PEN15
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Above it, a contorted face rolling on a pillow, maybe emitting a theatrical moan or two.
Maya gets off in unsexy places, often entirely silently.
Hell, I lived it, and it made me a little uncomfortable.
Yet the intimacy of seeing it onscreen in all its raw, weird urgency feels unbearable.
Its tied up in a specifically female shame.
Maya has to struggle through her newfound sexuality completely and utterly alone.
While Mayas new secret is personal, Annas is familial.
Her parents are fighting frequently and loudly, and their marriage seems like its on the rocks.
This storyline feels a bit thinly drawn compared to the intensity and specificity of Mayas.
I could talk to you guys for hours, I could even sleep here!
Then she catches herself, embarrassed.
Let me go check on those rascals.
Its wrenching and perfectly played.
(Yes,The Sixth Sensehad already been released by then.)
Mortified, Maya has no choice but to confess to Anna.
Im like Sam, but Im grosser because Im a girl, she says.
I really shouldnt be doing what Im doing.
(The fact that neither of the girls can call it by its name says a lot.)
Reassured, the pair hug and promise not to tell anyone, in what seems like a feel-good ending.
But the show quietly undermines that reassurance, forcing viewers to recognize that its not that simple.
Shame will haunt Mayas sexuality in a way that it will never haunt her brothers.
