'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Episode 1: Nicholas readies himself to be a guardian to his sisters after father's death
The article contains spoilers for 'Everything's going to be okay' Season 1
Episode 1 titled 'Seven Spotted Ladybug' sets the stage perfectly for the upcoming heartwarming season. Bringing humor into the grievous realities of a dying parent, social constructs of gender identity, life in high school and autism, the season premiere is an apt introduction to the show's inclusion of emotional, social and mental distresses.
At the age of 12 years, Nicholas (Josh Thomas) and his mother were abandoned by his father Darren (Christopher May). Leaving the two behind in Australia, Darren married an American woman and had two daughters with her, Matilda (Kayla Cromer) and Genevieve (Maeve Press). Darren had missed most of his son's teenage years and focused on his daughters instead, using Matilda's autism as an excuse for leaving his first wife and son. Darren's second wife passed away 11 years ago, and while visiting his family in America, Nicholas finds out that his father has terminal pancreatic cancer.
Even though he has a complicated relationship with his father, Nicholas tries to come to terms with his father's illness and offers to be the guardian to his teenage half-sisters. After their father's death, the trio is now left to cope with a devastating loss and the fact that they have their inexperienced brother looking out for them. Being a neurotic 25-year-old himself and having no history in bonding with his siblings, Nicholas conjures up the courage to be strong for his sisters.
At the father's funeral, Matilda gives the eulogy. "I had to rely on my dad to interpret the world," she says as she looks to her siblings for support, and with that, it seems as though this little family will be just alright. As Josh looks for moments to bond with his teenage sisters, he realizes that he may not be capable of doing what his father did for them. Controlling his emotions, he says, "I'll be a mix of responsible and cool". Well, that's all the girls needed to accept him as their guardian.
The show brings about awareness of mental illnesses and individuals on the spectrum using humor and family normalcies. The themes of love, grief and the process of adulting without an adult definitely bring about an anticipated hit. After the Australian TV show 'Please Like Me' that follows the journey of a young man navigating through a hectic life, Josh Thomas looks like he's done it again with 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay', and we couldn't be more thrilled.
'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' airs every Thursday at 7.30c on Freeform.