When I have time to myself, I love to indulge in some TV watching. I typically stick to my favorite repeat shows such as Glee, Shameless and Riverdale. I find myself constantly rewatching the same old shows, so I challenged myself to watch something new.
While browsing Netflix, I came across My Life With The Walter Boys. I kept seeing this show advertised online and figured I would give it a try.
In short, this drama is about a young girl named Jackie who has to stay with a new family after her parents and sister die. This is no random family though, it is her mother’s life-long best friend, Kathrine.
Jackie has to move from her big city and fast paced life in New York to a large ranch in a desolate part of Colorado.
Throughout the show, Jackie falls into love triangles and countless awkward encounters due to her living with this new family. This family has 10 kids living in the house, not including Jackie. The Walter parents have eight biological children, having seven boys and one girl. The Walters also took in two cousins that needed to stay there as well due to a family situation. This causes for a lot of interesting commotion.
The show is in Jackie’s perspective and shows her adjusting to her new life, missing her old life and dealing with the grief of her family.
Though the Netflix drama has a very interesting plot, it is definitely unrealistic. Most of the characters have a very adult-like mentality and are not an accurate depiction of how teenagers behave. One example of this is how Jackie plans a wedding completely by herself on top of her being on the track team, household chores, school and her busy social life.
A concept I did enjoy from the series was their take on a financially-struggling family. The parents, Kathrine and George, have conversations privately about how their ranch is struggling financially due to some type of disease that is killing their trees. During these scenes, they often talk about what sacrifices they will need to make and debate on selling the farm entirely.
I enjoyed this aspect of the show as struggling with financial issues is relatable to many adult viewers and also teaches a valuable lesson to the teenage audience about spending habits and being financially aware.
Many of this show’s scenes and aesthetics are very interesting as they show horse riding, teen drama, love triangles, friendships and more. Personally, my favorite character is Hayley, the oldest brother’s fiancee. I liked her the most as a character because she felt very relatable and down to earth.
Hayley is in graduate school and is very driven, which I thought sets a good example for younger viewers, as well as motivates me as a fellow college student.
Originally, this Netflix hit was based off of a book, also titled My Life With The Walter Boys. After seeing the first season of the TV show, I may have to read the book before watching the second season.
I would recommend this show for a ninth to 12th grade audience. Adults are likely not the target viewers as it is an immature watch for me. As a whole though, it is an easy watch, and I would find myself playing it while I am cooking, cleaning or doing other tasks.
