Smells like tween spirit
Netflix adaptation of The Baby-Sitters Club book series gets a welcome, gentle updating
The Baby-Sitters Club
Streaming, Netflix
LOS ANGELES For a certain subset of ’90s girls, “Are you a Kristy or a Claudia?” was the original version of “Are you a Carrie or a Samantha?” As each book of Ann M. Martin’s Baby- Sitters Club series focused on a different member of the club — from determined president Kristy to artsy VP Claudia — it let readers take a peek into a tween life that could reflect their own. The books are straightforward and heartfelt, telling stories of smart and ambitious girls on the precipice of growing up.
Maybe that’s why, halfway through the first episode of Netflix’s The Baby- Sitters Club adaptation, I realized I’d been steeling myself for the moment this modern reboot of a children’s property would turn dark and sexy. Much to my pleasant surprise, Rachel Shukert’s update of Martin’s beloved books is a show about young teenagers starring young teenagers that’s entirely appropriate for young teenagers. Such a concept should not be radical, and yet, it’s remarkable that the sweet sincerity of this Baby- Sitters Club so closely matches that of its source material while also bringing it into a recognizable 21st century.
The show begins in a picture-perfect Connecticut town with determined tomboy Kristy (Sophie Grace) starting the Baby- Sitters Club as a way to hang out more with her best friend Mary Anne (Malia Baker), reconnect with Claudia (Momona Tamada) and make some money while they’re at it. New girls Stacey (Shay Rudolph) and Dawn (Xochitl Gomez) quickly join in, bringing perspectives from New York City and California, respectively. Believable tensions crop up as the group evolves; nothing hurts quite like a middle school friendship fight, after all. But everyone in The Baby- Sitters Club actually loves and reveres the job of looking after children, whom they always take seriously — even when they’re being total nightmares.
There are, however, some pointed updates to the canon. Dawn, for one, is no longer a blond flower child but a Latina budding activist who attends new moon “sharemonies” with her crystal-loving mother (Jessica Elaina Eason). Mary Anne learns to use her voice when her new babysitting charge, a young transgender girl, goes to the hospital only to have her harried doctors carelessly misgender her. (The way in which Mary Anne comes to understand who she is and immediately goes to bat for her simply because comforting a child is the right thing to do makes it one of the season’s best episodes.)
While some may call these tweaks an attempt to be more timely, watching them unfold makes it obvious how timeless these stories really are. All are rooted in character; the lessons learned are direct and compassionate; the explanations are clear in a way that acknowledges children’s capacity to understand and empathize. It’s true that, again as with the books, most of the conflicts get wrapped in a neat bow by the end. Even when that doesn’t always ring true, the palpable warmth underlying each resolution proves irresistible.