Moving to a new location away from friends and everything familiar is no easy task, and We Are Who We Are Season 1 Episode 1 captured that through the lens of a 14-year-old to perfection.
Jack Dylan Grazer brings a level of vulnerability to Fraser, who is the fish out of water in this tale, and gives us a riveting performance from the jump.
As a coming-of-age drama, the premiere used a fresh and exciting way to introduce us to the characters and their conflicts.
Fraser’s pursuit of Caitlin came out of the left field, but he saw something in her that fascinated him, so he made it his mission to get close to her.
My theory is that Fraser feels that nobody truly understands who he is as a person, and he could tell Caitlin felt the same way.
It was out there to take photos of Caitlin and pursue her group of friends after they left the class, but Fraser appears to be a teenager who acts first and thinks later.
To be fair, that could probably sum up any teenager in today’s world. They do things that would mortify them years later because they are still in the process of finding themselves.
Britney was a real breath of fresh air and helped to break the ice with Fraser. She’s analytical and can read situations very well, allwoing her to pick up on Fraser from the get-go.
Given how the promotional material zeroed in on Fraser and Caitlin, I was surprised how integral Britney was to the early storyline.
She helped introduce Fraser to what goes on beyond the confines of the base, and she could be a great friend to him down the line.
Her pursuit of Fraser stemmed from her curiosity about the opposite sex, as evidenced by the way she spoke about his walk and what it meant for his endowment.
By leaving the kids at the beach, going off on his own, and getting hurt, Fraser’s actions showed how quickly things can escalate.
He’s in a foreign country and doesn’t know much about the way of life there, so getting drunk and walking the streets, and climbing on top of the the bridge were reckless decisions.
But all of it amounts to quite the portrayal of what’s going on in his mind. He’s not a happy kid, by any stretch of the imagination.
Despite having a mostly robust relationship with his mother, Sarah, he resents the way she uprooted his life for her career.
A grievous outburs in which Fraser wound up slapping his mother reiterated that this kid is struggling with something he doesn’t know how to process.
He was immediately guilty for lashing, easily explaining why he disappeared into another room, wanting to be away from everyone.
Sarah’s job is not going to be easy, especially when you consider the incidents that have happened on the base in recent months.
She’s tough and will not let anyone stand in her way, and those could be traits to right a ship that might be about to fall apart.
Her relationship with her wife, Maggie, was a highlight of the episode. They are a genuinely happy couple, and Maggie wants to support her wife in her career.
Contacting Maggie to pick him upinstead of Sarah after hurting himself could hint that Fraser’s very worried about telling Sarah anything.
There’s a lot riding on Sarah’s career, and if word gets out that her son is being brought back into the compound with cuts and bruises, it might not be a good look for her.
Caitlin didn’t get much time to shine, but what we did see resulted in a lot of questions. We do know that she’s in a relationship with a boyfriend who wants to be in control of everything.
Donning baggy clothing and introducing herself as Harper in the restaurant, in full view of Fraser. will probably be what bonds Caitlin and Fraser.
They are two teenagers with secrets, and they appear desperate to confide in someone. Caitlin gets a lot more screen time on We Are Who We Are Season 1 Episode 2, so if you enjoyed her, you can look forward to that.
“Right Here, Right Now #1” was a successful premiere. There are a wealth of characters with a lot going on, who are simply trying to search for meaning in life.
Fraser and Caitlin may be at the wheel of this story, but there is a lot of room to branch out to give the other characters their time in the spotlight, as well.
Granted, We Are Who We Are is a miniseries, but many shows like this turn into ongoing series. From what we’ve seen so far, we’re open to the possibility!
What did you think of Fraser’s actions throughout the premiere? Were you surprised by the final scene when Caitlin introduce herself as Harper?
Were you intrigued by the setting of the series? Italy looks beautiful, but what about the army base?
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We Are Who We Are airs Mondays at 10/9c only on HBO. You can also catch the episodes on HBO Max.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.