As episode 6 begins, Penelope (Megan Stott) is out foraging when her attention is drawn to what sounds like soft Christian/Church music. The sound leads to a trio of male peers. She spends several minutes listening to Barry (Aaron Jin) and Peter (Rhenzy Feliz) sing along with James’s (Elijah Carnazzo) strumming. Things turn awkward the moment they catch her spying on them.
Once the boys ask her if she is lost and needs help, only to reveal that they are the ones who are lost, the awkwardness vanishes with relative ease. It only takes several minutes for her to put them work and before they know it, they are headed back to her camp with several armloads of ferns to insulate her cabin. Although the boys are immensely impressed and grateful for her sharing her camp with them, she only continues to surprise them as they spend time together. On one particular occasion, she’ll teach them how to fillet a fish. James returns the favor later that evening by serenading her with a song he personally wrote for his church. Despite that, he was afraid to share the song with the members because its lyrics question faith.
That same evening, Penelope learns that the boys are also on a journey of their own. This is especially true for Barry and Peter who graduated this year and abandoned their college plans and the church without explanation to head into the woods. After revealing that he is also homosexual, Barry attempts to explain their decision further by claiming they are simply trying to figure out life just like anyone else, despite the different path they’ve chosen. The boys have a tent but being that it is going to be extremely cold, Penelope invites the boys to spend the evening in her cabin. They jump on the opportunity. The awkwardness returns briefly as James tries to get Penelope to join in on a bedtime prayer. She not only caves but will subsequently thank him for the kind words and blessings he says for her.
Barry insists on Penelope taking some of their food as the boys prepare to leave camp. Penelope surprises everyone, including herself, when she stops them from leaving and kisses Peter while simultaneously asking him to spend the day with her. He agrees and arranges to rejoin Barry and James the following day at the nearby caves they frequented.
Penelope and Peter make the most of the day laughing and swapping stories but he nearly ruins their time together that evening when he tries to express his concern for her being in the woods alone. He’ll try to explain by claiming that he feels like meeting her was what he headed into the woods looking for in the first place. Although Penelope is only interested in the one night together, she suggests they take the night further by pretending it is their wedding night. Although he struggles with the decision due to his faith, it is suggested that he agrees.
Despite Penelope’s insistence that they only spend one day together, she appears stunned to wake up and discover Peter gone. Later that day, she finds a note explaining his departure, along with his e-mail address in the likelihood that she wants to reach out. The episode ends with her quickly burning the note.
Penelope Review
I hate to say it but this episode nearly ruined the entire series for me. I had really been enjoying it up until this point. My distaste had nothing to do with Barry being homosexual, all the talk of faith, or the interracial hookup. It was the childish feel that threw me off. I get the kids are still very young, but Peter and Barry just graduated high school. I couldn’t even imagine that kids so caught up in faith these days would approach these scenarios in such a cautious, old-fashioned manner.
Although the solitude has been my favorite part of the series, I was surprisingly pleased to find myself enjoying Penelope’s time with the boys. I admired the way they rationalized their beliefs and reasoning for being in the woods, although the approach was very unrealistic. The ending was great and I feel that Megan has done a superb job of showcasing a rollercoaster or emotion throughout. I’d have to leave the episode with a 5.1 out of 10.
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