Mental health plays a significant role in many people’s lives, affecting the way people handle things like relationships and stress. The Netflix TV series, Ginny and Georgia, does an impeccable job in the new season of showing the different issues the characters go through, such as self-harm, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. As the series develops, you see some characters’ mental health problems change, depending on the choices they make.

One thing I felt the show did well was how one of the main characters, Ginny, finally tells her father she’s been burning herself for a while. Many people her age can’t work up the courage to tell their parents and could be scared of the outcome, but we see how emotional Ginny’s father was, and how deeply he cared that she told him. He enrolls her in therapy, and throughout the season we see Ginny’s interactions with her therapist, how she implements the strategies given to her, and the improvements she makes. Showing this helps take the stigma and shame out of asking for help and going to therapy, making it less intimidating for people about to or already going through the same thing. 

The flashbacks between Georgia’s past to present life were incredibly interesting to watch. One example is her previous relationship with Austin’s father, Gil. When he turned abusive, Georgia escaped by framing him for embezzling money (which she says to be fair, he was already doing.) When he re-enters her life after getting out of jail, he says he’s changed his ways and wants to get to know his son. She’s suspicious but allows it because of Austin. However, things turn south when he slams her hand against the counter, paralleling a scene shown in her past with him doing the same thing to her. The scene does a good job showing how some people never really change no matter what they might say, providing an important lesson to learn. 

Another mental health development is Abby’s eating disorder, bulimia, from season 1. At a party, a reappearing character, Samantha, is heard throwing up by Abby outside the bathroom door. Abby says nothing when she walks out but goes into the bathroom to do the same thing, except she turns on the water so no one will hear. Not only does this do a good job of showing the development of disorders, but also shows how over time, people can get smarter about learning how to hide them. 

I wish the show would have developed the characters of Ginny and Max more. In season 1, Ginny isn’t understanding at all of the lengths her mother has gone to protect them, and Max is annoyingly over dramatic about everything. I felt their maturity didn’t improve in the way it should have, since in this season Ginny and Georgia are constantly at odds with one another, and Max still refuses to talk to Ginny and Abby for weeks.

Overall, I enjoyed the new season of Ginny and Georgia and liked it more than the first. There’s a good mix of funny and serious bits, such as when Georgia catches Marcus in Ginny’s closet, compared to the emotional yet powerful scene of Georgia finding out about Ginny’s self-harming. I think it’s important for the media to show mental health issues, especially shows and movies focused on a younger audience demographic, because it can make people not feel alone in their struggles, and eliminates the taboo of discussing mental health issues in general.