Grand Army

Let me start by saying I am probably not the target audience as a non-American woman in her early 30s. I was expecting some mediocre teen drama as Netflix is getting (in)famous for, but this show is a lot better than the average show on this streaming service. Although I am expecting a lot of backlash on this series because it deals with racism and the cast is very diverse, I don't think that's fair.

The characters seem very realistic and the issues that are portrayed seem in touch with what it is like to be a teenager right now. Some topics are handled a bit too superficially, but I guess we can't have it all. Hopefully Netflix gives us a second season to answer some of the questions left after the finale.

First, I would like to say the young actors and actresses in this show are definitely the future. I look forward to seeing more from all of them. Secondly, the individual plot lines are well told and are really what teens and young adults are facing today in America. Third, without giving to much away, they showed every horribly difficult situation that young adults face (rich, poor, any ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, religion) in their young lives in a very true form.

My opinion of the show as the person I am is that it not only left me wanting another season, but left me feeling strong emotions for all of the characters. It's a show that can make you happy, sad, angry, uncomfortable, and confused. When a show can make angry at an actor or actress, that means they are connecting with you deeply. If you can feel happy and joy for a characters achievements then they are doing something right. You get all emotions in this show.

This is my first review on IMDb. I tried my best to stay unbiased. I looked at the filming, the acting, the plot lines, and the character development. I can't fault a single thing in this show. Reading other reviews that are rating it on options of disliking it for one small part of the plot is kinda frustrating. I don't think people should review a show they didn't watch till the end. There should be no bias when really reviewing a show. I tried to put mine aside and look at everything that can make a show great and rate it on that. This show gets a 10 out of 10 in every category.

My last point is on one of the plot lines. Personally, I think it was the hardest to watch and the most important thing in the show that hopefully they will continue on in the next season. Sexual assault. They showed it in a very true light. It is difficult to watch, but it is how the system is right now. It is also a very accurate depiction of what a person goes through after.

Thank you Netflix for another great show and pushing the boundaries of what people want to see into what they need to see.

Considering the diverse storylines this series is so on point, well balanced and showen by very good, mostly fresh, young and thankfully natural looking actors; on top of it with great animation parts.

The covered topics are (in no particular order): adolescence, school and education system, social system, justice system, (first) love, (first) sex, hetero-homo-bi-sexuality, feminism, terrorism, rape, immigration, racism...

Of course everything is shown from the US-American perspective. Nevertheless many topics are international and surely relatable in one or another way for many viewers.

Don't want to spoil anything, but especially one controversial rape scene beside other important topics seems to devide viewers already. And this again shows the struggle of many countries societies, not only the USA, to cope with sensitive subjects like this in an appropriate and reasonable way.

Regarding this the rating by demographic on IMDB (current average 6,3) is very interesting: some, or better said for sure too many men and even women still might need to learn a lot about the difference between consensual sex and rape.

Finally to all the "this is woke and pc bs" h/raters: fortunately your twisted perception will die out slowly but steadily... at least this is what the statistics show too ;)

Cheers!

Against everything about OUR generation, this is why I'm hopefull. The whole show was a big journey. They were struggling, trying to find their way and like it or not it was a discovery. Even the dark ones. Maybe for the first time I felt like I could see it clearly. Those kids weren't perfect. They don't have to be. They just stood tall, fought for what they believe. I think the show made most of us who could judge them and think that they deserved what they had, to understand and empathize. And I think it didn't make it in a nice way. If you don't like it, probably you should get your thing together and think.

I really don't understand the low rating of this show, all the hate comes from closed minded people who hate change and representation. This is a great show with a diverse cast and a great story. It's one of the most authentic portayals of modern high school life I've seen in the media without the kids being overly sexualized or drugged up. It's raw and real and the acting is phenomenal. The "woke" moments don't seemed forced or like they were written by old white men. highly recommend the show!!