The pink-centric series immediately transports us to 1995, complete with Mariah Carey tunes, Days of Our Lives references, beepers and super-hold Nexxus hairspray (how else to keep those fabulous blonde '90s locks stiff as a board?). These nostalgic references are a fun element throughout the first episode—it's like eye-candy (and reference-candy?) for late Gen Xers and early millennials alike. (Honestly, it felt like the props, sets and nostalgia were directly inspired by one of my favorite throwbacks, Clueless, which just so happened to come out in 1995.)
For reasons involving a nose job, the Woods family is forced to relocate from pink and sunny California to grey and rainy Seattle, transforming Elle from belle of the ball to fish out of water in a (bend and) snap.
This setup is super smart and satisfying. Like the original film, where Elle is initially out of her element at Harvard with her pink pens and Playboy Bunny costume, this version puts our blonde hero in the uncomfortable position of trying to fit in at a new school where her favorite color is nowhere to be seen.
As she tries to make a new friend, the stranger (clearly not a fan of bubbly personalities) asks, "Did someone put you up to this?" She gushes in response, "I'm Elle. I like iced coffee, the month of July and when people dress kinda tennis-y even if they don't play tennis." A beat, then the classmate's deadpan response: "Was it Kimberly?"
I love seeing Elle in this complicated (but familiar) situation, forcing her to re-evaluate everything she thinks she knows.
While things aren't all roses and butterflies for Elle as she tries to adjust, this only adds more depth to the show (which easily could have been bubblegum fluff, but thankfully avoids that trap).
