Penelope

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))

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.

I thought the sounds and scenery of the movie was great from the wilderness to the small town. Reminds me of a not giving up type of message when giving up is so easy. I thought the ending was good. I really enjoyed and couldn't stop watching; I binged it in one short sitting. The episodes go fast and end well in a great place and the next episode picks right back up. I highly recommend this for teenagers and parents. I hope there is another season planned. The acting by the lead actor steals the show every episode. The supporting cast is great as well. Definitely a nice change of pace. If you want believable maybe this doesn't fill that void but if you want to know your place in the world and thinking what life is supposed to be then this is a great show.

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.

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.