Have you ever watched a show and been able to predict every single solitary thing that will happen next, and you just keep thinking, “This is so stupid!”. However, then you start to ask yourself another question: “Why can’t I stop watching?”. This exact train of thought plagued my friends and I as we started a new show on Netflix, Crew Girl. It follows main character Teagan Tao, who loses all of her money after her father’s financial scandal is exposed, leaving Teagan and her mom with only an education fund. Having been a highly competitive rower at her old school, she plans to continue on her track to a top D1 school, only to find out there’s no girls team. She attempts to join the boys team and succeeds, which obviously comes with a team of attractive guys.Â
Now in light of exam week, my friends and I are only on episode 4, so I wouldn’t call myself an expert on the show. Yet we’ve watched enough to discover cringe acting, predictable plots, and the infamous love triangle containing an annoying popular kid with a soft spot, and a kind, “less attractive” guy who can’t seem to make a move quick enough.Â
Throughout the first few episodes, my friends and I have laughed at the most serious moments in the show, as they are just too cringe to bear. Despite the overall stupidity of the plot and acting, we found ourselves sprawled across the dorm floor, eating every snack we have, invested in the world of Crew Girl. A recent shock came when one member of the love triangle and Teagan nearly kissed, despite the fact that he has a full girlfriend (who, you guessed it, is the most popular girl in school). You would think this would be followed by awkward encounters between the two, trying not to mention the near cheating that occurred the last time they’d seen each other. This might have been the only thing my friends and I didn’t predict, because upon their next meeting, he outwardly asks whether it was weird for Teagan to be around his girlfriend since there was something going on between them. This encounter was followed by a gasp from my friends and I, and the realization that so many shows these days normalize infidelity. For instance, Jackie kisses Cole while dating Alex in My Life With the Walter Boys, and Belly kisses Conrad while things are going on between her and Jeremiah in The Summer I Turned Pretty. And we all just sit there and clap because the main character finally chooses the boy we want!!Â
I have a feeling this show will follow a similar guide to other love triangles, where Teagan will constantly switch between guys, leaving us audience members with our heads spinning. At least these two guys aren’t brothers, which is a whole other level of insanity that for some reason has been normalized by modern TV shows. When my friends and I return after fall break we will continue the show (as stupid and cringe as it is) because we just must know what happens next. These Netflix producers might just know what they’re doing.