multiple reaction shots. A great script lays the foundation, followed by excellent staging, pitch-perfect performances and brilliant editing. Rather than descending into an over-the-top shouting match, everything just simmers, quietly escalating. The tension is palpable; the action easy to follow; and the subtle dynamics between all the characters remain rich and complex. It also ends brilliantly, just as Syd inhales, on the verge of revealing the truth. This is the kind of scene that gives the viewer credit, allowing the audience to fill in the blanks. It’s also a perfect example of how great screenwriting is so often about knowing what not to say. Without question, this is one of the strongest scenes in the series and the catalyst that will likely drive the action toward its dramatic conclusion.

Burning Question

Does anyone under the age of 70 actually still use the phrase “Women’s Lib Movement…?”


//TAGS | I am not okay with this

John Schaidler

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