We’re always on the hunt for awesome TV shows we should be watching. This guest Stuff You Should Be Watching is brought to us by Rhoda Baxter.
Rhoda writes contemporary romance with a hint of British cynicism. She likes to write about smart women and nice men. She lives in East Yorkshire, England. Her latest book is Girl In Trouble ( A | BN | K | AB ). Rhoda can be found wittering on about science, comedy and cake on her website or on Twitter (@rhodabaxter).
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My 9 year old likes to watch shows on Netflix at the weekend. I usually sit with her and crochet something while we watch. Project MC2 is a Netflix original series aimed a preteen and early teen girls. Partway through series 1, I put down my crochet and started watching properly. The thing that caught my interest was the heavy (and it is heavy) ‘Girls can do science; Science is cool’ message. As a microbiologist with two daughters, I’m all for that.
The premise of Project MC2 is that there is a top secret all female elite government organisation called Nov8, headed up by a woman called The Quail. The main character is teenage Agent McKeyla McAllister, who is also The Quail’s daughter, so there’s a little bit of mother/daughter dynamic from time to time.
McKeyla is working undercover as the new girl in a high school. A couple of other girls at the school get suspicious of McKeyla’s behaviour. Camryn Coyle (specialist area – engineering) and Bryden Bandweth (specialist area – computer programming/hacking) and Adrienne Attoms (specialist area … you guessed it, chemistry) manage to crack McKeyla’s secret. McKeyla is annoyed and is sure she’s going to get into trouble, but The Quail has been watching these girls and wants to recruit them to Nov8. So all four get assigned to protect an idiot prince who is supposed to be going on a tourist mission to the Space Station.
The girls are very different from each other and have their own enthusiasms and backstories. None of them has been ostracized for appearance, nor are they particularly picked on by their peers or sidelined for being nerds. There is one boy who keeps teasing Camryn (more on that later), but even then it’s more ‘my science project is better than yours’ rather than ‘give me your lunch money, nerd.’
Each girl has their own style too. Camryn skateboards everywhere and dresses in combats and shirts, Bryden has wild hair and bright t-shirts, Adrienne is festooned with pink and always wears heels (“Next time we go on a super secret spy mission, we should wear flat shoes” “No. I will NEVER give up my heels!”). Adrienne is my favourite, not least because she spends a lot of the time on ‘culinary chemistry.’
The racial diversity is impressive and non-patronising (if you’ve seen the Bratz movie, you’ll know what I mean). Everything about Project MC2 is unashamedly full of girl power. From Nov8, which is full of strong, capable women (again, lots of different races), to the evil genius super villain in series 3, Carson Lazarus, who has to put up with people assuming the nearest man is ‘Mr Lazarus’ (“I’m Carson Lazarus!” “I’m sorry lady, but I’m pretty sure Carson Lazarus is a dude”). As someone who was once asked to take a message for myself because the man I was talking to refused to believe I was the Doctor that he wanted to speak to, I can sympathise.
In later series, more girl geniuses are added to the team in the form of Devon DeMarco (Art and Design) and Ember Evergreen (plant biology). The parents also get a bit more airtime – Ember has two mothers, McKeyla’s parents have separated, Camryn’s dad is a widower struggling to raise two daughters by himself, and Adrienne was raised by her grandmother.
Basically, it doesn’t matter what sort of girl you are or what race(s) you have in your background, or how rich or poor you are: you can be clever, you can be into science and you can be awesome. I can see my girl – a mixed race child growing up in an overwhelmingly white neighbourhood – soaking up the message.
The adventures are interesting and plausible (a bit predictable at the start, but they get more complicated in later series). The girls use their smarts and STEM knowledge to solve problems. At no point does a girl need to be rescued by a boy. There is a romance storyline with workaholic McKeyla and adorable beta male Kyle. And remember that guy who was always teasing Camryn? At one point he shyly says “I tease you, because I like you”.
Camryn’s response was “That’s supposed to make it all better? Well, next time you like someone, try showing them some respect.” I nearly cheered out loud.
When one series ended, my daughter said “So, was all that science real?”
I said, “Yes. Things take longer to make than they suggest, but the science is real”. There was a pause and she said “Can you teach me some chemistry?”
We now have a chart of the periodic table hanging on the wall in the kitchen.
I call that a result. Well played, Netflix.
Is Project MC² a favorite in your house? Have you added it to your Netflix queue?
This sounds like something I *have* to watch.
I like shows that are unapologetically full of girl power. I can’t wait for the next season of Supergirl, either.
Terrific review of a huge favorite in our home! This show has inspired my seven-year-old daughter to experiment on everything and join the Coding STEM club at school. We have both Project Mc2 lab kits that she uses daily too.
