This review is about the Netflix adaptation, but with an
almost cult-like retro following, I feel the need to make a few mentions of the
books first, and representation is one of these mentions!
The original books did have a majority
white/white-presenting cast, but in comparison to many books written before the
advent of #weneeddiversebooks, they did very well. One of the main club members
is Japanese-American, one of the junior members African American, and a number
of the kids they sit for also have varying ethnicities and religions. The
inclusion of a main character with Type One diabetes (which, for the record,
actually gets discussed!) also feels progressive in a great way for books
published late 80’s, early 90’s.
The Netflix adaptation steps this representation up in the perfect way. Our core BSC is true to the book, apart from a couple of changes. Mary-Anne in the books is described as having brown hair and brown eyes, but her ethnicity is not stated - in the Netflix adaptation, she is mixed race. Dawn, our “blonde haired, blue eyed Cali surfer girl” is the biggest change from the on page descriptions, being played by Xochitl Gomez a young Latina. This threw me for a little while, as I tend to not like change (the hill I am going to die on is the colour of Hermione’s Yule Ball Dress in the movie…), but honestly, Xochitl Gomez does a wonderful job of being Dawn, and I now can’t see her any other way. Just something to be aware of if you are the type who are sticklers for book-accurate adaptations!Not only do we have racial representation in the show, we also have a trans child played by a trans child! I’m not going to say which child, but it was handled so so well - from the POV of someone who does not identify as such - the whole episode handled the situation kindly and sensitively, while offering knowledge and appropriate ways to discuss with children. Not going to lie, there may have been some tears when one of the club members stood up for the child to hospital staff. Beautifully done.
Stacey and her diabetes were also covered in a way that felt age appropriate - her fears of being different felt realistic, as did the tension in the club due to the secrets she didn’t feel able to voice. Having a friend with Type-1 in real life, it was nice to see the medical equipment Stacey uses.
The books, to me, always read a little older than the girls
were supposed to be, but not in a bad way. It may have more to do with the fact
that where I live, you have to be 13+ to babysit, than with the actual writing.
This adaptation shows the club members as actual tweens. Like, the actors are
young; their relationships are age appropriate (there are two kisses in the
show - both chaste pecks on the lips
followed by excited giggling); they have young person worries. On that note,
the adults in the show are also written very well. They speak to the girls with
respect, and acknowledge that they are in a transitional period in their lives
- they speak to them about issues that concern them - family illness,
re-marriage etc - without being condescending.
Given that BSC was released well before mobile phones and
the internet were commonplace, we were pleasantly surprised to see how they
merged the new tech into the old story. It was refreshing to see tweens who
HAVE phones, but still act like kids and don’t have them surgically attached to
their hands.
Basically, we binged this show in a day, and then wanted to
re-watch from the beginning.
Content warnings: not a lot! Mentions of illness - on screen
seizure, fever; discussions of transgender; wholesome romance.
Oh! How could I forget the best part?! Karen Brewer. Oh. My.
Gosh. If that freaky little darkly funny kid doesn’t get a spin off, I will be
unimpressed!
Overall Rating: 6 out of 5 stars.
Oh, bonus note! Each episode starts with the handwriting of
the club member who is narrating the episode. Yes, they kept that in!
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