? I think not — but a lot of it was, specifically as it pertained to the show’s treatment of race, microaggressions, and mental health. Luckily, season 2 mostly rose to the challenge, specifically where mental health was involved. In fact, the new season’s treatment of Ginny’s self-harm ended up being.
But as the season went on, Ginny’s self-harm felt like an afterthought, something that didn’t return until six episodes later. While it was certainly an important part of her character, Ginny’s mental health was often pushed to the wayside to make space for teenage drama and flashbacks to Georgia’s experience of teenage motherhood. It was disappointing, to say the least.
Ginny’s therapy then becomes a consistent part of the season, with multiple scenes devoted to her therapy sessions. Therapy becomes a regular part of Ginny’s life, and so it becomes a regular part of the series. Of course, just as Ginny’s confession to her father doesn’t cure her, neither does therapy. Thoughrefrains from explicitly showing Ginny’s self-harm in season 2, we do see her relapse.
It’s refreshing to see a series actually respect the fact that there is no one-and-done solution for mental illness. Sadly, not too many shows have the patience or willingness to give this kind of storyline the screen time it deserves. But’s second season doesn’t just respect the mental health journeys of its characters, it makes an effort not to weigh it down more than necessary. Ginny’s self-harm is taken seriously, but not so seriously that the show becomes a sappy cautionary tale.
Ginny’s need for therapy is normalized in the show to the point where Ginny jokes about it while venting to her father about the journaling assignment her therapist gave her. “Dear Diary, today I wanna burn. When, oh when will I ever learn?” she says, sarcastically, when he suggests she try writing poetry. Instead of launching into a serious conversation about her self-harm, Zion plays along with the joke, making Ginny laugh.