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Let’s break down the animated special for Season 2 of Hulu’s Pen15 and why it proves Curt is actually a good dad to the tormented Anna.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the Pen15 animated special, “Jacuzzi,” now available on Hulu.
In the two seasons of Hulu’s Pen15 so far, Maya (Maya Erskine) and Anna (Anna Konkle) haven’t just had to deal with puberty, high school bullies and romantic turbulence; they’ve also had to contend with issues at home. In Anna’s case, she’s been blindsided by her parents separating but still living together, angling for what seems like an inevitable divorce. However, in the mid-season animated special, audiences discover her dad, Curt (Taylor Nichols), is actually a lot better than Pen15 gives him credit for.
It’s no secret he’s been neglectful to Anna’s mom, Kathy, as he often clashes with her new-age hippie attitude when it comes to parenting. As such, they’ve grown apart, and they think a trial separation’s best after years of arguing.
The problem is Curt still sneaks into sleep with Kathy, giving Anna mixed signals and making it seem like he’s puppeteering everything so he can get his way. This stops when Kathy realizes it’s toxic. The fact he doesn’t show up to the big play Anna and Maya took part in, asking Kathy to put his name on the flowers instead, shows how selfish he can be. Although it allowed Anna to bond with her mom again, consoling and letting her know she’ll always love her, even if Curt doesn’t.
This now builds directly into “Jacuzzi” as Curt takes the girls for a Florida vacation after the play. But rather than being an eccentric jerk, he’s totally caring, understanding and comes off as a cool dad. Even Maya’s hipster musician father isn’t as rad as this, with Curt letting the girls chill in the pool and talk to a couple of local boys.
He doesn’t believe in an iron grip, which has put Anna and Kathy at odds in the past. Maya’s also lost it at home due to this kind of control. Therefore, it’s a breath of fresh air when Curt gives them free rein and agency. He even lets them go to a teenage club, foregoing the lecture about drugs and boys as he wants them to know they can trust him. The shocking thing is, even after they get drunk and Anna vomits, Curt doesn’t go off the handle. Sure, he chides them, but he’s responsible about it. He’s calm, composed and even allows them to meet up with the local boys again as they’re driving off.
He knows it can be awkward at that age and makes the right judgment call as he can tell they all like each other, proving he’s got remarkable intuition. Curt doesn’t even flinch when numbers are exchanged, showing he’s comfortable with the teens figuring out sexuality on their own terms. As he drives off, the girls are happy with the vacation, but there’s also one last important factor to address: Curt actually met a waitress there, Aline, and kept their romance coy.
He didn’t hide it, per se, but he didn’t flaunt it in front of Anna, who has to drag it out of him that he kissed Aline. It illustrates he’s got respect for Anna and Kathy and is approaching the impending divorce quite maturely. It’s stunning how he sets this example, leaving Anna glad that she can still confide in him despite his marriage problems. While they may be at each other’s throats, she can still consider her parents her best friends too.
To see Anna’s family woes, Pen15 is available on Hulu.
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