Back when the promise of a part two of PEN15 got announced, I never could have imagined that the eight episodes remaining would be last ones! That’s right, our time spent with these awkward 30-somethings playing their middle school selves is now officially over. Great television all around, though.
Similar to other episodes throughout its run, this last block featured other pivotal moments of early teen-dom, both universal and also oddly specific. What I like most about Anna and Maya is how hard they try to fit, often times failing miserably, but still also end up being their authentically weird selves. I’m sure I went through a similar inner struggle, but it didn’t play out quite as extreme as this show portrays. For instance, in the first episode back, Maya and Anna get pity invited to the most popular girl’s bat mitzvah. Maya whines enough for her parents to drop some pretty serious dough on a necklace the party girl already has at least a dozen of.
Anna is still reeling from the split of her parents, and is forced to “be the adult” in many interactions with the two. I’m sure lots of people can relate when her dad buys her a hamster to entice her to want to stay with him over her mother. On the other end of the spectrum, Maya continues to try and act more mature, especially since she’s developed a lot quicker than her friend. Both of them, however, are hellbent on getting boyfriends, which works out for Anna for a while, but just leads to Maya getting used in a heartbreaking scene. What I loved most about this season was how much they were there for each other. Whatever beef they had in 2A are now very much behind them and they present a sort of united front. They also just prove that strong friendships are the best.
Aside from their hysterical antics, this season also featured two unique episodes. The first sort of gets the girls out of the way and stars Maya’s real mother as her fictional mother in a Yuki-centric episode. We see the sacrifices she made in moving to the US with Maya’s father, along with how she always feels like she’s stuck between two worlds. It was touching and just shows how much of a star she is. Another episode that seemed very personal was when Maya and Anna took part in a cancer walk. Sure, some time was spent flirting with boys, but knowing that Anna’s real father has recently died of cancer really struck a chord.
All in all, Maya and Anna sort of came full circle and got the worst bits out of the way. I think the ending was fitting in that they pledged to be friends forever even if they might grow apart as they grow up. That was a hard conversation to listen to because I can think of a handful of really good friends I had growing up that I just don’t talk to anymore. Not because of any argument or anything, but just because we grew apart. I’ll really miss the creative genius of this show, and I hope that Maya and Anna continue to work together creatively in the future.