Notes

A Closer Look at PEN15 Building Blocks
There are a lot of teen shows on the market right now that are attempting to capture the awkwardness and niggling social anxiety of childhood and adolescence, but none of them are as satirical or hilarious as PEN15 Building Blocks. It's a wacky show from Lonely Island, created and written by Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine that follows best friends forever, Anna (Konkle) and Maya Ishii-Peters (Erskine), as they relive their seventh grade lives through the eyes of their 13-year-old selves.

PEN15 is an Emmy-nominated comedy that has garnered rave reviews from critics and fans alike, with NPR calling it a "gem" and Entertainment Weekly labeling it a "masterpiece of teen TV." With season 2 on the way, we're taking a closer look at what drew so many people to PEN15 in the first place: It's all about being young and embracing your imperfections.

The first season of PEN15, which launched in September on Hulu, focused mostly on sexy adventures and awkward attempts to make it through school without getting caught. But in Season 2, the comedy has shifted to explore more serious issues, including divorce and mental illness.

This time around, PEN15 focuses on the girls' struggles with their identities. As read more (Erskine) struggles to understand her white guilt and Anna (Konkle) grapples with her own race, their friendship is tested in ways the show never would have dreamed of.

It's this sensitivity to the emotional and psychological ramifications of being young that makes PEN15 so affecting. While other teen comedies have been focusing on the social and sexual awkwardness that often comes with being a kid, PEN15 offers more nuanced examinations of what it means to be a child in the era of heightened social awareness and media scrutiny.

That means it's not only more hilarious, but also more relatable than the other teen comedies out there. In fact, this series feels more like a companion piece to the other teen slapstick shows out there, such as Freaks and Geeks and Strangers with Candy, which were made for adults but aren't afraid to tackle the pitfalls of adolescence head-on.

As much as PEN15 is about slapstick, it's also about the power of friendship and how a strong bond can overcome even the most craziest situations. When Anna's parents decide to separate and pull her away from her best friend, the pair fight through the difficulties of growing apart in ways that are both hilarious and heartbreaking, proving that the girls are stronger than they ever thought possible.

The duo's performances are so compelling that you're willing to forgive a few awkward moments or inconsistencies in the script. There's a reason why PEN15 was picked up to series with 10-episode orders in April 2018.

But there are several things we'd like to see changed, especially in the early episodes of Season 2. One of the biggest gripes is that PEN15 relies too much on its characters not talking to each other. This isn't the most effective way to dramatize any situation, and it can make the episodes feel a bit unfocused.
Homepage: https://www.pen15merch.com