User reviews

Grand Army does a great job at capturing reality, from the characters to the themes tackled. While watching, I felt like I had met the characters in my highschool years; they weren't stereotypes, but well-rounded, real and raw... nothing like the 30 year-old hotties we've become so used to. As for the themes tackled, the series does not shy away from serious topics and approaches them from a diverse point of view, without romanticizing them or using them for melodrama. It might not be for everyone, but I do appreciate the series' effort to give all teenagers something or someone to relate to.

It starts off a little slow but picks up through the episodes. It's a good representation of teenage life, the characters actually look and act their age. The teens also wear real/normal clothes instead of couture or outfits a 25yr old would wear clubbing. The storylines are engaging. Not as gripping or as much drama as say, Euphoria but very relatable ...Teens do drugs, are mean, insecure, have sex, have crushes, have fun, party, are trying to discover themselves and find their place in the world, all the while doing stupid sh** sometimes...that's this show.

Without giving too much away I liked the way consent, impact and agency are explored, its very much real but not often shown this way on screen. We tend to be shown extremes.

Also, this show is not "BLM crap" ignore that review. Not that it should be an issue but BLM barely comes up, it's given about 5 mins of screen time - a subtle subplot that crops up occasionally alongside other storylines, but is by no means dominant or even a storyline I even noticed until trying to understand what the triggered review was about. I'd say in terms of general themes, sex and belonging dominate this show more than anything. This show is contextual, current and has varied storylines. There are a diverse range of characters of varying heritage, developing different subplots. To be honest this is what Brooklyn looks like in 2020. There are white people, black people, brown people, East Asian people, Jewish people, Muslim people, wealthy people and poorer people, and they all have problems. This show has all the diversity without the Disney style cheese, it's as real as it gets for an American high school. Enjoy it for what it is, Teens in Brooklyn growing up in 2020.

It should be clear that-given the show's controversial topics-it will be subject to harsh criticism, as well as affirming support. Personally, I enjoy narratives that aren't sugar-coated. This is a real and raw look at adolescence from a modern student's point of view. Yes, there may be cliches, but the story overall feels fresh and original. I read a review that attacked the legitimacy and safety of public education. While there are cases that may dignify this opinion, most people don't have the means to attend private institutions. Instead of simply denouncing government run education, fight to improve it. No system is perfect, which is why it will take a cumulative effort to create necessary change. It sounds simplistic, but if this show highlights anything, it's that this generation will lead the charge to change the antiquated and divisive ideals that have plagued this nation since its inception. Stand tall and "FREE THE NIPPLES!"

Considering the diverse storylines this series is so on point, well balanced and showen by very good, mostly fresh, young and thankfully natural looking actors; on top of it with great animation parts.

The covered topics are (in no particular order): adolescence, school and education system, social system, justice system, (first) love, (first) sex, hetero-homo-bi-sexuality, feminism, terrorism, rape, immigration, racism...

Of course everything is shown from the US-American perspective. Nevertheless many topics are international and surely relatable in one or another way for many viewers.

Don't want to spoil anything, but especially one controversial rape scene beside other important topics seems to devide viewers already. And this again shows the struggle of many countries societies, not only the USA, to cope with sensitive subjects like this in an appropriate and reasonable way.

Regarding this the rating by demographic on IMDB (current average 6,3) is very interesting: some, or better said for sure too many men and even women still might need to learn a lot about the difference between consensual sex and rape.

Finally to all the "this is woke and pc bs" h/raters: fortunately your twisted perception will die out slowly but steadily... at least this is what the statistics show too ;)

Cheers!

I really don't understand the low rating of this show, all the hate comes from closed minded people who hate change and representation. This is a great show with a diverse cast and a great story. It's one of the most authentic portayals of modern high school life I've seen in the media without the kids being overly sexualized or drugged up. It's raw and real and the acting is phenomenal. The "woke" moments don't seemed forced or like they were written by old white men. highly recommend the show!!

Against everything about OUR generation, this is why I'm hopefull. The whole show was a big journey. They were struggling, trying to find their way and like it or not it was a discovery. Even the dark ones. Maybe for the first time I felt like I could see it clearly. Those kids weren't perfect. They don't have to be. They just stood tall, fought for what they believe. I think the show made most of us who could judge them and think that they deserved what they had, to understand and empathize. And I think it didn't make it in a nice way. If you don't like it, probably you should get your thing together and think.

