The series premiere begins with Penelope/Peneloe (Megan Scott) dancing at a rave. At one point she notices a wolf in the distance and turns as if she is going to alert someone but once she briefly spends back around, the wolf is gone. She’ll continue dancing before returning to what appears to be a communal cabin. She’ll fall asleep listening to two girls (Eden Campbell/Julia Higheaegle) whisper about prom dresses.
Some of the other are already awake and working on breakfast by the time Penelope wakes. She’ll briefly acknowledge the group with a friendly wave before venturing off by herself. She interacts with a rabbit before using her phone to capture the sunrise. She quickly looks back at the growing group before deciding to continue on.
Sometime later while walking don’t dirt road, Penelope receives a text from her mother (Cynthia Geary). The brief conversation suggests that Penelope’s mother is on her way to pick her up so she can start SAT prep with Vicky. Just a few seconds later, she’ll be shown shopping at a mall where she practically buys everything needed for a camping tent. As the purchase begins to reach the $400.00 mark, Penelope asks the Cashier (Eddie Wollrabe) if they accept Apple Pay. A brief consultation with a senior employee will reveal they do not. The cashier isn’t very empathetic and when Penelope admits to not having any cash, he begins offloading the purchases. She will eventually meddle around on her phone and secure a $500.00 store gift card.
After making her purchase, Penelope spends several minutes assembling the gear before receiving a text from her mother, inquiring about the gift card and urging her to return to the cabin. Penelope contemplates a response but opts to head for a nearby railway where she jumps onto a speeding coal train. She’ll briefly celebrate her accomplishment while making her way to an empty boxcar.
The next time she views her phone later that evening she’s got 9 voicemails and 28 messages. Although she isn’t shown checking them, she will send her mom and dad (Barry O’Neill) a voicemail apologizing for the way she left. She’ll also ask them to not look for her and claim that she is not running away but running toward a calling. After catching a few hours of sleep, she is abruptly woken and scared off by a guard (Butch Stevenson). This sends her into the town where she stops at a bookstore/café combo and gets several books on wilderness survival. As she sets down to read them her attention will be drawn to a young man, Sam (Austin Abrams), and his guitar.
While spending several hours with Sam, she’ll learn that he’s given up living on the grid to save money to record an album. He’s been living in his van for the past 7 months while also booking and performing at small live venues, such as the café. At one point she’ll ask why he doesn’t use social media to reach people with his music and appears surprised by his response. He attempts to describe it in tangible terms, almost like looking at a picture of a river versus being at the river. At this point, he’ll begin inquiring about her trip. She admits she has no idea what she’s doing and has an equally hard time explaining. The best she can put it is that she feels as if she needs to take things out, rearrange them, and put them back in.
Penelope and Sam’s discussion will segue into him awkwardly inquiring about her lodgings for the evening. Things only become more awkward as he nervously tries to tell her that he’s offering her a safe place to sleep for the evening. They’ll spend the rest of the night laughing and playing cards until he drops her off at the following morning at the Cascade National Forest’s Ranger Station.
There’s a brief thank you followed by a goodbye before Penelope learns about dispersed camping from the Ranger, Gale (Amber Wolfe). As it turns out, the park offers 8 curated camping sites that just happen to be currently reserved. Despite that, the park also offers what is known as dispersed camping where guests can practically camp anywhere they want within the park, barring a few exceptions. The site must be a minimum of 200 feet from other sites and guests are not allowed to stay more than 14 consecutive days. The biggest kicker, however, is the $80.00 ‘America The Beautiful Pass.’ Gale isn’t any more empathetic when Penelope claims to not have any money.
The episode ends with Penelope sneaking into the Park later that evening when Gale leaves.
Penelope Review
I must admit there is something stirring about the series. It is incredibly boring at times but I think it’s the solitude, along with the shorter runtime that helps. It’s not like watching a drama or action movie that turns out to be boring. The slow progression is expected. The ethereal music and naturally beautiful scenery also make for a pleasant experience.
I appreciate the rawness of the beauty. I easily see the potential for what could be a very intriguing, thought-provoking series. I’m certainly more interested in taking the journey with Penelope and finding out what her search is all about. I’d have to give the premiere a 5.6 out of 10.
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