[Genera+ion Recap with Joe Lipsett] Genera+ion Comes Roaring Back with Assured Writing and Characters

Each week Joe and Terry discuss the most recent episodes of HBO Max’s Genera+ion, alternating between our respective sites. 

Spoilers follow for Season 1, Episodes 9-11, “Deepfake”, “Built for Pleasure”, and “Absolute Zero”. 

TERRY

I didn’t think we’d be back to covering this so soon, Joe. When a show splits its season in half, I assume it’ll be a while before we get the second half, but two months after the mid-season finale, Genera+ion is back with eight more episodes. And it’s weird because they had to have written the scripts pretty much back to back to account for filming, and yet this trio of episodes feels incredibly more assured than what we’ve received up until this point. A lot of times, television shows do take a few episodes to find their footing and maybe that’s the case here...because, unsaddled from the first half’s competing storylines set in the future and the present catching up to the future, Genera+ion got good.

“Deepfake” reintroduces the cast of characters, opening on Chester (Justice Smith) as he fearfully watches a kid pummel a piñata to death at a skating rink. He’s waiting for his first date with Bo (Marwan Salama), the guy he had been texting with in “The Last Shall Be First.” Chester is dressed like a gay pride parade, with his rainbow short shorts and matching headband/wristbands while Bo is dressed more conservatively. We also learn a bit more about Bo, like the fact that he mines bitcoin, his aunt had a “stalker” that caused her to have a nervous breakdown and he unironically likes Blake Shelton. And while they’re skating, a kid vomits on the court and Chester ends up careening into it as a summation of their terrible first date. 

It really made me laugh. 

We then get the “12 hours earlier” text situation that Genera+ion sometimes employs and a “Riley” title card. Riley (Chase Sui Wonders), riling from the drama of the San Francisco trip (and the fact that her father is seeing a jailbait younger woman while her mother still lives in the house), is acting out. The friend group has been invited to Greta (Haley Sanchez)’s aunt Ana (Nava Mau)’s apartment to watch X-Files and Riley isn’t sure if she’s welcome. While things get awkward between her and Greta when Riley does show up at the party, we also see Delilah (Lukita Maxwell) struggling with her decision to give the baby away. She’s also navigating new crush Cooper (Diego Josef), who Naomi (Chloe East) also likes. 

Nathan (Uly Schlesinger), meanwhile, is still combating his homophobic mother Megan (Martha Plimpton). This is a storyline that continues into the tenth episode as he gets more desperate to prove to his mother he’s bisexual and not just confused. Considering Nathan’s still reeling from the fact that Chester never responded to his text message and is absolutely in love with him, the idea to use Chester as his fake boyfriend to torment his mother seems like a terrible idea. 

Coming back to these characters felt similarly to getting into Love, Victor season 2, Joe. It felt like being back with old friends, catching up on their zany exploits. It surprised me because I left the first half of the season on a sour note and I wasn’t expecting to just pick up and go with the flow. But the humor, at least in the first few episodes, is on fire, the parents have been reduced (so far) and when they are on screen, their stories feel more connected to the teen drama (much like in Love, Victor). Episode 10 “Built for Pleasure” just amplifies the good feelings with a car drive (one of my favorite parts of the first half) and witty repartee between friends who feel like friends. 

But how do you feel about this reintroduction to Genera+ion, Joe? Did these early episodes work for you? Did you enjoy Chester/Bo’s makeup first date that involved reading from the steamy romance Built for Pleasure? Did you laugh when Cooper goes in for a kiss with Delilah and she slams the door in his face? And speaking of new romances, what are your thoughts on Greta’s new potential (and complicated) paramore, Lucia (Marisela Zumbado)?

JOE

Aside from the fact that several of the male actors clearly got haircuts in between episodes, it feels like virtually no time has passed for Genera+ion, Terry. Of course, in the world of the show, we’re only a week or so later after the Christmas break, but it does seem like a lot has happened. 

You’re right, this is like catching up with old friends and I am so happy to have this messed up crew of kids back, particularly as they make wildly horrible decisions like Nathan and Chester pretending to be boyfriends to upset Nathan’s “homophobe Evangelical white lady” mom.

It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds over the remainder of the season. We catch a glimpse of the pair’s exploits in “Built For Pleasure”, but the truth is that Nathan is more of a background character in this trio of episodes. He’s been sidelined as Chester and Bo’s relationship progresses: moving from disastrous first date to adorable Rocky Horror Picture Show/grocery store hang out to a quiet evening in with Chester’s Nona in “Absolute Zero.” 

Things are proceeding nicely between the two boys, which is a nice inversion from Chester’s lovesick obsession with guidance counselor Sam (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), who is now helping Riley (who is spiraling rapidly - more on her in a bit). I won’t lie, Terry, the sheer awkwardness of Chester and Bo’s first date at the roller rink was so cringey that I nearly died. But then everything is delightful on their “second chance” do-over, which is exceedingly cute and involves a surprisingly well-written romance novel (I would legit read a Genera+ion tie-in if they released it as a real book).

And that’s what makes the trio of dates in “Built For Pleasure” so lovely: Chester and Bo’s date is swoon-worthy, as are Delilah’s flustered reactions over Cooper (including that very funny door slam you mention). Hell, even Greta’s meet-cute skatepark date with Lucia - a relationship that is clearly headed for catastrophe - has that breezy kind of chemistry that gives me butterflies. If there’s one thing that Genera+ion excels at, it’s making me fear for these teens while simultaneously making me live vicariously through their emotional existences. 

