Boarders Season 2 Review-Eri S
Firstly, what even is Boarders?
Well, it is a fictional satirical TV show that follows five Black kids from London who are attending the prestigious private school of St Gilbert’s and how they manage with balancing race, class, and relationships. Season 2 came out last week on BBC iPlayer and as a huge fan I wanted to introduce people to this show.
NOTE: This show is 15+.
Introducing (from left to right) Toby, Jaheim, Leah, Omar, and Femi.
Each with their own struggles but all sharing two things; they are the only Black scholarship kids in the school and (in season 2) they are all at risk of being kicked out. I will try not to spoil too much since some of you may not have watched season 1 but Season 2 begins with a looming threat from the racist acting headteacher Carol Watlington-Geese to remove two out of the five students.
Each student has to find a way to prove that they belong to stay but each have their extraordinary clumsy ways of doing so. This new show is reminiscent of shows like Sex Education or Young Royals but different focused angle. It presents different identities and normalising queer relationships, the change that happens in sixth form and how important the class system is in our day-to-day life. Although, the first season looks at the lives of working-class Black people, season 2 also highlights how class can transcend race. It also emphasises the not so bright aspects of private education such as deep-rooted bigotry (classism, racism, sexism, etc) which the character of Leah attempts (albeit quite clumsily) tries to fight back on.
Not only that but some of them are now navigating their first relationship especially Omar ,who has just recently come out as gay, and has fallen for a boy called Dilton. He does this whilst having to balance his relationship with a secret society of St. Gilbert’s called the Raisinettes who force him to undergo their hazing process. (Side note: If there a secret RHS society please let me in!)
Femi is struggling with his toxic friendship group that consists of boys that fit the rich, pompous, private school archetypes that mock him for being unable to afford to go on an overseas trip with them during the holidays and in season 1 make him run through school nude… Femi is also trying to deal with being at the intersection of two cultures- British and Nigerian. Bless.
Boarders tastefully cherry picks recent events and forces the audience to realise issues that issues of race and class are still ongoing in the UK despite what at times feel like constant attempts to tell the youth things are fine.
In every episode something chaotic happens from a polygamous relationship to bribery. It seems the characters are always dealing with something leaving them unable to focus. Their distinct lack of studying does leave me to wonder if there is any hope of them passing their A-Levels… Regardless of this, Boarders is a fantastic show able to make compromising and vulnerable situations such as your first relationship, making new friends and navigating an educational minefield feel a little less overwhelming. After all, if they ,with all their disasters and moments of intense second-hand embarrassments, can do it why can’t you?
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