Every other drama on Netflix is about a teenager with magical powers, but the six-episode Spanish teencom You're Nothing Special features a teenager who doesn't have magical powers! Everyone just thinks she does because her advice and confidence-building work.
Scene 1: Amaia, a middle-aged teenager, leaves an extremely ornate 16th century building and rides her bike through her village. Then she sits down to breakfast -- pancakes -- while Mom disgustingly slurp-kisses her cheek for about ten minutes.
She rides through town again, then sits down for a second breakfast with Mom Laura and preteen sister. She suggests: "We haven't done anything for a long time except slurp-kiss each other. Why don't we go to that overlook point." This upsets Mom, for some reason.
Scene 2: More riding through town (at least we see a lot of it). Amaia finally arrives at the school (ultra modern), where her three friends are waiting: a girl (Lucia), a sassy femme guy (Javi, right), and an Asian guy (Zhao, left).
In other news, femme Javi announces that he's about to get "super-laid": a guy approached him on a hookup app. He didn't post a photo, but he sounds hot. They scoff: "No photo? Dude, he's a troll!"
Suddenly the Crush Asier approaches and shy-talks to Amaia. "I want to ask you something...um...er...can I borrow your philosophy notes?" Darn, she thought he was going to ask her out on a date!
"Sure, but they're at home. Let's meet up later and I'll get them for you." Smart move!
Scene 3: Outside the ornate 16th-century building (where they live!), Amaia's preteen sister announces that she was invited to a party, so the magic bracelet worked. "So I'm going to sell it to Maria for 20 euros." "No way! The magic will work only for you, unless you get 25 euros for it." Har-har, capitalism wins over mysticism
It's time for the philosophy note meetup, at the town's quaint open-air market. Asier says "Thanks. You're like my Grandma." Not what a girl wants to hear, but she pushes forward: "Remember when we kissed at the party?" "Not really. I kiss a lot of people when I'm drunk. I apologize if it offended you." Definitely not what a girl wants to hear.
Scene 4: Morning. Amaia overslept! She rushes to school and into a lab full of microscopes. Javi announces that his hookup app has yielded "12 profile views, 7 messages, and 2 dick pics. Wanna see?" Plus a text from the annoying shy guy with no profile pic.
While the teacher drones on, oblivious, they discuss Amaia and Amier's kiss. "I was the aggressor," she exclaims. "And I closed my eyes, like an idiot!" I've hooked up with guys in Barcelona. They close their eyes while they kiss. "Yes, but he let you kiss him. That means he's interested." Suddenly they see Crush Amier making out with his girlfriend -- extensively -- in class -- with the teacher still oblivious!
Amaia storms out. Javi looks at a new butt pic on his hookup app. This, the teacher notices! Boy-girl smooching is fine, but looking at a boy's butt -- detention!
Scene 5: Back home, Mom presents Amaia with a tray of disgusting looking black globs. She tries one, and gags and spits it out. Braver than I would be. The globs are peace offerings, to satiate her daughters while Mom announces that she has a boyfriend. "He's interesting and funny." In West Hollywood, the next question would be "How big is he?"
"By the way, we're going out tomorrow night. You can have friends over, but no parties."
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Scene 6: Amaia announces the big party at her house with no adult supervision. Javi can't make it: he's made a hookup date with the guy who sent the butt pic. Javi's a femme top. They do exist.
"But you just barely met him. He didn't even show you his face." "I didn't show my face, either, just my chest and dick."
None of the other cast have beefcake photos available, so here's a random Spanish hunk.
Scene 7: Amaia and her female bff Lucia are off by themselves, for some reason, when they see Crush Amier's girlfriend Irene leaving the town medical center, crying. Pregnant! Lucia rushes over to comfort her: "The first sessions are the hardest. I've been going for a year."
"Well, I'm quitting! I hated it! Besides, no shrink can fix me -- I'm too broken." The Girlfriend is in therapy for an unspecified but serious issue. The subplots thicken.
