Netflix’s top Arabic original returns and the high school drama is still the best in class
▶ New cast, same old teenage angst impress in compassionate series, writes
AlRawabi School for Girls, season two
Created by: Tima Shomali Stars: Sarah Youseff, Kira Yaghnam and Tara Abboud
★★★★☆
Netflix’s best Arabic original AlRawabi School for Girls is back for a second season – and the series is even better. Created by Tima Shomali, who also directed and co-wrote each of its six episodes, the first series revolves around Mariam (Andria Tayeh), a teenager being bullied at her elite private school. She seeks revenge, which then quickly spirals out of control.
AlRawabi School for Girls was made with such finesse, drama and humour that it was easy to see why Shomali has been called the Tina Fey of the Arab world, a long-standing local reputation that grew global with the show. It is also understandable that even though AlRawabi School for Girls was only meant to be a mini-series, Netflix soon sought a second season from Shomali.
This time around, AlRawabi School for Girls returns to the same prestigious institution but focuses on a new class of equally complex students. Primarily though, the second season depicts the efforts of Sarah (Tara Abboud), a teenager who is tired of being overlooked by her classmates and not being invited to parties. She is especially wary of her online presence, where she has a pathetic amount of followers.
Sarah believes that all of her fortunes will change for the better if she becomes friends with Tasneem (Sarah Youseff), who is not just the smartest and most popular girl in the class but also has a huge social media following, where she garners thousands of likes and interactions. Sarah’s attempts to get closer to Tasneem only draw the ire of school bully Hiba (Kira Yaghnam), and she takes great glee in pointing out her obvious efforts to the rest of their class.
Thankfully, Sarah does have a close friend of her own in the shape of Nadeen (Tara Atalla). She hates that everyone is so focused on social media and technology instead of real interactions.
She also has the confidence and confrontational attitude to take on anyone who laughs at her mindset. But having such different points of view means that Sarah and Nadeen are drifting apart.
Much like she did with AlRawabi School for Girls’ first outing, Shomali dives into a flurry of timely and challenging themes surrounding teenagers, technology and social media. Not only do we see the brainwashing impact it has, but when some of them do get their way, they cannot spot the detrimental effect that it has on their real lives.
The show frequently explores how people often want everyone’s attention, but are not sure what to do when they get it.
What Shomali once again does well is make each of the teenage girls feel real and the challenges they have to face so dramatic. Her writing and direction are compassionate – watching Sarah force Nadeen to go to a bowling alley where her crush is playing becomes unbearably tense.
Instead of being judgmental of the characters and their priorities towards their phones, Shomali shows how alienated their generation can be. One pupil even declares that they feel like lab rats within the confines of the school. And while the show is proudly Arab, it has the same mood and rebellious spirit of other Netflix teen comedies such as Sex Education and Never Have I Ever.
Shomali begins with a flash forward where we see the consequences of Sarah’s actions while her voiceover teases will get much worse, before zipping back to the start of the year to show how it transpires.
It pulls in audiences and hooks attentions.
Sure, some of the dialogue can be a little too on the nose and the storylines and themes are hardly original. But Shomali explores them in such a compelling manner that viewers will be just as engrossed as they were by season one.
While the show is proudly Arab, it has the same modern mood and rebellious spirit of other Netflix teen comedies
Season two of AlRawabi School for Girls is streaming now