My expectations were exceeded by this excellent, informative and thoughtful series. The title effectively sums up the main dramatic drive, focusing on a teen girl who has just been discharged from a medical facility for her eating disorder and is very anxious to catch up on all the teen experiences she has missed while being away. She has to try to navigate life in the real world now, even though many of her issues are still to be fully resolved. One of the greatest strengths of the series was to show how such disorders are not just cured’ but are rather more like ongoing issues that have to be navigated day by day.
The drama gives a grimly brilliant picture not just of the effect of the disorder on the life of the central character, Maia but, as importantly, the often devastating effect that it has on all around her. This was particularly powerful in Episode 6 when the focus changed to her brother Alex who for years had felt completely marginalized and ignored while all the family focus and effort was directed towards his sister. The whole episode was particularly well focused and powerfully written.
There was also an interesting balance and exploration of how the disorder was connected and linked to Maia’s personality. With some of her friendships and relationships, their fracturing was put down to the disorder that the possibility was also raised that it may have been due to Maia’s nature, and not always directly connected with the food issue. And at the end some harsh truths were spoken to M about this and the fact that, at times and intrinsically, she was selfish and self-centered period, regardless of the eating issue.
Communication (or the lack of) was a central concern in situations like this and even at times I though the psychiatrist (a very avuncular Stephen Fry) was not really managing to communicate with her – added to the fact that she very often said what she knew others wanted to hear. I liked the portrayal of Cam too, whose initial impact was of being a rather dumb would-be jock but this turned out to be very far from the case for he was the one who first alerted M’s parents’ to her issue.
Anyway, an excellent series which also provided, for me at least, something of an education as to the true nature of this crippling disorder.