Here’s every question left dangling at the end of I Am Not Okay With This Season 1.
Season 1 of I Am Not Okay With This has made a major splash on Netflix, and ever since we finished it we’ve been looking forward to a second season. While a follow-up season has not been officially announced yet, it seems inevitable, thanks to the first season’s apparent success.
The show, which follows teenager Sydney Novak as he comes to grips with a newfound psychic ability that manifests when she’s angry, sad, or panicked, packs plenty of mysteries and fun plots in alongside the teen angst and drama that director Johnathan Entwistle (End of the F***ing World) is known for.
In GameSpot’s review of the series, it earned praise for its characters, plot, and nostalgic tone: “the characters, for all their flaws, are likable and compelling, and the awkward realness of their teenage personalities is what makes the series work.” But we also came away from it with plenty of questions.
Here’s everything we want to see and hear more about if we get I Am Not Okay With This Season 2. For more coverage of Season 1, check out our gallery of references and Easter eggs.
1. Who Was That Guy At The End, And What Is His Deal?
Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. Season 1 of I Am Not Okay With This is essentially the first half of an origin story, and the final scene is setup for the second half. The supernatural figure we’ve seen around the boundaries of the show forms behind Sydney and announces that people should be afraid of her, before beckoning her with “let’s begin.” We don’t see his face, and his voice is not attributed in the credits. Who is he?
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, director Jonathan Entwistle remains tight-lipped about the character, referring to him as the “shadow guy”, and not revealing his motives.”I hope people have their own guesses,” he says. “Without beating the drum of the art form of the ensemble, I hope there’s enough drive in these characters that the element of the shadow guy is an augmentation to the story.”
The “shadow guy” is surely going to tie in with Sydney’s father somehow, especially since his backstory has only really been teased. Speaking of which…
2. What Was The “Incident” Sydney’s Father Was Involved In?
In Episode 6, Sydney’s mother explains that the things Sydney’s father saw and did as a marine weighed heavily on him–and that he came back convinced that he was being followed, and that he was dangerous, after being involved in an “incident” that he was the sole survivor of (or so it initially seems–the existence of the shadow guy suggests there could be others). Unless this is an enormous red herring, whatever happened during the “incident” may be the root cause of everything happening to Sydney. So what was it? And did he have the exact same powers Sydney does? And, if we can be more dramatic in our questioning…
3. Is Sydney’s Father Really Dead?
The first rule of teen drama and fantasy alike–if you don’t see the corpse, they might not be dead.There’s an argument to be made that bringing Sydney’s father back from the dead could be in poor taste, considering how much of Season 1 is about grief in the wake of loss, and the fact that the “thing” inside Sydney and her father is a metaphor for PTSD and depression. But at the same time we’re not watching The Wire here, and we’ve met at least one character who can turn into dust. Sydney’s dad, who committed suicide without leaving a note, could still be out there. We’re not saying that we want it, narratively speaking, but it could happen.
4. How Will The Exploding Head Be Explained?
Heads don’t typically just explode like watermelons in a microwave, and even by “head explosion” standards, Brad’s head exploded in a particularly traumatic, public way. How will the students of Westinghouse reconcile what they saw? No one but Stanley knew Sydney’s secret–but can they continue keeping it after that? Will there be an accepted narrative for what happened, or will the rest of the town start to pick up on the supernatural element at play? Will the principal, for instance, think of the library getting wrecked back in episode 5 and put two and two together?
5. How Can Sydney’s Power Be Controlled?
When the shadow guy said “let’s begin,” was he talking about training Sydney to better use her powers? If her dad could never get them under control, does she have a chance? Will we see Sydney develop into a proper superhero as the series goes on? And, if she can control these abilities, is having the power to pop people’s heads really something she can be trusted with? It seems her father fought very hard to keep his powers from getting out–will Sydney do the same thing, or learn how to harness them?
6. What Other Powers Does She Have?
It stands to reason that if Sydney can make things float and explode with her mind, she can do other things, too. Can she also turn into dust, like the shadow guy, and float away? Sydney’s powers have been tied to her emotions–what might happen if she experiences extreme joy, something she hasn’t really felt yet in the series?
7. Does Sydney’s Brother Have Those Powers Too?
Liam, Sydney’s charming, preternaturally intelligent younger brother, is right on the cusp of the worst part of puberty–which is, we’d wager, when his powers would really start to manifest if he had them. Maybe they already have, though–Sydney blames herself for the death of Liam’s hedgehog in season 1, but was she really responsible from down there in the basement? If this power was passed down as a hereditary condition, wouldn’t it make sense for Liam to get it as well?
8. How Will This Weird Little Love Triangle Be Resolved?
Depending on your priorities, this is either the most or the least pressing concern going into season 2. Stanley likes Sydney, Sydney likes Dina, and Dina, while not opposed to maybe kissing Sydney again, just watched her ex explode. Will the dramatic weight of these teenagers’ romantic feelings–which was, really, the backbone of season 1–be revisited in season 2? It would be a shame to cut back on the quieter moments and the dorky teen aspects of the show, even if the next season absolutely must delve further into the lore of Sydney’s abilities.
Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company
