Ginny & Georgia may initially have presented itself as an off-beat, OTT teen drama, but these labels haven’t stopped the Netflix series from digging deep into more serious issues. The third season is certainly no exception; the show’s latest outing has seen a frank and vital discussion about abortion, as well as a thoughtful exploration about PCOS and periods.
However, perhaps the most poignant storyline in the third outing of Ginny & Georgia is Marcus’s ongoing battle with depression, and the seismic impact it has on those around him. The series has openly navigated mental health issues before; season two saw Ginny grappling with self-harm, and agreeing to see a counsellor to get help – but Marcus’s deep descent into a severe depression this season is particularly powerful. In order to cope with his worsening mental health, Marcus begins to self-medicate and turns to alcohol in an attempt to quieten the loudening voices in his head. Things spiral so badly, the series finale sees him being driven to rehab.
It's an incredibly realistic look at depression – and makes it all the more important that we see Marcus (exceptionally portrayed by Felix Mallard) battling through it. We see him drinking excessively, distancing himself from his friends and loved ones, having emotional outbursts and spending increasing amounts of time in his room alone.
While there’s been a lot of focus in the media about the worsening mental health of young girls and women (and rightly so), boys and men are also experiencing a worrying rise in mental health disorders. Data from NHS England found that 22.3% of boys aged between eight and 16 have a probable mental health disorder. Suicide is also the primary cause of death in men under 50 in the UK.
There have also been increasing pushes and more awareness to talk about our mental states, but patriarchal structures have still led many boys and men to shy away from discussing their feelings. A lack of openness may be what is causing some young men to find darker avenues online in order to get some answers or reassurances (and falling foul of the manosphere in the process of doing so).
Marcus is a welcome foil to that, with the series showing the truly destructive nature of depression and the impact it can cultivate on our loved ones. The newest season only builds upon previous outings, where we saw Marcus speak openly about his mental state: “When it hits you fully though, when you’re really in it, it’s everything. It’s who you are, you’re nothing else,” he said in season two. “On the outside, you look the same; smiling and pretending is so much work, but inside, it’s a different story. You start to hate yourself. You’re so alone, so unbelievably alone.” It’s a real and raw observation of an illness, without pandering to its young audience.
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While the storyline has been praised by fans of the series online, there are still a worrying amount of viewers who are either ignorant or willingly misunderstand what depression is. One TikTok, that has garnered over 22,000 likes, saw the poster ask: “I’m sorry but I can’t be the only one who did not understand why Marcus was depressed in the first place.”
Despite huge pushes for there to be greater understanding about mental illness, few people seem to truly grasp that depression is not necessarily circumstantial. Regardless of Marcus’s privilege of having a loving family and a roof over his head, depression does not discriminate. You can live a perfect, happy and frankly gilded life, and still feel a shadow darkening over you – for no reason at all. Your guilt for not feeling the way you should, can only emphasise this feeling of depression.
Ginny & Georgia also deserves praise on how depression can eat away at those caring for you. We see this through Max, who cares deeply for her twin brother. While she tries to cover her concern with her naturally vivacious personality, and using her own happiness as a way to elevate depressed Marcus, we see her beaten down and exhausted by the end of season three, with some of her core relationships in tatters.
While the third season of Ginny & Georgia ends on a hopeful note, with Ginny’s poem reassuring Marcus that he’s not on his own, it’s important that the series emphasises that their relationship is not the most important factor in Marcus’s road to recovery – rather, he needs to mend the relationship he has with himself. By showing its young audience the reality of this illness, perhaps we can finally start to truly understand all the different ways depression can appear, and also the way in which it doesn’t discriminate.
Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper’s Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.