Scene 8: Amaia in bed, ruminating over the kiss. To get her mind off it, she recites the Harry Potter books, in order. That doesn't work, so she resolves to snare Asier, girlfriend or not.
Scene 9: Morning. How can Amaia get her Crush Amier to the party without his girlfriend, so she can put the moves on him? She starts out by inviting Jokin and his smooching partner. "But can we bring our friend Asier? We were supposed to hang tonight." Score!
The party starts at 10:00 pm, shortly after Mom leaves for her dinner date (they eat at ungodly late hours in Spain).
Uh-oh, bff Lucia offered Irene the use of Amaia's magical powers. This enrages her. "Are you insane? I can't just trot out my magic for everybody!" "But the pre-magic interview could reveal some intel that you could use to snare Asier." "Ok, I'll do it."
Scene 10: Amaia is setting up for the party, when Javi calls. He's waiting for his date at a bus stop in front of a scary deserted factory. The guy is late. And later. And later. Maybe he bailed.
Zhao arrives at the party -- the first one there! "Oh, other people are coming. They're just late. No one wants to be first."
Meanwhile, Javi is fuming at the bus stop, when a scary car pulls up. Do not get into a car with a stranger! But he does. Ulp -- Javi thought age 30 was geriatric. This guy remembers Woodstock! He's also the father of one of Javi's friends.
But Javi can't just bolt, so the hookup commences. He stares in deer-caught-in-headlights horror as Geriatric makes small talk.
Scene 11: Still only Amaia and Zhao at the party. They watch a movie and get drunk, and discuss Zhao's crush on the other bff, Lucia. Amaia offers him a love spell. "Yeah, like that worked well for you and Amier."
Meanwhile, Javi is staring in horror through the interminable drive to the hookup site. Geriatric notices and asks his age. "16." "Ulp! Um...er...um..maybe I should just take you home." Geriatric isn't perving on teens: Javi didn't list his age on the hookup profile, either.
Back to Zhao and Amaia: "Well, it was fun watching a movie with you, but I have to go or my parents wil kill me." "You said you didn't have a curfew..." "Well...um, er...bye!"
Amaia cleans up the party stuff just in time: Mom and her boyfriend come in and start smooching and giggling. She tries to sleep amid the loud sex noises.
Scene 12: Morning. Stocking-clad feet try to sneak out. It's Mom's ugly boyfriend. Too late -- the girls see him! He pretends that he just entered the house. When Amaia sees who it is, she storms out. "How could Mom be dating him?"
She walks to school with Javi, who complains "Being gay in this town is the worst! All the gay men are closeted or way old!" Try a small town on the Plains with nothing but collegiate twinks.
Scene 13: Gym class. "So, are you going to tell Chivite that his dad is gay?" "No. My Mom is friends with his wife." "Does she know that he's fucking teenagers?" "Maybe she's ok with it."
Scene 14: Class. Oh, Mom's new boyfriend is Amaia's hated philosophy teacher. He keeps her and Amier's girlfriend Irene after class to complain about their assignments: "An absolute disaster! Can you explain why you did such a terrible job? Maybe you should be in the remedial class." There's a remedial philosophy class?
They leave, complaining about what an asshole he is. Irene hints that the townsfolk have many secrets. "If you only knew..." To hear the dets, Amaia offers to walk Irene home.
On the way, Irene asks her to use her magic to "change something about me. Something that I am, or something that I feel." Is she a lesbian? "I want to like Asier, but I think I'm a lesbian." Called it! The end.
Beefcake: None.
Other Sights: A lot of the town.
Heterosexism: Amaia's pursuit of Amier fuels the primary plot.
Gay Characters: Javi and Irene. As someone whose partner is 20 years younger, I was offended by the "old people are gross!" rhetoric. And Irene seems way too homophobic for a contemporary Spanish teenager: lesbians are "broken" and require psychotherapy to be "cured"?
Fast Forwarding: Javi gets a boyfriend at the big St. John's Eve party in the last episode. Actually, everyone pairs off at that party; it's nonstop falling-in-love montages.
I would watch it for the cute Spanish boys
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