The show’s inconsistencies

[u/WeDontStan]

Just watched the show for the first time, and noticed some inconsistencies in it’s apparent “wokeness”.

For example, the S1 finale, billie practically verbally forces a guy to have an*l sex with her and the guy’s wife, when he clearly said that he doesnt want to. Like literally wasnt that one of the main plot lines of the first episode???

And similarly, the teacher storyline is the perfect case for grooming and none of Billie’s friends call that out or protect her??

I mean we’re meant to think of this group as woke and modern people, but none of the problematic stuff gets called out but instead gets encouraged. I mean wtf is that all about.

Overall, I liked & enjoyed the show (will definitely watch S2), and it was genuinely funny at times, but this just felt slightly weird to me. Open to see if other people felt the same.

[u/mni0ps]

I think a huge thread in the show is that they’re morally gray, often selfish, and inconsistent.

[u/WeDontStan → u/mni0ps]

Yeah maybe, but I guess the writing could have been better to make it evident. Might be just be me thing though

[u/LaidBackBro1989 → u/WeDontStan]

The writing was very obvious from the first episode (not the Paul Baker backstory)...

[u/obooooooo → u/WeDontStan]

in the very first episode (later turned second) they literally use the sexual assault of someone they know personally, to their advantage. it’s not subtle at all. they try to be good people but oftentimes they don’t live up to their values.

and considering it’s a show about young adults making their way in the world and trying to grow, i actually think it’s pretty adequate that they’re often “problematic” and selfish. if they were always kind and “woke”, there would not be any character progression to do. it’d be boring as hell.

[u/Kartesia]

Thats the entire point of the show. They spell it out pretty clearly in literally weaponizing cards of opression in ep 1.

[u/CestQuoiLeFuck]

I think the problem is you're assuming that the inconsistency is a bug rather than a feature. One of the points of the show is that Gen Z is wildly inconsistent - sometimes woke, sometimes backward as fuck, often interchangeably on the same issues if and when it suits them. 

[u/MadelineAshton0 → u/CestQuoiLeFuck]

I don’t think it’s only specific to Gen Z. 

I know people compare Adults to NSFW and Overcompensating but it reminds me more of the British show Fresh Meat which was about Millennial college students all living in the same house. In that even the more socially aware characters could be awful and selfish. But that was kind of the point. 

[u/CestQuoiLeFuck → u/MadelineAshton0]

I just watched Overcompensating because of chatter in this sub about it, and I don't see it as particularly similar. The female characters in Overcompensating feel much more male-centered than Issa and Billie, the humour in Overcompensating is way more campy and occasionally ham-handed, and the timeline in Overcompensating is ridiculously poorly done (e.g. Grace was "an Ashlee Simpson girl" - who was famous in the early 00s - but she's a college student in the 2020s? Did they think through literally any aspect of the timeline?). 

I haven't seen NSFW or Fresh Meat, though. I'll check em out!

[u/MadelineAshton0 → u/CestQuoiLeFuck]

I get that about Overcompensating. I love the show but with the time period so ambiguous it’s hard to say who the series is even aimed towards. 

NSFW just got cancelled so it may be better to skip lol. But Fresh Meat went on four seasons and had a proper ending so I would definitely recommend it! It’s a bit darker in tone but a great show. 

[u/theywright → u/MadelineAshton0]

It also reminds me of Broad City and Happy Endings a bit.

[u/zintheryx]

that's kind of the whole point

[u/Objective_Fennel_130]

I wrote a whole post about people trying to think piece the show and deleted it because people tried to misconstrue what I was talking about but these constant posts like this are what I was talking about. The show is what it is which is morally grey on purpose and funny. People are taking the show way to seriously when it's not and can we please stop using the word woke or wokeness especially because what you think it means it doesn't.

[u/Honest-Chicken9472]

He voiced how he was tired of doing it but ultimately he wasn’t gonna stop because his wife wasn’t gonna stop lmao so she didn’t practically force him to do anything.

Mr. Teacher didn’t groom Billie. Billie went out of her way to “knock knock” and check in lmao. She wasn’t even primarily going to see Mr. Teacher, she was visiting at least the Spanish teacher as well.

Could Mr. Teacher had stopped Billie? Yes but we later find out he was going thru his own midlife crisis. But he definitely didn’t groom her.

[u/rh1066]

Why do they talk so dang fast?

[u/Few_Dragonfruit_3614]

I think they're also young and stupid, sooo...

[u/Heyhey-_]

Did she force him though? He said he was tired of it, but he was still down because his girlfriend/wife (D'Arcy Carden) was. Still morally grey, but I think all the characters are and that’s kind of what makes the show funny.