‘Bad Boy’ Netflix Series Review - A Moving Drama Elevated by the Performances

Created by Ron Leshem, Daniel Chen, and Hagar Ben-Asher, Bad Boy opens with a 12-year-old Dean (Guy Manster) getting arrested. Of course, you immediately scream, "Adolescence!" Furthermore, for a while, it seems as if Netflix acquired this Israeli series to lure in the crowd that enjoyed and raved about that Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham-created show. You can say that Bad Boy is Adolescence through the eyes of the boy who goes to prison. We don't see what happens outside in the world unless Dean goes out of the prison. We don't get into details regarding how his family members cope with the situation or interact with the neighbors after the arrest. Tamara (Neta Plotnik), Dean's mother, doesn't seem to have any friends and is never seen interacting with her neighbors. With a warm smile on her face, she only supports her son. But if Bad Boy doesn't expand itself like Adolescence, that's because it chooses to remain close to Dean and his surroundings. The upside of this decision is that we understand why Dean chases a life of crime. First, there's the issue of familial complications - absent father, mother's nosy boyfriend, and a general sense of friction at home. Second, Dean is fascinated by a thief at school. Why? Dean (Chen), as an adult (going by the name of Daniel), says he wanted to be a criminal. The excitement in his voice indicates that he was probably one of those kids who get curious about outlaws and gangsters due to crime dramas.

However, there is another - a bit deeper - reason behind Dean's attraction towards criminals. The bad boys treat him like a brother - they see him as a family member. In the prison, the other prisoners laugh at Dean's jokes, and he ends up making a few good friends. The whole prison environment, in fact, suits him well. Even the police officers become fans of Dean's sense of humor, and he finds a good drama teacher in Keren (Bat-Chen Sabag), who eventually nudges him toward adopting stand-up as a career. But it's Havtamo Farda's Zion Zoro who makes Dean see jail as heaven. The latter is initially scared of this so-called monster with no code, but then, he slowly warms up to this girl murderer. Why did Zoro kill that girl? Does it matter? The crime has already happened, and Zoro is suffering the consequences of his actions. Anyway, after Zoro and Dean come into each other's life, nothing else seems to matter. What remains important is the feelings they harbor for one another. Dean is very open about his emotions. He's the clingy one. When he's released from the cell and put into a foster home, Dean spends most of his time trying to reach Zoro on the phone. This desperate behavior is almost sad as well as strangely comical. When Dean catches his younger brother walking on the path that he chose for himself, he confronts the guy who hired him and thrusts the knife into his stomach. By this point in the series, we are so attuned to Dean's thoughts that we comprehend the real motivation behind this action: He wants to reunite with Zoro, so he stabs the guy to reenter the prison. You see, Zoro stops taking Dean's calls because he wants the latter to move on. This only fills Dean with frustration, hence that stabbing incident.

Is Zoro just Dean's best friend? There are subtle indications that there is something more between them. Zoro, for instance, looks jealous when Dean starts talking to a girl, thanks to the Cupid phone service. What's more, when Dean screams and cries and requests the warden (Liraz Chamami) that he wants to say goodbye to Zoro before leaving the prison, he looks like a patient who urgently requires an oxygen cylinder. It's hard to put a label on whatever Zoro and Dean feel for each other. Their relationship is the highlight of Bad Boy, and it single-handedly elevates the series to brilliance. I would be lying if I said I was not moved by their reunion that occurs towards the show's end. You remember Nickel Boys when you see Bad Boy as a story of male companionship in an unsafe environment. You think about Good Will Hunting during the scene where Zoro (happily) realizes that Dean has decided to move on. But before arriving at these emotionally rewarding moments, you will have to endure much discomfort. I think some people will be "triggered" by Bad Boy, as this is a show that doesn't hesitate to insert a pedophile joke. The audience in the series laughs at this stand-up routine, but I am not sure how the real-world audience will handle not only this but other "triggering" moments in the show. It sometimes feels as if the creators are testing how far they can go by pushing our buttons, and this quest to try new things out is apparent in the realm of aesthetics as well. The clouds, the smoke from a gun, and the soapy bubbles are all displayed through animation. Dean's journey, meanwhile, unfolds both as a drama and a routine at a stand-up show. This amusingly gives some events a cover of artificiality, which is why characters often tell Dean to tell the truth. Dean, on the other hand, strongly asserts that he's telling the truth. Does this mean he was actually buried alive? Again, does it really matter? What all this illustrates is that Dean has a talent for comedy and storytelling. He, of course, remains blind to his gifts for far too long as a child because he chases pleasure in the company of delinquents. It's Keren who opens Dean's eyes. All he needed was a teacher to guide him. Bad Boy is not perfect, but the characters and the performances win you over. It's not Adolescence; then again, it doesn't need to be Adolescence. It's fine as it is; it has its own charm, its own style, its own strengths.

Final Score- [8/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times