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.

That's a realistic and unrealistic at the same time show, beautifully made series with new concepts, fresh plots and mesmerizing acting by the gentle lead who looks a little older than sixteen though. It's a little messy on the vibe and flow, could have been 40 minutes long per episode and with a little more drama and down-to-earth happenings instead of the near constant ethereal flow.

Nevertheless, a cute and fresh approach to youth and freedom and let's hope there would be a second season.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 6
• Production value/impact: 7.5
• Development: 7.5
• Realism: 7.5
• Entertainment: 7
• Acting: 7.5
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8.5
• VFX: 8.5
• Music/score/sound: 8
• Depth: 7
• Logic: 3
• Flow: 7
• Drama/teen drama: 6.5
• Ending: 6.5.

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.

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 am male and getting long in the tooth but I enjoyed this series very much. Other reviewers have focused upon whether it is realistic or not - this question did not intrude on my enjoyment.

Firstly, it is thoughtful and beautiful to look at. It takes some nerve these days to offer a slow narrative but this is all the better for it. There are a lot of things left unsaid which is a joy when most series these days spoonfeed the audience. We never truly know why Penelope heads off - she does not know why herself. But whatever is driving her is something we can probably all relate to - wanting a place to belong. The script is meagre but Megan Stott is very believable and does a great job. The directing, music and pace of the series are all excellent and I was pleased that there is much left unresolved at the end to me, this seems very realistic.