Episode Guide
I Hate Summer Just You & I A Moment at Night A Glimpse Of Peace Without You Don’t You Cry Another Winter Summertime is a show that perhaps should have been released in the Summer. These past few months have graced us with some really good teen dramas and whether it be the adventurous exploits of the teens in Outer Banks or the poignant and realistic depiction of love in Normal People, Summertime’s release, nestled in the middle of these two great shows, lacks anything particularly original or outstanding. The characters are pretty generic, the usual stock musical cutaways and plot turns aren’t enough to make this feel like anything but a forgettable drama, and all of this frustratingly overshadows the potential this has to be a decent show. The story predominantly revolves around Summer. Disappointed by her parents and determined to do more with her life, she carves out her own path which brings her into the arms of biker bad-boy Ale. They hit it off together but their path to romance is not so cut and dry, with them both running into numerous issues along the way. The plot cuts through the usual cliches you’d expect with a profound lack of drama, with nothing here to help it stand out next to other teen offerings. There are a couple of decent supporting characters that show up to help the show tick by and thankfully this one does end with a satisfying finish but whether you’ll make it that far or not remains to be seen. The acting is not great either, with characters sometimes standing around statically waiting for their line of dialogue or delivering them with such a monotonous one-tone feel, that it makes scenes far more dreary and mundane than they should be; quite the irony for a show soaked in warm sunshine. Still, there are some positives here and for anyone looking for a simple teen drama and love this genre, there may be enough here to sway your opinion and enjoy. The main character Summer is certainly one of the best characters of the show despite the simplistic character arc she’s given, but it’s hard not to feel like the show could have been so much more. Overall though Summertime is not a show to be remembered. In an era of brilliant teen dramas this Italian Netflix series fails to do anything particularly memorable or outstanding. The actors do their best with the material and it’ll certainly appeal to some given it’s not a particularly challenging watch. In this golden age of TV though, there’s just not enough here to make this worth sticking with for the long haul.