The arc that I’m most invested in, though, is Riley’s...albeit with a heavy, heavy dose of concern. She’s taken over Chester’s troubled role from the first half of the season, a fact the show visually telegraphs by swapping her in as the one strutting through campus and meeting with Sam (just as Chester did back in the pilot). The situation with Riley’s parents is laid out in “Built For Pleasure” and it’s hella awkward: it’s not just that her parents’ relationship is imploding, but her father’s new girlfriend is effectively living at the house and her mother has redecorated a room as a play space for her inner five year old child to play with dolls and finger paint rainbows.

It would be hilarious if it weren’t so worrying. Riley is effectively parenting both her mother and her father’s mistress, who we see in “Absolute Zero” is only a few years older than her. Asking a child to take on the responsibilities of an adult is always a recipe for disaster, but factoring in her mixed feelings for Greta and the fall-out from her impromptu sex session with Lucia and this isn’t going to end well for any of them. 

Do I think that super uncomfortable “family” dinner that both Lucia and Riley end up at may be exactly what Greta and Riley need to sort out their feelings for each other? Absolutely. 

Have I begun to worry that Riley’s isolationist, self-destructive tendencies (evident in the science class sequences) are hinting at the very real possibility of self-harm? Absolutely.

Oof, I’m on pins and needles, Terry. Do you think that Riley is a danger to herself? Are you surprised that characters like Nathan, Naomi and Arianna have been effectively sidelined? And what do you think of the very different narrative structures of these three episodes: 3 characters, looping back (“Deepfake”), one long day (“Built For Pleasure”) and one school week by day (“Absolute Zero”) structure? 

TERRY

I’m glad you mentioned the callbacks to the first episode, Joe, with the Chester/Riley swap because that was what initially got me to sit up with the return to Genera+ion. The show is doing the work to make this back half feel like an inversion of the first in fascinating ways and Riley’s spiral feels like watching a trainwreck in slow motion. I found myself worried for Chester in the initial episodes of the season because outwardly he presented as fine while it was obvious he was fighting feelings of depression and isolation when he was alone, . 

Here we have a slight inversion because Riley is outwardly being destructive, like in science class as you mentioned. From her picking up the piece of dry ice and holding it in her palm to the incredibly evocative final image of her smashing the flash-frozen rose...she’s dealing with some shit. And it wouldn’t be surprising for Genera+ion to lean into that trauma and sit with it. The show gave us 8 episodes of Chester’s slow spiral with his (thankfully) unrequited love from the guidance counselor...so I assume we will be sitting in Riley’s pain for a while. 

Which makes me sad. 

This focus also, as you suggested, sidelined the siblings and Arianna and...if I’m being honest? I don’t miss it. The weird love/friendship triangle between the three of them gave a few very amusing moments, but it wasn’t the storyline from the front half that resonated most with me. I like Arianna’s quippy nature and the scene of Naomi coming to Nathan’s salvation when he’s blindsided by his mom and the church dude, but I’m happy to sideline them for the more intriguing storylines. 

At least so far, that’s the strength of Genera+ion. It has given us a diverse group of characters so if a few fade to the background for awhile, there’s still tons of gloriously queer content to explore. 

Finally, as for the structure, it’s another area that feels so much more assured in this back half, Joe. One of my biggest complaints of the first few episodes was that it dropped the structure of the first episode immediately and went more conventional. Sure Genera+ion would play with the structure from time to time, but it felt awkward rather than purposeful. Here, it feels completely meaningful: a deliberate creative decision that keeps the stories interesting and constantly moving. I hope that flow continues and the writers play with structure more throughout these next few episodes. 

Before we finish, I was curious what you thought about the in-person appearance of Greta’s mom Sela (Patricia De Leon)? She was always a Zoom away, but now she’s here and has the potential to be more overt in her parenting. What are your thoughts on the dynamic she brings to the Ana/Greta situation? And what do you hope the rest of the season will bring?

JOE

Oh, I’m so glad you brought up Sela, because her cliffhanger arrival in “Built For Pleasure” was both expected and not. Obviously the threat of Sela’s return has loomed large over the series so far, but the way Genera+ion teased that another Zoom appearance, only to pull the rug out on both Greta and the audience, was a fun subversion. 

I love that Sela is exactly what we expect, but also different. When the family is preparing for dinner, Sela is stern and demanding; it’s completely understandable why Greta has been living in fear of her mother’s return because Sela is a totalitarian presence (it’s her way, all the time). And yet, when Ana gets her talking about ex-boyfriends and everyone starts dancing, suddenly the situation is loving and lively and fun. So much so that I couldn’t help but giggle at the inevitable banging on the wall from the neighbour about the noise. 

It’s a great scene that reinforces that no one is an absolute on this series: everyone is more complicated, nuanced and different than they seem, particularly when it is through someone else’s lens.

With that said, however, it’s still going to be a complete disaster when Sela learns the truth about Lucia and Greta. She may appreciate the big lesbian energy that Lucia brings to fixing the fridge in a pinch, but I don’t foresee an easy coming out process for Greta. Thankfully Ana should be around to help run interference!

So, yes, I expect we’ll see that plot line unfold in the immediate future. I agree with you, Terry, that Riley’s arc will likely carry her through to the end of the season, but it will likely continue to escalate. Finally, the fake relationship between Chester and Nathan is going to cause problems for both boys, though it’d certainly be nice if someone got to be happy (perhaps Delilah and Cooper...assuming Naomi doesn’t find out?)

We’ll find out when we hop over to QueerHorrorMovies for episodes 12 & 13 next week!