I just caught wind of The Baby-Sitter’s Club series on Netflix about two weeks ago and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it until yesterday when I watched it with my best friend. I remember, like most girls my age and older, reading this series and seeing all the books lined up in my school library. Nostalgia.
When Britt, my best friend, and I started the series last night, I thought the series would be set in the 80’s. I was wrong and I did not watch the trailer. Shame on me. I’ll take that L.
To refresh some of y’all’s memories, The Baby-Sitter’s Club was, or is, a club formed by Kristy Thomas, Claudia Kishi, Mary Anne Spier and Stacey McGill. Now, when we started to watch, Britt and I were wondering when the other girls we remembered would arrive. Don’t worry, they come later in the series.
The series is set in 2019 with all the original girls making an appearance. It was something I had to get used to because who names their baby Mary Anne in 2007 or whenever these kids were supposed to be born. What initially caught my eye was the fashion. Cynthia Summers is the costume designer for this show and she did a phenomenal job styling each girl in their own unique way based on the personality given to them. I particularly took interest in Claudia Kishi, because she’s the art kid and she should look good, and later Mary Anne after her “transformation.” I’m looking for each of these outfits as we speak because I literally need them all.
Besides the fashion, here’s what I loved. I loved the backstory they gave to each girl. Claudia’s story between Mimi, her grandmother, and her sister Janine was especially relative to today’s current affairs. We often forget about the history that was given in that episode. I won’t spoil it but do watch and take that episode in. Every girl’s journey was really well thought out and definitely covered a myriad of bases. Kristy got on my nerves but there is always that one kid in the family that doesn’t want their parent to get married to a new person. I get it but c’mon Kristy! Give some people a break sometimes.
Here’s what got on both of our nerves, my best friend and I. Spoiler but Stacey McGill has Type 1 diabetes. I personally know a couple of people who have diabetes, not to the extreme of Stacey in the show but I know some folk. Here’s what I did not like about that episode. First, when Stacey told the parents she had Type 1 diabetes and had a pump that regulated her insulin, I believe, these grown people asked this child could their kids catch diabetes from her.
What adult do you know does not know that you cannot catch diabetes like you can catch Coronavirus? Please let me know. That was a misstep for me. I understand a parent being concerned about her passing out while watching their children but other than that, there should have only been concern about this 12 year old who felt she had to hide that she had a common disease. That was the main thing in this series that made me extremely angry. I am also a very perceptive person when it comes to how a show is shot. I look at color, angles, lighting and everything in between. There were a couple of shots where they were on the inside shooting out and the outside looked very blue but I let it slide.
Other than that mess, the show flowed very nicely. I laughed, I rolled my eyes at Stacey and her lifeguard phase and rooted for Mary Anne to change most everything about herself except her personality. There are already rumors of a season two coming soon but I don’t think that’s been confirmed but there MUST be a season two. There is so much more we can explore with these girls and I want them to take us on a journey with them into their teenage years. Do they stay together? Do they pass the club to the younger girls at some point? I’m invested now and I want to know!
You can find The Baby-Sitter’s Club series on Netflix right now! Ten whole episodes of new nostalgia. If you read these books, saw the old movie or the old series, watch this with your kid if you have one or with your best friend.
BLACK WATCH 