Penelope

Oh, I'm absolutely loving this show. As I was scrolling through all of my paid channels, all I saw were things dealing with death and war and misery and pain and negativities or someone killing someone else or some type of terrible sex crime. And then I happened upon this... How refreshing that Netflix has put something like this out. Please keep it coming. It's absolutely relaxing and engaging and interesting. It's so refreshing to see something positive. The music is pleasant and I like the theme and the plot, although it is slightly unrealistic, but that's OK, because it's making me feel very nice. The young lady does look slightly under age, maybe 13 or 14, but I think she's doing a really good job. A few things are slightly disjointed and don't make a lot of sense, but that's OK, because I love this show. I could watch season after season. I hope it gets good reviews. And although I don't have a family, this would be an amazing show for young adults and teenagers. Absolutely amazing for families as well. Something for the whole family to watch.

I have so much to say about Penelope, but I don't know where to begin. I can say I cried through so much of it. It felt as if it was written for specific souls scattered amongst the Earth. Not all will truly grasp its depth and beauty nor understand its message. It's something that inherently speaks to a certain heart. It is quiet and tender and loud in the moments it needs to be.

I cried because I was this girl, so long ago...or I wanted to be her. The extremely deep connection to nature, feeling broken/damaged, the story of inherited trauma, the longing to find peace out West amongst the giant redwoods and sprawled ferns and snowcapped mountains. I cried because a few years ago I became disabled, and what used to heal my depression and PTSD, is no longer accessible. The desperate need to get both lost and found in the tunes of the wind and trees...the earth and sun. To heal the shattered pieces of not just me, but the addicted pain of my mother, the abuse of her mother and the suffering that goes back so so far - yet is still so harsh and loud that I can hear the screams of them in my heart and nightmares.

This show is so embedded in my daydreams and hopes and losses that I had to keep pausing it as the sobbing caused my throat to spasm in pain. But even in those moments, I found healing. I had flashbacks of all my moments in the forests and waterfalls and bare feet in cold streams. The moments of sunlit beams and soft moss and the whisper of the leaves. The show captures these things so beautifully.

An understanding of what I need to do now, crept over me as I the show began to end. I need to heal all the pain my mother and her ancestors and my own inner child and adult self have felt. I have to heal it for all of us so that we may all finally find peace. I'll never be a parent, but I hope that with each moment I can render aid to each neuron and atom and speck of stardust - to the point that my life will have been well-lived and the joy of that will scatter to the Universe.

I'll find my way to the trees again. And if I'm lucky, a little more self-love.

I just watched the first episode, and here's my review:

It starts with a young girl listening to music on her headphones at an outdoor party. She sees a wolf and then a rabbit and feels that nature is calling her. She then goes to a grocery store to buy things for her escape journey, but the cashiers don't use Apple Pay. She thinks they must be from Mars or Jupiter because everyone uses Apple Pay. Even though her parents seem loving, with her mom always chatting and sending kiss emojis, she decides it's time to leave them. She turns off her location, and that's it-she's invisible and can go anywhere. She jumps on a random train, traveling illegally, and she's super happy, screaming because obviously no one will notice. She sends her parents a goodbye recording and starts her journey. She then meets a random adult singer, hangs out with him in his van-because clearly, the world is completely crime-free-and even sleeps in the van, which is obviously safe for girls like her. And this goes on.

Positives: The direction is superb, the background music and locations are good, and the young girl has done a fine job and is likable. The best part is the short duration, less than 30 minutes, as most shows nowadays are over 40 minutes. The first episode was fast-paced and not boring at all.

Negatives: The story doesn't make sense. If her parents were shown as bad or abusive, it would make sense for her to leave. But she's just leaving for fun and to explore, without any money or a place to live, and hangs out with a random guy. It just doesn't send the right message.

Overall, it's a good concept-someone leaving their regular, boring life to explore what's out there, something many have thought about. But I hope the remaining seven episodes portray it more realistically, showing the challenges, since the genre isn't fantasy. For now, I'd give it a 2/5. I'll update the review if I watch the rest of the episodes.

I thought the sounds and scenery of the movie was great from the wilderness to the small town. Reminds me of a not giving up type of message when giving up is so easy. I thought the ending was good. I really enjoyed and couldn't stop watching; I binged it in one short sitting. The episodes go fast and end well in a great place and the next episode picks right back up. I highly recommend this for teenagers and parents. I hope there is another season planned. The acting by the lead actor steals the show every episode. The supporting cast is great as well. Definitely a nice change of pace. If you want believable maybe this doesn't fill that void but if you want to know your place in the world and thinking what life is supposed to be then this is a great show.

It is to believe in a world where a young girl lives in the forest alone without terrible things happening. Who meets only wonderful people and manages to survive only on what the forest gives her.

We have become so used to violence that at any given minute we expect something to exhaust her and hurt her. Also the fact that she chose to make the journey not because of escape bad situation or violent parents is difficult. Why would she do that? Her wonderful journey for me is to return to believing in the goodness of man.

And I find it almost magical in the posibility that this world and forest that bring only the good of mankind exist.

I pray it does.