Since premiering at the end of May, the new Netflix series “Geek Girl” has been gaining traction. Holding strong on the Netflix Global Top 10 watch list for several weeks, the show has received high praise and buzz across social media chatter.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead)
“Geek Girl”: New Netflix Series Stands Out
Based on the young adult book series of the same name written by author Holly Smale, this Netflix adaptation follows the story of 16-year-old Harriet Manners. She and her best friend Nat go to London Fashion Week with their class, where Harriet (played by Emily Carey) is discovered by modeling agent Wilbur Evans (Emmanuel Imani). Wilbur convinces her to go to a casting call, and as a result, Harriet gets signed by Infinity Models.
But this show is much more than just watching a young girl get her modeling start. “Geek Girl” is filled with unique coming-of-age challenges that transcend beyond the screen. As the audience watches Harriet navigate the twists and turns of life, they can’t help but find a piece of themselves in the teen.
In a pivotal scene in episode nine, Harriet turns to her classmate Toby (Zac Looker) and asks him:
Do you ever feel…slightly lost or out of place like… a polar bear in a rainforest?… Because sometimes I feel like I’m made wrong… or rather not wrong just definitely different like I’m not made for here and I’m just constantly searching for somewhere safe… somewhere.
Toby interjects, “Snowy, where the other polar bears are.”
Harriet replies, “Yeah.”
Feeling Different
Throughout the 10-episode series, viewers see Harriet standing out in situations, never seeming to fit in. Though never identified by name throughout the series, Harriet is autistic. This story of Harriet is based on author Smale’s own experiences. She wasn’t officially diagnosed as autistic herself until she was in her 30s.
Because Harriet comes across as different, she is bullied and teased by her popular classmate Lexi (Mia Jenkins) and her cronies, the “Olives,” at school. Her struggles continue as she embarks on her modeling career and finds herself the target of fellow model Poppy Hepple-Cartwright (Daisy Jelley), who resents the attention Harriet receives from top designer Yuji Lee (Sandra Yi Sencindiver) and fellow model Nick Park (Liam Woodrum).
Facing challenges at both school and in her modeling, Harriet struggles to accept herself.
At one point, Yugi asks Harriet why she wanted to become a model in the first place. Harriet replies that she wanted her “life to change.” She thinks that if she makes this change, all the roadblocks she encounters will suddenly go away.
She discovers this isn’t the case. Harriet continues to face obstacles, particularly due to her neurodiversity.
Harriet’s Neurodiversity
In episode six at a party, Harriet’s neurodiversity is confronted head on. She becomes overwhelmed by all the lights, noise and reporters wanting to talk to her. She retreats to the balcony, where Wilbur finds her. Seeing her in distress, he assures her that she doesn’t need to talk to all the people.
He tells her, “There are just as many ways to be a model as there are models… just have to find your way.”
Wilbur seeks out Harriet’s father, Richard (Tim Downie), to alert him about what’s going on. Richard, at first, gets defensive, thinking Wilbur is trying to label Harriet. To which Wilbur iterates that he’s not doing that and just wants to make sure Harriet gets everything she needs. These two scenes poignantly show the compassion and support Wilbur and Richard feel towards Harriet and their acceptance of who she is.
Learning Acceptance
The growth of Harriet throughout this series is aided by her strong support system. In episode 10, Harriet is in her bedroom alone with her stepmother, Annabel (Jemima Rooper), getting ready for the Bascar Fashion event.
Asking Annabel if she can show her something, Harriet pulls out a notebook from her desk and divulges a list she secretly keeps of “People Who Hate Harriet Manners.” This list includes an array of people, including Lexi, Poppy and even herself.
Annabel, with all the love in the world, emphatically relays to Harriet that “The only person who matters on that list is you… Stop hating yourself, and everyone else suddenly won’t matter very much at all.”
Annabel assures Harriet that she is brilliant just as she is.
I think that so many of us go through life feeling like we don’t fit in at times. We struggle to accept ourselves for who we are.
I know I personally have felt this in various work, social or family situations. In these particular instances, I feel the others in the group have more in common, and I’m standing on the outside. I get wrapped up in thinking that I should be more like everyone else and that there’s something wrong with me because I’m not. Believing I’m not enough during these times, I find myself feeling miserable and not liking myself very much. I found this show incredibly relatable, reminding me that who I am is more than enough.
“I think many of us have a bit of Harriet in us!” Jessica Ruston, “Geek Girl” lead writer and co-creator, said in a June 24 Twitter DM. “I certainly relate to her awkwardness, her discomfort in lots of social situations, her clumsiness (though I’m not quite as bad on that front, I am sure I have undiagnosed dyspraxia). Harriet feels like she is on the outside of things, and over the course of the series, learns to accept who she is – that she has value and that the parts of herself that she has always struggled with might have the most value of all.”
“I think that’s an important message for everyone, but as the mother of a tween daughter who hasn’t always found school easy and who has a lot in common with Harriet in various ways, it was something I felt especially strongly about,” Ruston said. “Joy and diversity were two key words that were important to me to bring to the TV adaptation from the start, and I think we managed to infuse the series with both.”
Polar Bears Are Awesome
Learning to be OK with yourself and not worrying about others’ perception of you is the biggest life lesson of all. Like Annabel says, the only person who matters is you. When we truly love ourselves, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.
Through overcoming her difficulties in this first season of “Geek Girl,” Harriet learns to accept herself as she is.
This is driven home in the scene described above with Toby when he assures Harriet: “Polar bears are awesome… just try to enjoy being a polar bear… we can be quite powerful at times. ”
Let that be a lesson to all of us. Even if you feel like a polar bear in a rainforest, embrace it and own how truly valuable that is.
A Show for Everyone
“Geek Girl” is a show that all ages can relate to. On the surface, there are comedic elements and levity, but at its core, “Geek Girl” is layered with a wide variety of themes relating to the human condition.
We see how Harriet contends with feeling different and her journey toward accepting herself. Weaved throughout the story are also themes of young love, the complexities of friendship, the toxic nature of social media and the overarching challenges of a teenager coming of age.
Drawing you in from the beginning, this show captivates you and leaves you wishing Netflix renews it for more seasons. The world needs more of Harriet Manners’ story.
“I’m not surprised that people love it,” Ruston said. “The books have a lot of fans, and there is something very special about Harriet’s story. But it has been wonderful to see such a broad audience take to the show. While that was very much our hope – that we could make something that appealed to viewers of all ages while keeping it suitable for its core YA audience, it was, of course, never a given that would happen. But it does seem to have connected with people, young and old. I’ve had a lot of messages from all kinds of people saying how much the show has resonated with them in a huge variety of ways, and those messages mean so much.”
Thanks for reading my blog on “Geek Girl!” Follow me on Twitter @tootsiepop6 for more entertainment and football content!