Review: PEN15 “Jacuzzi”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Anna (Anna Konkle) and Maya (Maya Erskine) go on a Florida vacation with Anna’s father, Curtis (Taylor Nichols) that left them with crippling insecurities.

Our Take:

Hulu’s critically acclaimed comedy series makes a return this month with the second half of season two. PEN15 offers a humorous and unique perspective of middle school adolescence, from its awkward teen comedy to its poignant themes. Plus, it delivered a fantastic showcase for the two main leads, even though it can feel a bit awkward to see 30-year-olds portray teenage versions of themselves. 

Part two of the show’s second season starts with a special episode that sees Anna and Maya take on their biggest challenges ever: their insecurities and being cartoon characters. With some weird stuff that happened throughout the series and the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed fitting that the creators went down that route. The transition from live-action to animation was nothing new as No Activity tried this strategy for its fourth season a few months ago with middling results. Instead of using CGI, the special relied on hand-drawn animation to recapture the characters’ awkwardness and its core theme. The result is another suitable chapter in Anna and Maya’s adolescent journey and a decent break from the middle school drama.

The episode’s story follows Anna and Maya going on vacation with Curtis. When the girls spent their money on a portrait that makes them look ugly, they began to lose their self-confidence. The rest of the episode has Anna and Maya have hideous faces from the picture that only they can see. Anna has a nose as big as Pinocchio’s, and Maya’s face was as massive as the moon. They also encountered two cute boys, Ralph and Freddy, which lead them to a troubling situation that involves Anna getting drunk.

One of the things that make PEN15 work was how it effectively portrays teenage drama regarding its direction and comedy. Not only that, but it also never shies away from the realism of the problems we faced as teenagers, such as crushes, divorce, and even playing with ourselves. Yes, they can be cringe-worthy at times, but that’s the entire point of this concept, and I enjoyed every minute of it. “Jacuzzi” managed to continue this trend with ease but in animation form.

The episode deals with the concept of insecurities. We all feel like we’re not handsome or pretty enough for someone to like us. We might even look like monsters based on how we look at ourselves. The “Jacuzzi” episode displayed that if someone likes you for who you are, then you might have the courage to appreciate yourself for who you are as well.  

The animated special represented this topic in a way that only PEN15 knows, cringey and discomforting, which is good enough for me. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle were once again delightful in their roles as Maya and Anna, respectively. Their irresistible chemistry still worked as well in cartoon form as it has been in live-action. As for the animation, I’m surprised to see how much of a role it played regarding its plot. Instead of making it a gimmick, the animation was used to display the episode’s subject matter metaphorically. It also looked nice regarding the colors and lighting despite some choppy frame rates and the designs for the main characters.

Overall, the “Jacuzzi” episode proves that PEN15 could also work as an animated series for adults. The cast was still solid in their roles, the story was awkwardly enjoyable, and the animation was surprisingly decent. Of course, the episode will depend on how much you liked the series overall. If you like it so far, then there’s plenty to appreciate in the animated special. If not, then this is one summer vacation that you might want to skip.