Heartbreak High 2022

Only finished season 1 so far.
It's like if Euphoria and Gossip Girl combined into some ultra toxic world with unrealistic teenaged activities.
Every person except one in this series are drinking, doing drugs, have tattoos and have absentee parents lol.

Heartbreak High is a teen drama set in NSW circling around Amerie and her classmates and the horror that occurs between them when they return from school break and Harper and Amerie's Incest Map is discovered in an abandoned stairwell. Amerie takes the fall, becomes vilified by all her classmates and makes new friends in the queer weirdos Darren and Quinni.

I loved the character development of all the side characters, but the main characters are all so incredibly toxic and unlikeable. The lack of communication kills me. There's so much sex-based drama that it's quite offputting, no one is just genuinely nice except for Quinni.

There are so many awful moments of the characters just unable to be open about perspectives of other people - which really adds to the teen-ness of it - but I struggle to buy they're all in grade 12 with all the drinking, drug use, tattoos and whatever else. The music is really on-the-nose - about as subtle as a tank driving over you. But the acting is really great. I think my favourite characters are Quinni, Malakai and Cash.

However, I am particularly wounded by the relationship between Cash and Darren insofar that the show does that thing that every single queer teen series does where: the ace person is forced into a relationship OR their identity is not discussed like other queer identities. Darren even asks what the fuck is wrong with Cash that he doesn't want to have sex with him. It's honestly frustrating and maddening that shows do this to every ace character. That not one person can go, "hey I think you're still figuring yourself out but maybe you're ace?" or if we're not labelling it, maybe we can not ask what's wrong with someone? Kind of fucked up IMO. We celebrate queer identities, but only the ones that fuck, amirite?

I also really cringed and felt so awful seeing the dynamic between Sasha and Quinni. It was so many of the conversations I've had with people about autism and how much effort autistic people have to put in to meet the standards of communication that neurotypical people have. Her depiction was just so honest and real. (If you want more neurodiverse rep, try Atypical.)

The central drama between Harper and Amerie kept me going and I really love some of the side characters, but honestly, I'm a little disappointed in some of the topics. I think it's worth watching, it's got a lot going for it, but I think I'm watching it because I dislike so much of it.