What happens when four teenage girls come together to expose the wrongs of their peers?
Well, as it turns out, a whole heck of a lot.
Get Even starts hot and never cools down during its 10 episode run, as the core four girls go from vigilante heroes to being framed for murder overnight.
SPOILERS abound, so please mind this warning before venturing on!
There's a lot of teen fare out there these days, with Riverdale and Elite being two of the more popular offerings on Netflix these days. And Get Even has a lot in common with both.
Bannerman School is like every other elitist private school you've seen on television, so it's not exactly breaking the mold in that regard.
But you have to give the show credit for going all-in on just how much wealth inhabits the school with teachers and students alike driving up in ridiculously expensive sports cars daily.
But aside from wealth, there's romance, drama, and death on display in the British import. What sets the series apart from other teen programming out there is the frantic pace of the story.
Each episode clocking in at just under a half-hour leaves little room for unnecessary side plots and time-wasting scenes that add nothing to the overall plot.
Just tuning in to the first episode, it's easy to assume this will be a show primarily about the ladies exacting revenge on a new target each episode. But things quickly take a turn when the boy they have next on their hit list turns up dead.
Ronny is an almost over the top villain, humiliating and hurting people seemingly for laughs. His motives aren't revealed beyond that, and he dies before we ever get to learn anything else about him.
Ronny's murder causes the ladies to pause their regularly scheduled programming of exposing bullies and creeps, and instead sends them on a quest to find the real murderer.
The murder mystery plays out throughout the season, with red herrings galore. But this isn't just a murder mystery drama. At its core, it's a teen show. And that means melodrama, with a side of more melodrama.
Each girl has their own storyline away from the main event, and each one is compelling in its own right, though some are more exciting than others.
As the leader of DGM, the girl's name for their ragtag crusader group, Kitty is doing everything she can to keep her scholarship and protect people as best she can. She's the heart of the group, but even she becomes disillusioned when it becomes increasingly clear that they can't right all the wrongs of a cruel world.
Bree's the quintessential bad girl, dealing with an absentee father while trying to avoid gym class at all costs. Bree gets all the witty lines and gets to be the one who breaks into houses and defies authority to show that she's firmly against the privileged world she was born into.
Bree's whole persona is to act as if she doesn't care about anything, but there are a few people in her life, namely best friend John, who see past the snark and indifference. Bree shines brightest when paired with John, and it's a shame the season ends with the two of them on less-than-stellar terms.
Every high school needs a popular clique, and that's where Olivia comes in, except, she's hiding a pretty big secret from her classmates. Finding out she's not as wealthy as her friends isn't a shocking secret, but, surprisingly, she's confided this bombshell in her best friend, Amber, who's every mean girl stereotype come to life.
Amber serves as not only Olivia's best friend but also her frenemy and potential love interest. Her relationship with Amber is more down than up, but when the two finally confront the feelings they've been dancing around all season, it feels earned.
Olivia's decision to continue working on herself and not jump into something she may not be ready for is an excellent way of prolonging Olivia's journey towards self-acceptance.
And lastly, there's Margot, the tech wizard, who'd rather stay at home playing video games than attend the latest high school rager. Margot has the best arc of all the girls, as she works hard to be more social and embrace the opportunities that come her way.
Watching her find her voice and assert herself as every bit deserving of the friendship and love her peers enjoy, is a highlight of this first season.
There's plenty of relationship drama, with all the girls having their fair share of romantic moments and some heartbreak sprinkled in.
The male characters aren't as fully fleshed out because this story isn't really about them. Though special shout-out to Shane, Bree's pseudo boyfriend, who provides comic relief every time he pops up onscreen.
For as entertaining as the show is, not everything works all the time.
The girl's decision to pop into bathrooms and classrooms and talk about the very illegal activities they're engaging in is entirely at odds with how careful they are to only communicate via burner phones when not in person.
There's also the ending, which makes sense and doesn't at the same time.
The killer reveal begins to formulate around the time of Mika's death, and the series does an excellent job of throwing us off the killer's scent.
Logan shows flashes of being emotional, but does he come across as an unhinged serial killer who's determined to protect his best friend? No. Not even a little bit.
He seemed to share a genuine connection with Margot, but perhaps that was us seeing what we wanted to see because it was so refreshing to see Margot let down her guard. It's Logan's final words to Margot, though, that are particularly confusing.
A secret society involving the Bannerman adults isn't far-fetched, but the reveal comes out of left field and remains in the universe with minimal reaction from Margot.
What kind of society? Was Logan working on behalf of them? And why are they after DGM? All questions that go unanswered.
Things end on a hopeful note for the girls, who've caught the killer and managed to keep their identity a secret, but what happens next?
Here's hoping we get a second season to continue exploring the inner workings of the Bannerman School. There appears to be a lot more story to tell.
Other Tidbits
- Ed is a gem, an absolute gem who must be protected at all costs.
- Donte may not have been the killer in this scenario, but I'm keeping my eye on him moving forward.
- The DGM motto is ridiculous and perfect at the same time.
If you've had a chance to binge the series, drop a comment down below and let me know what you thought about the season, and what you'd like to see in a potential second season!
Get Even is streaming now on Netflix.
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