HIGH SCHOOL

You know ever since I started working in a school it's really dawned on me how utterly horrendous the teenage experience is:

• No money
• Acne
• Owning a brown leather jacket and reading Jo Brand's autobiography during form time isn't cool even though it should be
• PE in the rain
• You have to learn what a 'mitochondria' is for what feels like an obscenely long amount of time
• The social pressure to impress others whilst everyone else is secretly feeling exactly the same
• Having best friend arguments where the storyline is so layered you'd need a huge notice board with multiple post stick notes and arrows to explain to your Mum the origin story of exactly why Emily is now a dumb hoe

HIGH SCHOOL follows the lives of twins: Tegan and Sara who are played by Seazynn and Railey Gilliland - although if you're like me and too lazy to Google the actresses you'll spend ten minutes trying to figure out if a Linsday Lohan Parent Trap situation is going on and Tegan and Sara might actually be the same person. Anyway, the show is based on the memoir of the real life musicians Tegan and Sara, Queer icons and hitmakers who grew up in the 90s and were influenced by grunge and rave culture. This series depicts their lives as teenagers before they were famous. It is a story about self-discovery and the complicated relationship not only between the girls but other characters too as we switch back and forth between the perspective of the twins, their friends and parents. 

The episode begins with Tegan punching Sara in the face and obviously 'violence is never the answer' but I really believe that the person who coined that phrase didn't have any siblings. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother but I'd be lying if I said I'd never had the teeny tiniest urge to Miss Piggy karate chop him in the chest and then throw him down several flights of stairs when he has an attitude of 'yeh, and what?' when I go to the cupboard and find that he's eaten my last chocolate muffin...all I can say is: Tegan, I don't approve but I understand your reasoning because Sara did have the audacity to ask you to turn your deafeningly loud music down slightly.

It's the girls' first day at a new school and they don't know anyone. Sara (who now has a shiny new bruise and has presumably been up all night hitting a voodoo doll of Tegan against her desk) has decided that she wants to spend the day pretending that she doesn't have a sister. Tegan does smugly greet her in the morning by commenting that 'at least now everyone will be able to tell us apart,' and honestly Sara would have been quite within her right to yeet Tegan across the room in that moment. Tegan finds the school day and separation from her twin to be really difficult as she tries to navigate her new surroundings on her own. In fact things don't get off to a great start at all as she runs into the school bully:

"Hey, you gotta move so I can sit next to my friend," he says, standing over her.

"There's a seat right there." Tegan replies, pointing ahead.

"So move." He demands. 

Me:

Erm...EXCUSE YOU SIR!? Later that day this bully corners Tegan again, I mean gee whizz can't this girl get a break, if only a moody looking, pretty lesbian were to walk in and save the-

And then we meet Maya. 

Finally it's the end of the day and Sara's anger definitely hasn't gone away as she decides to go off to see her best friend Phoebe and leave Tegan to walk home alone. 

We rewind back to the beginning of the day and see things from Sara's perspective. She has a similar day to Tegan and seems to be isolated and unsure of her surroundings and how to make new friends. 

• She doesn't speak to anyone in class
• She eats her lunch alone 
• She writes sad poetry

I don't know how they knew about how my first day at sixth form went, but I feel personally attacked. Anyway, we later find out the reason behind Sara's behaviour and why Tegan has suddenly been excluded from her friendship with Phoebe. 

The next day Sara starts to make friends too as she sits in Drama class, she's drawn to a girl who is arguing with the teacher about challenging stereotypes in the interest of progress and refers to aliens to strengthen her argument. She's also wearing a jacket and tie. I think we can probably all agree that she is the most interesting person in that room...I mean if I was there I'd be in the second row, subtly Goggling the plot of the play we were meant to read and trying not to look hungover even though I have the appearance of a little victorian boy with jaundice...That was my University experience anyway, may my cringey bandana wearing phase rest in peace, I was one parrot away from looking like a pirate. 

At home again and finally the girls bond as Sara helps Tegan to get gum out of her hair. I really liked this scene because I think it summed up the sibling experience quite well. Sometimes you fight, sometimes you're friends, without fail there is a lot of love there. Although I thought the ending of the series was a little lacklustre, I think this series explores the sibling dynamic brilliantly and of course has some great music. Let's hope there is a season two!