"Grown-ish" is a spin-off of the show "Black-ish." It follows the Johnson family's oldest daughter, Zoey, as she heads off to the fictional Cal U. Here, Zoey lives out the highs and lows of life at a big university as a member of Generation Z.
*Spoilers ahead*
We begin Zoey’s college journey during her first week at school, which is every college student's favorite week of the semester: syllabus week. Zoey is in a midnight class about digital marketing and drones. I don’t quite know what this class is, and neither do any of the students in the class. They are asked to explain why they are taking this class. Zoey and a few of her future ride-or-dies discuss how they got into the class.
This leads Zoey into a bit of an identity crisis. During move-in week, she invited a new friend, Ana, to an upperclassman’s party. Like so many freshman, Ana ended up drinking a bit too much. When she embarrassed herself in front of the whole party, Zoey left her to fend for herself.
Zoey’s new friends Aaron,, Nomi, Vivek, and twins Jazz and Sky scold this decision. Zoey defends herself by asking what people would say. Aaron persistently tells Zoey that she should not care what people say. She listens, but later into the show it is revealed that she hasn't taken this advice to heart.
With any television show, things are romanticized and exaggerated. Remember the midnight class I mentioned earlier? Or maybe the ridiculously large dorm room that Zoey and Ana share. These small faults do not skew our perception of university life too far off track. The one extremely unrealistic matter at hand, is Zoey’s love life.
Within the first couple episodes, Zoey has already dated two of her few closest friends. At the same time. Before you ask, no, neither guy knew about her dating the other and they weren’t in agreed-upon open relationships. The two boys, Aaron and Luca, soon find out about one another, but both remain friends with Zoey.
Soon after the Aaron and Luca fiasco, Zoey enters a relationship with the number one pick for college basketball, Cash Mooney. Their relationship develops quickly and Zoey falls hard, even after Cash makes some questionable mistakes, like announcing her virginity on social media, and asking her to drop out of school and follow him across the country when he graduates on live television.
Zoey is so distracted over her relationship (and soon after, her breakup) with Cash that she continuously ignores her friends' problems. Nomi just experienced a breakup and Zoey doesn't ask how she is once. Zoey also lashes out at all of her friends on multiple occasions for their concern over her and Cash's relationship. Even then, after the breakup, her friends are all there for her.
"Grown-ish" is a wonderfully crafted modern-day college story. It offers representation, diversity, and references to social justice issues. It is the show that every member of Generation Z needs.
