Girlhood is a divine experience, a period when young women begin to discover who they are and who they might become. From “Under the Bridge” creator Quinn Shephard, Netflix’s teen drama “The Body” is a twisted coming-of-age narrative that pays homage to the 2000s, specifically films like “Bring It On,” “Jennifer’s Body” and “Mean Girls.” While those movies dealt in subtext, this series is deliciously and unapologetically queer, with one young woman standing firm in who she is while the other is frozen in denial. Set at a Catholic high school somewhere in the Northeast, “The Body” is a raunchy, campy show about friendship, desire, identity and belief systems.
The eight-episode series opens on Halloween 2004. At St. Barth’s Catholic School, co-captains and best friends Anya Butler (Kristina Bogic) and Elise Zakaria (Sara Boustany), who call each other “wife,” hold emergency tryouts for the school’s all-girls dance troupe the Lions. Star dancer Maddie Delaney (Shirley Chen) has broken her ankle, and with the regional competition two weeks away, the team needs to fill her spot. Among the auditioners are Lisbeth Anderson (Geena Meszaros), who is new in town, and Grace Franklin (Sofia Wylie), the niece of Father Sam Franklin (Nnamdi Asomugha), the head of the school. Grace’s talent clearly surpasses Lisbeth’s.
Though Lisbeth’s dreams of becoming a Lion are dashed, her spirits lift when Anya, in an attempt at being polite, invites her to a Halloween party at the Devil’s House. In this abandoned convent, the Lions also plan to initiate Grace into the group. Eager to evade her hyper-religious, unwell mother, Catherine (Louisa Krause), Lisbeth urges her brother, Leo (Jackson Kelly), who has his own peculiarities and an obsessive crush on Grace, to cover for her so she can attend the party.
That night, the soiree spirals out of control. It begins as planned, with all the girls decked out in their provocative Halloween costumes — except Grace, who arrives in a red cape over a nightgown, and Lisbeth, who comes dressed as Jesus in a toga made from bedsheets. Alcohol is flowing, the speakers are bumping and ecstasy is passed around like candy. Grace is initiated as the girls chant, “Prince of Darkness, take this most holy virgin sacrifice, and in exchange let us place at regionals!” But by the time the partygoers awaken the next morning, Grace has been found unresponsive in her bed, and Lisbeth has material she can use to blackmail Anya into friendship. What’s more, the town begins hearing whispers about what befell Grace, which sets off a chain of unsettling events.
As Father Franklin; Grace’s dad, Michael (Motell Foster); and the rest of the community scramble, the Lions, led by Anya and now Lisbeth — who’s desperate for any sort of respite from her mother’s cult-like beliefs — take a vow of silence about the initiation ritual, erasing any photographic evidence that could link them to the scene. Still, when more than one person knows something, it rarely stays a secret. Soon enough, the Lions, terrorized by guilt and a rocky understanding of Catholicism, begin unraveling.
“The Body” reflects on how repressive doctrinal religion can be, especially for teens grappling with their identities. After all, oppressive environments often pave the way for shame and inner turmoil, which is one of the central topics of the series. Also, as rumors spread about Grace’s condition, a mass hysteria sweeps through the Lions before spreading across the town. As Father Franklin struggles to figure out what’s happening at his school, he’s confronted by questions he can’t answer while trying to keep confused teenagers from emotionally collapsing.
Part thriller, part horror and part archetypal YA drama, “The Body” is brilliant. The show treats the Y2K era with the reverence it deserves, and Shephard grounds her audience in the period. “The Body” uses bangers by Chingy, Ciara and Kelly Clarkson; Nokia cellphones with multi-tap texting; and velour tracksuits to depict a time when information moved quickly, but not instantly. And “The Body” shows how, without social media, lies were easier to bury.
With its layered themes, “The Body” stands as a distinct entry among TV’s many teen-oriented offerings. Yet it’s the show’s grasp of the particularities of female friendship, gossip, herd mentality and manipulation (in a very similar vein to religion) that makes it so clever and fun. Lisbeth wants a “normal” teenage experience, and sees Anya as a gateway to that. Elise, who’s in love with Anya, wants to be seen, and Anya wants to maintain her status at all costs. All the girls, lacking impulse control and sensing each other’s unmet needs, use deceit and deviousness to achieve their goals — to varying effect. They make dizzily stupid choices, but their shrewd approaches make for an enthralling watch.
Taking a page from films like Peter Jackson’s 1994 classic “Heavenly Creatures” and Catherine Hardwicke’s 2003 provocation “Thirteen,” “The Body” is superb because it unpacks the nuances and deep bonds of female friendship, especially as they form and shatter during the teen years. A series about how dazzling and unnerving young women can be, “The Body” is a reminder that the glory of girlhood stems from its intensity.
