PEN15: Season 1 | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What was Maya from PEN15 diagnosed with? ›

They spend time reminiscing with each other, and whether they've made the right choices in their lives. When Yuki returns home, she spends time alone with Maya and Shuji, and tells them both how much she loves them. Maya is diagnosed with ADD and Irlen syndrome.

Have been watching with my 11 yo daughter . Some of the content is mature and uncomfortable but has been a great way to talk about stuff that is sure to be on my kiddos mind. Maya and Anna make some awful mistakes about friendships and popularity and boys, and these are all learning moments.

Generally considered one of the smartest characters on PEN15, Yuki Ishii-Peters is Maya's mom and was played by Maya Erskin's real-life, Mutsuko Erskine. Though PEN15 is the elder Erskine's only credit thus far, she gives a naturalistic performance that only helps make her interactions with Maya all the more real.

Did you know. This episode was animated in part because of the shooting restrictions caused by the Coronavirus pandemic that began in March 2020.

Pen15 is said to be coming to an end because Erskine and Konkle feel they have reached the end of the story they had originally intended to write, according to reports from Variety.

But Maya doesn't understand Ume is being objectified, and instead becomes furiously jealous, screaming: “Why is being Japanese special on her and not on me?” Through the episode, miscommunication abounds. Maya is too young to differentiate between objectification and adoration.

"PEN15" Has The Most Painfully Authentic Gay Teen Storyline I've Ever Seen On TV. Watching Gabe struggle with his sexuality in the new season of PEN15, I felt like I was watching my younger self onscreen — and I'm not alone.

Erskine and Konkle are both 33 years old — an age that's a little too old, even in Hollywood, to be playing young teens. And although they're styled in middle-school-appropriate ways, the show makes absolutely no effort to conceal the actresses' ages; in fact, their adulthood is a key part of the show's quirky concept.

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle understand that better than anyone else in Hollywood. That's why their Hulu series "PEN15," which features the 33-year-old actors as 13-year-old misfits who crave popularity more than perfect grades, is more grueling — and more relatable — than any season of "Survivor."

ERSKINE: I would say 70 percent to 80 percent. It all stems from something that has happened. The last season, it's less so, but the first season was pretty autobiographical. The other thing is, me and Anna weren't friends in middle school.

Do Shuji and Maya have the same dad? ›

In Sleepover, Maya reveals that Fred is not Shuji's biological father, saying that Shuji is her half brother, "but we're basically full." As a bit of trivia, Maya Erskine's father, Peter Erskine, is a professional jazz drummer who has played with many famous musicians/bands including Weather Report and Michael Bublé.

Miller said they glued Maya's eyebrows down, and used concealer and contour to give her face a younger look. For her hair, Maya wore a wig, but Cilento said they strived to make the hair appear as natural as possible, which meant less combing, and a more natural fall to the bangs.

Kathy got the house, and as Anna says, “If he doesn't get me too, then what's he gonna do?” Meanwhile, Maya gets diagnosed with ADD and Irlen Syndrome. She is prescribed medication for the former and Matrix glasses for the latter. But don't worry, her doctor seems to say, Haley Joel Osment has the same glasses!

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle don't just share names with the characters they portray on Hulu's PEN15, they also share the same close friendship in real life.

As Maya eventually discovers, it's an acronym that stands for—gulp—“ugliest girl in school.” If the idea of anyone being labeled UGIS doesn't make your blood pressure spike, then I guess you're more over your middle school experience than me.

Maya gets diagnosed with ADHD, Anna has panic attacks and anxiety and depression.

The girl's parents, Beata and Jack Kowalski, had told the hospital that Maya suffered from a neurological disorder called complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS.

Kirkpatrick diagnoses Maya with advanced complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a disease that can be treated with ketamine. After low doses of ketamine prove ineffective, Kirkpatrick recommends a ketamine coma, whereby Maya would be given a large amount of ketamine to induce a five-day coma.

The Irlen Institute on X: "Check out Pen15 season 2 episode 12 "Grammy"! Maya has Irlen Syndrome!