Messier than Heartstopper, but tamer than Skins, Everything Now has everything you’d expect from a British teen show. Sexuality, vices, and experimentation is what the series shares with other coming-of-age series, but at its heart is Mia Polanco as she tries to get back to her regular life after anorexia recovery. Cutting between her life now and her seven-month hospital stint, the show feels like a realistic depiction of a non-linear healing journey. It’s a show that makes sense to release right now, as the world’s teens try to get back to normal and try to reach standard teen touchstones.
After months in recovery for an eating disorder, 16-year-old Mia devises a bucket list of quintessential teen experiences to make up for lost time.
After a seven month stint in the hospital for anorexia, Mia Polanco returns home. As she returns to sixth form, she creates a bucket list to catch up on all the teen experiences that she’s missed.
Of course, with its premise, what stands out in this series is its depiction of recovering from anorexia. Internal monologue as a storytelling mechanism can feel overused, especially since it’s an immediate way for film to aurally depict a stream of consciousness. However, it’s a great fit for a show like this. Everything Now captures Mia’s self-consciousness, of trying to catch up with your friends again after a period apart, and of trying to seem normal even after recovering from mental illness. Paired with nauseating sound design and the camera following the food in front of Mia, her monologue just toes the line between provocative and cathartic. It makes Everything Now a realistic depiction of mental health recovery, though it can be triggering to watch for certain viewers.
The show’s internal monologue can turn some viewers off, and certain sequences might trigger some viewers, but it’s still a sincere depiction of recovery.
