Wow, this show is polarising: people here either love or hate it. It sit somewhere in the middle, awarding Heartbreak High (HH) a 7.5 with pros and cons. First: the pros. The show was much better than I expected, quite funny and entertaining. I loved the Sydney setting because I tried to guess the suburbs, beaches and schools featured in episodes. I thought the diverse cast were mostly very good: the different gender identities were much needed in Australian TV shows which tend to present a generic vanilla lifestyle to international audiences. I thought HH successfully balanced themes teenage audiences care about with intergenerational dramas with their parents. Praise be to the writers for making Generation X parents slightly cool. One example was how the latter reacted with amusement to the school protest. I hope to see more exploration of the two generations in the next season.
Now the cons: I understand that the show wants to explore gender identity and sexual orientation of teenagers along with friendships, hedonism, parties and consent. However, these themes may become repetitive and shallow if the writers do not start exploring larger themes Generation Z care about. Isn't this generation the most concerned about climate change and the instigators of the climate strikes? Shows like Derry Girls successfully balanced absurd, humorous and darker themes. I do not think HH successfully depicted the trauma of a First Nations student being bullied by the police: this event was resolved very quickly. As well, as a former educator, schools take accusations of child abuse very seriously, much more so than in HH. The writers missed a golden opportunity to explore themes of power in false accusations by students. Please get some actual educators in the writer's room!
I will come after you for a writing credit if I see climate change in the next season, LOL.
Now the cons: I understand that the show wants to explore gender identity and sexual orientation of teenagers along with friendships, hedonism, parties and consent. However, these themes may become repetitive and shallow if the writers do not start exploring larger themes Generation Z care about. Isn't this generation the most concerned about climate change and the instigators of the climate strikes? Shows like Derry Girls successfully balanced absurd, humorous and darker themes. I do not think HH successfully depicted the trauma of a First Nations student being bullied by the police: this event was resolved very quickly. As well, as a former educator, schools take accusations of child abuse very seriously, much more so than in HH. The writers missed a golden opportunity to explore themes of power in false accusations by students. Please get some actual educators in the writer's room!
I will come after you for a writing credit if I see climate change in the next season, LOL.