Grand Army is an American teen drama television series created by Katie Cappiello that premiered on Netflix on October 16, 2020. It is loosely based on Cappiello's Slut: The Play. In June 2021, the series was canceled after one season.[1]
Premise
This series follows the lives of five teenagers who attend the largest high school in Brooklyn as they navigate a chaotic world. Topics such as racism, poverty, rape, drugs, sex, LGBT, and mental health
Cast
Main
Odessa A'zion as Joey Del Marco, a high school junior from Stuyvesant Town who is also on the school's dance team
Odley Jean as Dominique "Dom" Pierre, a Haitian-American high school junior from East New York who is also on the school's women's basketball team.
Amalia Yoo as Leila Kwan Zimmer, a Chinese-American high school freshman from the Upper West Side who was adopted by a Jewish couple when she was a baby
Alphonso Romero Jones, II as John Ellis, Dom's love interest
Thelonius Serrell-Freed as Tim Delaney, one of Joey's friends
Anthony Ippolito as George Wright, one of Joey's friends who is on the Grand Army High School's swim team
Brian Altemus as Luke Friedman, one of Joey's friends who is on the Grand Army High School's swim team
Recurring
Sydney Meyer as Anna Delaney, Joey's best friend and Tim's younger sister
Keara Graves as Grace, Joey's other best friend who is on the school dance team with her
Jaden Jordan as Owen Williams, Jayson's best friend
Brittany Adebumola as Tamika Jones, Dom's best friend who is on the women's basketball team with her
Naiya Ortiz as Sonia Cruz, Dom's other best friend, also on the women's basketball team with her
Crystal Nelson as Tor Sampson, Dom's other best friend who is also on the women's basketball team with her
Ashley Ganger as Meera Pakam, Sid's younger sister
Marcela Avelina as Flora Mejia, Sid's girlfriend
Lola Blackman as Rachel Finer, Leila's best friend
A terrorist bombing outside Grand Army High School forces all the students to lock down in the school. To tease Dominique, Owen takes her wallet out of her bag and his friend Jay tosses it around, accidentally losing her money in the process. Meanwhile, Sid consoles Leila after she was bullied, and Joey is reprimanded for violating the school’s dress code. At a party, Sid attempts to have sex with his girlfriend but is psyched out and does not. Joey hangs out with Tim to blow off steam.
2
"See Me"
So Yong Kim
Katie Cappiello
October 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
Joey rallies the school in a free the nipple protest after being admonished the day before. Sid meets up with a fellow student, Victor, to revise his personal essay and is distracted by Victor's appearance. He goes home to masturbate to gay porn. Leila awkwardly hooks up with another student, George. Dominique has trouble paying for her family’s groceries and feels awkward when her crush John Ellis offers to help her pay for them. Jayson and Owen are reprimanded for stealing Dominique’s wallet; Jayson is suspended for a week, while Owen receives a superintendent’s suspension and a hearing as he was directly responsible for taking the wallet out of the bag.
Sid breaks up with his girlfriend, while Leila has a falling-out with her friend, causing her to confide in a rabbi. Joey hangs out with her usual friends, George, Luke, and Tim, though she has a flirtatious relationship with Tim. Tim's sister tells her to not have a relationship with Tim, causing her to try to distance herself from Tim by flirting with the other two. Drunk, Joey is raped by George and Luke while Tim does nothing to stop them.
4
"Safety On"
Darnell Martin
Katie Cappiello
October 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
Leila auditions for the school play. Dominique enters a relationship with John Ellis, and Jayson learns that his music class is already replacing Owen’s spot. Sid submits his new personal essay; his essay is now about his struggles of being a gay and Indian teenager. He asks his advisor to make sure it is kept secret. At school, Joey is easily irritated, culminating in yelling at Dominique after accidentally hitting her with a basketball. Dominique follows her and finds bruises on her legs. Tim asks if she is okay, and Luke gives her drugs to relax her. When she returns home, she tearfully admits to her mother that she was raped.
Dominique’s mother suggests marrying someone to solve the family’s financial issues, causing Dominique to try to find more ways to earn more money for her family. Owen receives a 60-day suspension after his hearing, much to Jayson’s guilt. Sid and Flora reunite and have sex. Leila is told by a student, Omar, that she is the understudy for the play, much to her disappointment. Joey goes to a hospital to get a rape kit, and George, Luke, and Tim are questioned. As rumors spread, she tells her therapist that she feels awful accusing her friends and deletes her Instagram account.
