Everything Now 2023 Series Mia Review

『Recovery, Growth, and the Complex Emotions of First Love』

🎥 Series Overview

🎬 Title: Everything Now (2023)
🌍 Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🎞️ Genre: Teen Comedy / Coming-of-Age Drama / Romance
🗓️ Production & Airing: Left Bank Pictures, Sony Pictures Television, 1 Season
⏳ Runtime: Approximately 25 minutes per episode
📢 Creator: Ripley Parker
📺 Platform: Netflix

👩‍💼 Cast: Sophie Wilde – Mia Polanco
Niamh McCormack – Alison Price
Jessie Mae Alonzo – Carli

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🌱 Beginning of Love: Obsession with 'Normal' Experiences

After being discharged from treatment, Mia feels anxious that her friends have matured without her and creates a 'bucket list, damn it'. This list includes typical teen romantic milestones such as first kiss, first date, and first sexual experience.

• Clock Obsession: For Mia, love is less about emotional connection and more about fulfilling the goal of being a 'normal sixteen-year-old girl'. She wants to quickly achieve milestones to make up for lost time.

• The Idolized Crush: Mia’s first romantic interest is Theo, the outcast of her friend group. Theo embodies the 'cool' high school archetype Mia aspires to, and through him, she seeks to prove that she is healthy and attractive. However, this relationship is strained by Mia’s insecurities and selfishness.

🌈 Sudden Shift: Relationship with Carli – Projection of the 'Healthy Me'

Carli is significant because she is a new person unaware of Mia’s past. The relationship with Carli marks the beginning of Mia exploring her bisexual identity.

• Reason for Attraction: Carli is the only person who does not know Mia’s medical history or ailing self. Mia believes she can project and enact a free and perfect 'new self' next to Carli.
• Escapism and Fantasy: Mia clings to the illusion that "I can still be loved and have a normal relationship."

• Conflict and Catastrophe: The more Mia tries to hide her illness, the more unstable the relationship becomes. Eventually, Carli learns about Mia’s eating disorder, and Mia’s selfish actions (impulsively kissing Carli, who is already in a relationship) lead to the breakup.
• Self-destructive Selfishness: Even the most meaningful relationships are used as a way to relieve Mia’s anxiety under the pressure of recovery.

• Decisive Role: Carli ultimately refuses to enable Mia’s avoidance and sets a firm boundary: "You need to take care of yourself first."
• Tool for Growth: Carli represents a harsh reality that teaches Mia true recovery and healthy relationships with others cannot coexist with avoidance.

💘 'Safe' Choice: Relationship with Alison – Filling the Void

Alison joins Mia’s friend group and becomes another romantic interest, highlighting that Mia is not ready for love.

• Nature of the Relationship: Alison is devoted and comfortably accepts Mia’s confused sexual identity. However, Mia tends to use Alison as a 'safe alternative' or a 'void filler'.

• Emotional Imbalance: Alison genuinely likes Mia, but Mia’s obsession with Carli prevents her from fully committing. This demonstrates the confused teen psychology of torn desires between what she wants (Carli) and who wants her (Alison).

☕️ Love is Not a 'Cure'

Mia’s romantic storyline serves to complement rather than follow a typical teen romance, supporting the main narrative of eating disorder recovery.

• Acceptance of Bisexual Identity: The series portrays Mia’s attraction to both males (Theo) and females (Carli, Alison) without stigma and naturally, realistically reflecting the fluid sexual identities of teens.

• Selfishness and Recovery: All of Mia’s relationships are distorted by her recovery process. She seeks salvation through love but ends up hurting Alison and friends, emphasizing the negative impact of eating disorders on relationships.

• Conclusion of Growth: By the end of Season 1, Mia is unable to maintain a stable relationship with any partner. This conveys the key message that self-recovery must come before love. Her romantic story is a record of growth, showing that self-love takes precedence over being with someone else.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Level: ♥
⭐ Rating: ★★