This isn't your typical drug/alcohol abuse, sex, & violence type of teen drama. It's more than that. It's about identity, hardships, race, etc. This show gave a more real high school experience than Euphoria did...and I love Euphoria. The authenticity and character development is what did it for me. If you don't like "woke" or "political correct" shows then don't watch it. This show is real life and if you want to escape that when watching tv shows then don't watch this because this show really made me reflect on life and I like that. Highly recommend checking it out!

This show puts on a great display of typical inner city life of kids and their families. They let the characters develop and slowly let the series unfold without rushing it. I definitely will watch season two.

First, I would like to say the young actors and actresses in this show are definitely the future. I look forward to seeing more from all of them. Secondly, the individual plot lines are well told and are really what teens and young adults are facing today in America. Third, without giving to much away, they showed every horribly difficult situation that young adults face (rich, poor, any ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality, religion) in their young lives in a very true form.

My opinion of the show as the person I am is that it not only left me wanting another season, but left me feeling strong emotions for all of the characters. It's a show that can make you happy, sad, angry, uncomfortable, and confused. When a show can make angry at an actor or actress, that means they are connecting with you deeply. If you can feel happy and joy for a characters achievements then they are doing something right. You get all emotions in this show.

This is my first review on IMDb. I tried my best to stay unbiased. I looked at the filming, the acting, the plot lines, and the character development. I can't fault a single thing in this show. Reading other reviews that are rating it on options of disliking it for one small part of the plot is kinda frustrating. I don't think people should review a show they didn't watch till the end. There should be no bias when really reviewing a show. I tried to put mine aside and look at everything that can make a show great and rate it on that. This show gets a 10 out of 10 in every category.

My last point is on one of the plot lines. Personally, I think it was the hardest to watch and the most important thing in the show that hopefully they will continue on in the next season. Sexual assault. They showed it in a very true light. It is difficult to watch, but it is how the system is right now. It is also a very accurate depiction of what a person goes through after.

Thank you Netflix for another great show and pushing the boundaries of what people want to see into what they need to see.

Teen dramas are so hard to make, and even harder to like by-and-large. Either being awkwardly old fashioned, weirdly out of touch or so heavy handed they don't work. Grand Army is something else entirely really, adapted and expanded from an acclaimed play by its original writer Katie Cappiello. It is a worthy and very earnest piece of work - a sprawling granular teen odyssey with a superlative cast of incredibly good young talent. I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up being some sort of amazing relic that people look back on and go "WOW THEY WERE ALL IN THIS?!"

It covers a lot of bases, not all of them successfully, and invokes such a profoundly specific atmosphere of kaleidoscopic teenage panic that after a few episodes I found it difficult to sleep - kept awake with the ghost of adolescent anxiety. Certainly it often falls into soapy tropes and melodramatic funks, but what kept me watching was the veracity of the performances and vitality of the characters. There are some serious rings of truth here - in the painful ebb and flow of reality and trauma - the sickening unfolding of certain events. On the awkward fumbling at trying to get things right. The importance of it for me as someone much older than the young cast (although a bit younger than Cappiello it turns out) was the almost guidebook quality for support and allyship it provides. The best parts for me were quiet moments of encouragement, stuff you rarely see on television but are invaluable in reality. You may never be put in the same situation as these characters but it also serves to show you what you can do to help people who are.

The strongest storyline is that of Odessa A'zion's profoundly real Joey Del Marco - and it was no surprise to me that the original play concerned her storyline alone - the series expands out to cover a lot of other bases - and the final stark scene of the show is given over to a very present statement about representation but hearing there were issues with that in the writer's room gives the show's coverage of those themes a sad irony. All the stories in the show ARE important, but perhaps not all of them are Cappiello's alone to curate. After all, sometimes just being a supportive friend in the story is just as important as being the star.

Let me start by saying I am probably not the target audience as a non-American woman in her early 30s. I was expecting some mediocre teen drama as Netflix is getting (in)famous for, but this show is a lot better than the average show on this streaming service. Although I am expecting a lot of backlash on this series because it deals with racism and the cast is very diverse, I don't think that's fair.

