Critic Reviews
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Its tone is perfectly judged. The show is so pitifully accurate about how cringeworthy teenage life can be that, at times, it is tough to watch. ... I found the very last episode surprisingly upsetting, and wondered if this was really how it would end. And then it pulled out its PEN15 superpower, turned its lights up, and became something touching and brilliant again.
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"PEN15" has been emo rocking its way toward the painful side of the scale to get us to these final episodes which are less funny than they are painful, occasionally shocking and wonderfully genuine. ... There could be no truer way to close the show than the way they do, by landing in a place of resolution as opposed to definitive finality.
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Pen15 is a crackerjack cringe comedy, but it’s also a love letter to both performers. The show is very much built around their talent, and Erskine and Konkle give it their all.
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The second season—split into two parts—even surpassed its stellar first, as classic comedy beats gave way to more emotional arcs. The series has continued in this more serious trajectory for its impressive final episodes.
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Part 2 helps illustrate how the creators’ ambitions and interests are growing, as well as why these characters can’t be trapped in the same grade forever. As hard as it is to say goodbye to “Pen15” this soon, it’s easy to see why it’s time to go.
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The episodes continue the shift into more dramatic territory, leaving Pen15 as one of the more unexpectedly perceptive shows ever made about the many horrors and complications of puberty.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 14
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Mixed: 0 out of 14
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Negative: 3 out of 14
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Dec 7, 2021
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Jan 9, 2022What a heartwarming end to one of the most honest comedies on television right now!