Written By Avani Goswami
The first three episodes of Netflix’s The Baby-Sitters Club are heartwarming and modern, putting a new twist on the popular novels of the same name by Ann M. Martin.
The show starts off with “Kristy’s Great Idea,” in which tomboy Kristy Thomas (Sophie Grace, Terror in the Woods) shares her idea about starting a babysitting business with her close friends Mary Anne Spier (Malia Baker, The Flash) and Claudia Kishi (Momona Tamada, To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You) and new girl at school, Stacey McGill (Shay Rudolph, Lethal Weapon). She comes up with the plan after her mother Elizabeth (Alicia Silverstone, Clueless) struggles to find an affordable and available sitter for her youngest brother. Kristy’s friends love the idea, and they begin promoting their business around town using creative ideas and each of their various talents.
Following the pilot, the next two episodes concentrate on mysterious Halloween phone calls, competition from rival babysitters, and secrets the girls keep from one another. They have to deal with school dances and high schoolers who want to steal their business model. Throughout every episode is a healthy helping of friendship, romance, and the typical awkwardness or humiliating struggles that come with being a middle schooler.
One of the best parts of the show is the way it emulates the book series and casts a spotlight on each of the characters. The first episode lets us get to know Kristy well, from her confident attitude to her three brothers to her past with her father who abandoned her. There’s also the interesting predicament of her mother and her mother’s new, rich boyfriend Watson Brewer (Mark Feuerstein, In Her Shoes), and whether or not Kristy will allow Watson into her life. But the second episode focuses on Claudia and her love of painting and fashion, and hatred for math. We get a glimpse at Claudia’s family life, like her intelligent sister, her loving grandmother, and her pressuring parents who want to see her succeed in school. The third episode moves on to Stacey and the big secret she’s been keeping from the other girls, as well as a look into her past.
The best part about the series is the diverse group of girls it highlights and the reality of what actual middle schoolers go through. Each of the characters are thoroughly fleshed out and expanded upon with widely different personalities, struggles, styles, and interests. The fact that we get to see the characters develop and grow, and see aspects of each of them to which many people can relate, really makes the show worthwhile. It’s an enjoyable, light watch, but it still is emotional in many unexpected ways. When I was in middle school, I would’ve loved to see a show like this. But I feel it’s a show that others can enjoy too, if they are okay with some jokes that might be tailored for a younger audience.
The show is able to capture the rich complexities that make these characters human and allows us to feel for them as they overcome their individual challenges and changing relationships. If the first three episodes are anything to go by, The Baby-Sitters Club is a step forward for diversity and easily meets the expectations the book series has set. I’d say it makes for a pretty rewarding watch and even exceeds expectations for a Netflix original based on the beloved property.