Small nitpick- the name of the organization is actually INOV8 (“innovate”). Plus a fun fact- McKayla’s mom, The Quail is played by Winnie Cooper herself, Danica McKellar who is a mathematician and author of mathematics books for girls.
I really love when you review outside of just the romance genre for other female empowered novels, shows and cultural consumables. Happy Friday!
@Emily C: I’m so pleased you recommend this show, too. And thank you for the enthusiastic response to this review! We try to include romance-adjacent entertainment as well as romance novel reviews, and it’s very reassuring to know you like that. Thank you!
I may watch this and see if I can get five year old boy interested, although he’s not into much live action yet. He was just telling me the other day that “he’s a science guy.” I need some feel good girl power in my life right now.
That sounds like amazing stuff for young girls. My girlhood was filled with girls being rescued by boys. That’s why I always loved the tomboy George from the Blyton books. She was tough and didn’t need to be rescued. Well done the writers for giving young girls such a great role model. You really do watch the coolest shows, Rhoda.
This sounds great, will hope it shows up in other formats. Or maybe we’ll add Netflix after we move. 🙂
I have to add a somewhat less ecstatic voice here, but it may be all in what you’re expecting vs what you get. My 8 year old daughter watches this show sometimes, but isn’t particularly into it. I’m an engineer, so I was excited when i first saw it listed and thought it was a neat idea, but was really disappointed in the execution. Not sure what i was expecting! (too much, i guess, or something that would probably be wrong for the audience) For me, it’s extremely cartoony.
Lots of over-the-top sitcom-y situations, which unfortunately tends to undercut the science I feel. Since there’s no sense that any of this could/would be things people would actually do in real life (i.e. not in a sitcom), the science stuff might as well be superpowers from another planet — I don’t think my daughter is getting the sense that this is stuff SHE could really do, any more than she thinks she could grow up and be a magical Alicorn Princess of Friendship.
Also, if i never have to listen to the insipid “go usss! go usss!” chant those girls use at the end of an episode, it’ll be too soon! Seriously, all those brains and that’s the best they can come up with? 😀
Anyway, we’re clearly not the right audience, but I am really glad they are making it, and that it’s working for some people. With luck they’ll make some other shows with lots of cool science women and girls in it that we can get into, too.
My eight-year-old loves this show, too! I haven’t watched every episode, but the ones I have seen have been good.
And since this is a safe space, I’m going to admit that I think the first Disney’s Descendants movie is a really sweet romance. My daughter really likes that one, too. Okay, I also really like that one, too.
@Amber:
Totally agree on the love for Descendants. I can’t recall another Disney movie where I actually believe the romantic paring has a shot.
And I have had Project MC² on the Netflix queue for a while. Science and girls and diversity looks like a winning combo, but I am still unsure about whether I am a target audience or not.
Despite my reservations, I will watch it if solely for the “Mr. Carson” blindness and the totally appropiate response to “I tease you because I like you”. We need more shoes with that.
@Amber- yes to the Descendants love! The movie has really grown on me and I think Disney went in a good direction with the diversity, the message and the romance. My daughter wavers between if she’s a Mal or an Evie (for Halloween this year, Evie won!). Compared to just about everything else on Disney channel that I don’t like her to watch (I’m looking at you Jessie!) I can be all-in for Descendants, no shame.
@cotterpinx- I think just about every series for kids leans cartoon-y and the longer I’ve been a mom the more I’ve come to embrace that. The situations the girls get into are not realistic, no, but that my daughter watches and enthusiastically gets the message “Science is cool!” makes me keep my eye-rolling to myself. The over the top cartoon chases are what keep my kids invested and what makes the background messaging stick. Remember the 90s-era “Math is hard!” Barbie? Let’s not go back there!
It’s interesting that the main woman in this is called the Quail and we just found out according to the head of MI6 that Q is a woman (from the James Bond universe).
I’d like to see this. The way the world is going I’m leaning towards cartoons myself. (nothing too realistic).
Well, now I need to go watch this immediately with my science-inclined 8yo niece. Culinary chemistry is right up her alley – and mine!
And thanks to the Descendants lovers for your reassurance. That same niece is going as Mal for Halloween this year, and I didn’t know anything about the series except that Disney tends to raise my feminist hackles.
Having read the comments, now I want to see the Descendants movie. Wonder when it comes out in the UK.
I first became aware of this when I saw the toys being advertised, and had a WANT moment even though I don’t even have kids. The dolls come with science experiments to do at home, like a terrarium and culinary science.
Thanks for the recommendation! Sounds perfect for some gloomy winter evenings! Love the different girls and science!