I swear Pen15 has been on everybody’s lips lately (that sentence just happened, I swear), with its second season available on Stan right bloody now. If you’ve yet to give season 2 a burl, here’s what fabulous creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle have to say about it.
But first, if you’ve clicked on this yarn without watching Pen15 yet, here’s what you need to know. Erskine and Konkle, best mates, wrote the series based on their many memories of pubescent life. The pair also star in the show as their 13-year-old selves, surrounded by actual 13 year olds.
If you want to watch delightfully cringe content that’ll violently remind you of what it was like to be a tween in the 2000s, then this is the show for you.
Look at this room. My toes curled just looking at it.
Anywho, season 2 is split in two. The first half premiered earlier this month on Stan, with the second half dropping next year.
“In these first seven episodes, we don’t really go through major ‘firsts’ like we did in season 1,” Erskine explained in a recent interview. “It picks up right after the dance [in the last episode of season one] where a single event jumpstarts this whole chain reaction affecting Maya and Anna’s identities.”
In other words, prepare thyself for tween-hood – that intense transition where you’re not quite a kid, not quite a teen.
For many fans, Pen15 is made better by its nostalgic soundtrack. I mean, in season 1 we had tunes from the Spice Girls, N*SYNC, and The Cranberries.
“Being accurate to our memories is really important when the music is diegetic,” Konkle explained. “Usually that inspires us most. Questions like, what would this character listen to, what’s on the radio, what kind of CD would they burn? Who is the consignment shop owner and what’s in her boom box?”
Konkle said the team usually know when they’ve picked the right song when it triggers a certain memory, without overpowering the scene. It should just do the trick, y’know?
“When it’s score, we let the mood of the scene drive the choice,” she added.
Part of season 2 also focuses on Anna’s parents’ divorce. Unlike season 1, which included a lot of big “firsts”, the second season deals with what Erskine and Konkle call “micro-firsts”. For example: watching your parents argue in front of your friends for the first time.
“Anna parents’ situation is changing, [it’s about] experiencing the darker side of adolescence,” Konkle said.
You can watch Pen15 on Stan right HERE.