6
"Superman This S**t"
Tina Mabry
Randy McKinnon and Katie Cappiello
October 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
Dominique is busy creating a hair product business and applying for an internship. The rabbi advises Leila to practice accountability, and she hangs out more with Omar. Jayson learns that Owen was picked to play in the All-State Performance but cannot due to being suspended. Jayson feels guilty taking Owen’s spot. Joey cries after seeing George and tells her mother that she wants to disappear. Sid and Victor bond during a science experiment and Victor tells Sid that he is bisexual. At a swim meet, Sid yells at a teammate for disqualifying them and forgets to bring his laptop with him when he leaves. Later that night, he learns that his essay was posted online.
Dominique attends her job interview and returns home to her parents preparing for her arranged marriage. Leila attempts to reconcile with the people in her life but is unsuccessful. Jayson suggests that the school host a sit-in in protest of Owen’s suspension. Joey is moved to an all-girls school so she can be in a new environment. She is angry after she learns that the rape charges on George and Luke were not being moved forward due to lack of evidence. Sid accuses his advisor and Victor for leaking his essay, but they both deny it. He realizes that it was actually his teammate who did it and punches him, but he attacks back. At the hospital, Sid comes out to his father, who refuses to believe that Sid is gay.
8
"Spirit Day"
Silas Howard
Ming Peiffer and Lewaa Nasserdeen and Katie Cappiello & Alessandra Clark
Angry at losing her part in the play, Leila sends a fake bomb threat to the school. The sit-in protest against racism is interrupted when the school is evacuated, prompting Jayson to consider a stronger way to protest Owen's suspension. Sid learns that he was accepted to Harvard and kisses Victor in joy. Dominique's family cancels the arranged marriage after seeing her hanging out with her friends, saying that she deserves to marry someone she loves. Dominique asks John to prom and he accepts. At Joey's new school, another student confides in her that she was raped as well but did not report it, and that she admires her bravery. She meets up with Tim, George, and Luke hoping that they would at least admit that they raped her, but they all deny it. When she leaves, Tim breaks his silence and yells at his friends. Joey energetically participates in an intense dance class, ignoring Tim's texts asking if she is okay. At Jayson's All-State Performance, he covers his mouth with black tape and raises his hand in silence.
Production
Development
It was announced in October 2019 that Netflix had ordered a 10-episode adaptation of Katie Cappiello's 2013 play, one that expands on the original work. The storylines are based on real life stories from her students.[2][3] On June 17, 2021, Netflix canceled the series after one season.[1]
Controversy
On the day of the teaser release, writer Ming Peiffer stated on Twitter that she and two other writers of color had quit the project, citing racist exploitation and abuse allegations against one of the creators.[4]
Casting
It was announced Odessa A'zion would play Joey Del Marco and Amalia Yoo would reprise her role from the stage production as Leila Kwan Zimmer. Also joining the main cast are Maliq Johnson, Amir Bageria, and Odley Jean.[2]
Filming
Principal photography took place in both Toronto and New York City from May to September 2019, with most indoor scenes in Toronto and most outdoor and subway scenes in New York City.[5][6]
Release
The teaser was released as well as first look images in September 2020, followed by a full trailer in October. Fahamu Pecou painted the promotional artwork for the posters.[7] The series premiered on October 16, 2020 with 9 episodes instead of the original order of 10 episodes.[8][9]
Reception
For the series, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 71% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 7.34/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Grand Army is an excellent showcase for its exciting cast of newcomers—even if its attempt at an honest approach to adolescence is too overwrought to make an impact."[10]Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]
In 2021, Ashley Ganger gave an interview for Vanity Teen magazine, following her appearance on the series, talking about her personal journey and the social influence of the series.[12]
Kristen Baldwin of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B− and described the series as "ambitious, often to a fault. Still, there are flashes of beauty—let me say again, Odley Jean is a revelation—amid the gritty teen boilerplate."[13] Reviewing the series for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said, "In its best moments, Grand Army enters rare air for high school shows, elevating surprisingly close to the genre's thoughtful standard-bearer, My So-Called Life."[14]
^Cundu, Tamal (October 16, 2020). "Where Was Grand Army Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
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