Romance, drama, comedy, murder: the Netflix original, Ginny and Georgia, has it all in season two. The television series aired their first season on Netflix on Feb. 24, 2021, and recently released their second season on Jan. 5. The new season has been a popular conversation ever since its release. Needless to say, the roller coaster of emotions portrayed was definitely worth the watch. 

Ginny and Georgia is a teen drama series that shows the twists and turns of the life of a young mom, Georgia Miller, and her 2 kids, Virginia (Ginny), and Austin. Georgia has always been on the run since she was 15, moving from town to town, dragging her kids along with her. The show portrays the strength and hardship Georgia has due to her traumatic childhood. Along with the love she has for her kids, proving she will go to any measure to protect her kids, even murder… 

When Georgia’s husband passed away, the family of 3 moved to New England in a town called Wellsbury. The family, specifically Georgia, quickly made a big impression. Ginny finally has settled down long enough to make real friends, and she even has a new boyfriend and is often consumed with teen drama and love triangles. Though, Georgia’s big personality leads to suspicion of who she really is. Her deep and dark past starts to unfold and catch up to her, bringing a wedge between her relationship with Ginny. It’s already hard on Ginny from not settling anywhere for most of her life, so when the truth of her mom’s past begins to unravel, she begins to struggle with her mental health. 

One thing I will say about the show is that it definitely is very relatable. 

Season 2 does a really good way of portraying the hardships of mental health that many, specifically teens, tend to struggle with. We see that Ginny struggles with mental health, which leads to self harm.  In Season 1, she hides it from everyone, denying it. Though in Season 2, we see Ginny reaching out to her dad for help. She goes to therapy and starts to prioritize her feelings and emotions. The development in Ginny and her mental health is inspiring to watch and was portrayed in such a raw and real way. 

Marcus, Ginny’s boyfriend, also tends to struggle with mental health. His depression causes him to act in a rebellious manner. We can see him detach from his life throughout the show. He wants to be alone all the time, he avoids doing his assignments for school, day drinks and smokes, and just begins to lose passion in his life. The detachment from life exhibits such real feelings a lot of teens can relate to, which many feel like they are alone when battling. The show also portrays the way his family around him offer such great support and love in trying to get him to feel better, which is really comforting to watch. 

I think Season 2 did a great job in allowing teens to see the realness of how hard it is to live your life with mental health, and how help from others can really be beneficial. As well as allowing other characters to show their story lines and mental health more versus just the main character, Ginny. There was also a lot of inclusion on awareness of race, sexuality, and body image, which are all important topics teens tend to relate and encounter. 

Another thing I tended to notice that was strong in the show was the casting of characters. Throughout the episodes, they show many clips of Georgia’s past. The characters used to portray as their “younger selves” is so weirdly accurate, and kind of scary. Many fans tend to forget that younger Georgia (Nikki Roumel) and older Georgia (Brianne Howey) are not the same person. I find it makes the show more appealing to watch.

Though, what did throw me off in the show, was the use of “modern day slang” or “trending phrases”. In a scene, Ginny’s friends are arguing and use the words “It’s the betrayal for me,” or “It’s the secrets for me,”’ which was a common phrase throughout TikTok in the beginning of 2021. Now, by the time the season was released, it’s outdated. There were also scenes where TikTok was involved, which left a “cringe” factor in the show. Many watchers posted clips and scenes on TikTok, making fun of certain scenes because of the cringey and outdated phrases. New shows shouldn’t include modern day phrases because it sounds out of place.  This leaves a bad image on the show and may narrow down the audience.

Looking past some of the cringey lines in the script, the deep messages in Ginny and Georgia are portrayed in a witty, relatable, and engaging way for many adolescents to watch. 

Overall, if you are looking for a show similar to others like, “Never Have I Ever,” “You,” or “Gilmore Girls,” Ginny and Georgia is definitely a good watch for you!