Review: ‘Ginny & Georgia’ an emotional rollercoaster

“Ginny & Georgia” was released Feb. 24 on Netflix. Photo Courtesy Netflix

“Ginny & Georgia” is one of Netflix’s most recent original series, and it has gained quite a following. It is a “dramedy” created by Sarah Lampert that stars Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howey as the two leading characters.

Georgia Miller decided to move to the small town of Wellsbury, Mass., with her two kids Ginny and Austin, portrayed by Diesel La Torraca, to have a fresh start after the death of her husband Kenny.

After moving to a new city and state, all three characters make new friends and rivals, as well as deal with complicated situations. Ginny wants to learn more about her and Georgia’s identity; Georgia deals with different challenges while refusing to address her past; and Austin struggles at school and home.

It was interesting to see how often Ginny and Georgia had intense arguments in different episodes. Considering the mother-daughter dynamic between Georgia and Ginny, it is no surprise that they had several disagreements throughout the first season. Georgia sees a lot of herself in Ginny, which is why they frequently clashed with each other. 

Georgia had Ginny at age 15, which makes certain concepts easier to understand. Ginny was 15 at the beginning of season one and turned 16 later on, while Georgia is 30. Having Ginny and Georgia be this close in age is something that viewers can relate to since many women have given birth at a young age.

The flashbacks of young Georgia in each episode, portrayed by Nikki Roumel, are important when it comes to understanding why Georgia is the way she is. There were several times throughout season one when Georgia felt uneasy opening up about her past and was unwilling to solve problems she encountered. Brianne Howey did an amazing job portraying Georgia in regard to showing a realistic depiction of someone who wants to focus on the future instead of addressing their past.

Ginny, portrayed by Antonia Gentry, is similar to a lot of teenagers who are struggling to understand who they really are. Gentry was able to express emotions and attitudes that a lot of teenagers have. 

The concept regarding friendships and relationships not only for Ginny, but for Georgia as well, makes the compelling storylines relatable for any viewer. The conflicts that come up for both characters surrounding the people they encounter brings more relevance to what people have been dealing with for years.

Another issue that stood out was race. Ginny is biracial, so it was nice to include moments when she struggled with her identity because she is half-white and half-Black. Just like Ginny, many people have dealt with similar circumstances where people would criticize them for not being enough of a certain race, so Lampert did a good job incorporating this issue.

Overall, anyone who watches “Ginny & Georgia” is in for an emotional rollercoaster with the range of topics from family to identity. There is no word on if there will be a season two of “Ginny & Georgia,” but viewers can watch season one on Netflix.