Penelope

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.

Bottom line, if you cannot remember which specific Y2K bash you attended -- because technically you did not yet exist in 1999 -- then this series may possibly be your cup of tea. The PR package, and the very short duration of each episode, make it crystal clear that this series is intended for tweens. Adults watch entirely at their own risk. The episodes are highly targeted for the less cynically minded. In E01, a young teen packs a survival bag and heads for the woods. With no proper explanation. She is not kidding. Nor are the writers. With no prior skils or experience, she plans to sort it all out only once she is right in the thick of things. Luckily for her, everything that happens from that point forward would not be out of place in a Disney series from the 1960s. Kindly strangers appear with gifts, and impart know-how. Forest creatures befriend her. A wandering group of boys, who at first appear sinister, turn out to be Bible students. Turns out that living in the wild is as easy as falling off a log. Literally. Any viewer with an ounce of real-life-exerpience will find Penelope's adventures remarkably naive. Younger viewers however may be entranced. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

First episode they lay out the background for Penelope to embark on her adventure. Many reviewers are taking a shallow look at the premise and assuming she is just running away for no reason. It is made somewhat clear in episode one and more so in subsequent episodes that she is having a crisis of meaning. She is looking at her life and seeing nothing there or at the very least feeling like she is missing something and, right or wrong, running away and entering nature is her answer to that.

Now the unrealistic... By analyzing her actions from episode two it's pretty clear she would have been dead by day four. That said I'm somewhat familiar with what to do in the woods and I don't believe I'm particularly the target audience. There are multiple more actions in subsequent episodes that definitely would have had her dead or in a very bad way all of which is ignoring the fantastical bits where she makes a forest friend, but like I said, maybe I'm not exactly the target audience.

Even though it for sure does not stand up on realism it has a good message and worth the watch, even if I wasn't particularly happy with the ending.

The actress made you feel her connection to nature. The trees and forest were the supporting cast. It is a beautiful portrayal of a young woman trying to find her own mental peace and stability through nature. I loved everything about this show. Her interaction with the forest and learning to live with nature and survive all while trying to figure out her emotional stability was beautifully captured.

This actress was able to make you feel her various levels of emotions throughout this journey. I don't want to get into specifics and give away the details of the end but she made you feel her emotional growth through the season.

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.