Netflix Series PENELOPE

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“Penelope” is a unique coming-of-age about a 16-year-old girl doing what we all dream of doing… when we’re twelve. Who didn’t think of running away and living off the land, giving our parents the big, ‘I don’t need you to survive!’ finger on the way out the door at some point? But we get to a time in our lives when we realize we’re wrong and move on from childish dreams.

Not Penelope, played by Megan Stott from “Little Fires Everywhere,”  who looks exactly like a young Reese Witherspoon. Luckily for us, she keeps these dreams alive. We’re the better for it because we’re on this trek with her.

In Episode One, we see how the idea of being on her own forms and blossoms. One night, while on a family camping trip, she sees a wolf and is enamored by the beautiful animal. She can’t stop thinking about it and about nature. She wants to be a part of this life in some fashion, possibly becoming a nature photographer is in her future. The following day, she goes off for a solo hike to see what shots she can capture. The day has made her happier than ever, so she buys some supplies with money she can get on a credit card and decides it’s the wilderness for her. She texts her parents, hoping they won’t be angry with her, and lets them know that she’s “not running away but running toward something.”

She comes across a lending library in a café and grabs some helpful books about the wilderness and how to survive alone. She leaves the safety of the café and enters the forest. She hugs the lovely moss-covered trees. They’re like giant friends, their moss a warm sweater to greet her with. We learn much about trees from Lynn (Krisha Fairchild) in Episode Four. She’s an impressively involved activist and environmentalist doing what she can to save this planet from ruin. What she says is vital to hear and exceptionally well-written for the series. I don’t want to say what Penelope learns from Lynn. I’d rather you listen to it from the lips of her new friend.

Did the trees Penelope loves so much call her into the woods, or perhaps it was Lynn?

Watching this young girl learn to live off the land by reading from a few books along the way and taking advice from a few people on her path is incredible. Could you do it? The photography is exceptional; catching her picking berries with and for a bear cub is beautiful, yet the longer she spends with the cub, you cringe, knowing that when you see a cub, mama isn’t far behind. Surely she knows this??

Regardless, she’s delighted and shows it by dancing after achieving her goals. She immerses herself in a pond she runs across and feels rejuvenated. You’ll be so amazed at how fascinated you’ll be while watching her cut limbs off a tree. She does this for a reason, not for monetary gain… using the tree branches is a good thing. It’ll be cold soon.

With Episode Six comes another sort of danger. The kind that can come from being an attractive, sweet young girl meeting up with a group of young men. You worry for her as they tell her they are spiritually lost. That worry doesn’t last long. Almost immediately, she puts them to work. The conversations that come from this episode are deep and meaningful. Penelope isn’t religious, but she doesn’t disrespect the fact that they are and holds hands with them when they pray for her.

What happens in the last few episodes is eye-opening. She argues with herself that leaving home and building a life for herself was the right thing because it was what she chose. A lot happens… or does it? There are astounding locations shown here as she moves her way north. The State of Washington is magnificent, and the cinematographers take full advantage of that fact. Penelope gets into trouble but finds her way out of it, building up good karma by giving back and helping others. This story is remarkable. You can’t live in the woods as a young teen, especially without technology to help you! She certainly proves that theory wrong. Enjoy the weighty score; let it meander through your thoughts as you head toward the end. It’s profound, but what did you expect from these producers?

In storytelling, you may think that Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn needed to pick a lane sooner, but with the entire series as a whole, they did. Sadly, it’s not that obvious per episode. We can’t live without our planet, so we can’t continue destroying it.

You can watch this on NETFLIX starting today, September 24th.