The characters seem very realistic and the issues that are portrayed seem in touch with what it is like to be a teenager right now. Some topics are handled a bit too superficially, but I guess we can't have it all. Hopefully Netflix gives us a second season to answer some of the questions left after the finale.

What is it with this Joey character, she is arrogant, stupid, loud, annoying, attention seeker, and over the top. Usually there is something that I like in each character, even the antagonist, but this Joey, I can't see anything good from her.

This show have a lot to offer, the story with the actual message of teenage rebellion and sexual confusion is a nice story. But why they have to make this Joey character the main character??

If not because of her, I will give this show an 8 solid rating.

When I was watching this there was a constant feeling I got; every time I was starting to enjoy the show and connect with the characters there was an artificial turn of events that made me feel like I was watching a 9 episode long PSA. I get that the point of the show was to demonstrate the harsh reality of some very specific teenagers from very specific social contexts, but come on, at least give it a little variation, not only hours upon hours of complaining, self pity, depression, and blaming every one of your problems on someone else, all while exploiting the most popular cliches you can think of.

In spite of these critics, I still think the show was decent. It had a lot of potential to be more interesting if the characters were more complex and not just the "good guys", who were always the ones struggling, and the "bad guys", who were portrayed as the only reason why the good guys struggle. If this show had invited me to think and question the real collective reason why these teenagers suffer instead of just blaming it on individual characters I could easily give it 7 or 8 stars, but it is too simplistic.

I give it 4 stars because I found it watchable and as I said maybe it could invite you to think further, but it was boring at times and quite predictable and cliche despite the clear focus on making the characters develop.

A show that correctly reflects the real life adolescent experience is something I've been looking for and this show is IT! The design, writing, depth and more had me hooked from the very beginning. I highly recommend it.

Very realistic to what young people go through these days sad to say.

I feel like people saying this is realistic picture of what it is to be a teenager are comparing with the Disney shows. It is not super unrealistic, but it's definitely exagerated in some points.

I liked it a bit in some points, but honestly it isn't anything special. A bit different than what we've been receiving lately as far as teenager drama goes, I guess.

By far the most meaningful and enjoyable shows I have watched this year. Would be a tragedy if Netflix did not renew it.

Good show and I like the characters but that show is so dark. I feel like I stared at a black screen the entire time.

I really hope this show has more seasons. It was pretty refreshing. They took some age old high school problems and made them feel new.

This was extremely intense and gritty and dark but hit topics that most shows don't, like very poor families, extreme trauma and ptsd, an actual psychopath (leila), gayness in an Indian family, Blackness in public schools, just so much but it also did not feel rushed at all, like most netflix shows, because this show chose one storyline for each main character and actually developed it throughout the entirety of the show. It's honestly only rated this low because it was one season of very few episodes. My friends said this could have been the next degrassi if it got more time, and it was already way better than next class so it kinda sucks it didn't get the seasons it deserved ://

Grand Army is a gritty and raw picture of teenage life in today's world. The storytelling, the young, undiscovered acting talent, the direction are all so mesmerizing and refreshing. The subject matter is incredibly relevant and important and is handled with a sensitive and authentic touch. I believe it's meant to be eye-opening and almost uncomfortable (at times) it easily accomplishes it's goal. The subject is heavy, but there are plenty of moments of levity and humor, along with uplifting and positive storylines. Left me wanting a lot more. Truly well done. Sets a new standard in the young adult genre! I loved it. Can't wait for season 2!

I really enjoyed this show. Nothing out of the ordinary. Straight to the point. I feel like it brings in a lot of similarities from different high school series such as degrassi, skins, 13 reasons why, and Euphoria.

Yet another Netflix show that manages to make the characters so incredibly unlikeable that nobody cares what happens to them.

Also it's not realistic, it's just so damn boring.

I don't know why so many people are giving it such low ratings. Compared to other shows it does fairly well with showcasing people of different races being teenagers. Not just the same basic shells of characters. Also the themes are pretty good as well. The person who played Joey played her part perfectly. She is such a great actress. Definitely 10/10 recommend.