You’re Nothing Special review: A tale about witchcraft that lacks a magical resolution

You’re Nothing Special is a Netflix drama about a teenager trying to find herself as she moves to her mother’s village from Barcelona and discovers her grandmother’s secret.

Story

Struggling to adjust to the new environment in Salabarria, Amaia meets Javi who tells her that her grandmother was the town’s witch and everyone came to her for help. 

Amaia tries her grandmother’s spells to check if she inherited her powers and to her surprise, the spell works. Amaia passes it off as a coincidence.

Everyone in school starts coming to Amaia to ask for help in exchange for money. Amaia agrees to perform a love spell for Jokin and when it works, she is tempted to perform one on Asier, a boy she had a crush on. 

Amaia manipulates everyone around her to get money, social status and her crush. Meanwhile, there is a subplot about her half-sister facing racism at school and Amaia investigating the identity of her biological father. 

On Saint John’s eve, Amaia’s secrets are revealed and Asier rejects her. She considers moving back to Barcelona but her spell for Javi works and she realises she might have a little magic after all.

Performances

The outstanding performances by the entire cast contributed to the fun pace and the light-heartedness of the show. 

Dèlia Brufau flawlessly executes her role as the annoying teenager who has her own ups and downs. 

Oskar de la Fuente plays the role of Javi, Amia’s best friend. The upfront personality of his character supports Amaia’s character arc tremendously.

Andrew Grace’s character, Asier, adds charm to the show each time he is on-screen and his banters with Amaia display the chemistry between the two.

Positives

Despite getting too annoying at times, Amaia’s character grasps the ups and downs of a teenager’s life and its emotions. The show uses its supernatural elements to portray the universal struggles of a teenager and their attempt at self-discovery. It becomes relatable for teenagers or anyone who has lived through such experiences.

Amaia’s narration perfectly sets the tone for a show about an entitled and socially-awkward teenager trying to discover her identity. 

The soundtrack throughout the entire series complements the tone of the show. Moreover, the humour, short-length episodes and light themes make it a fun binge-watch.

Negatives

Amaia’s character gets no real development throughout the series. She softens a little after a kiss with Asier but only ruins her newly gained reputation in the final episode. Her character’s major decisions revolve around the men in her life which might be realistic for a teenager but adding no other motivation makes it hard to root for her. 

The subplot with Amaia’s half-sister, Ona, and her struggle as a dark-skinned girl in a small village in Spain is left unexplored. In the final episode, Ona wants to move back to Barcelona because she felt more included there but Amaia completely ignores the racial prejudices her sister was facing and admits that she wants to stay in Salabarria merely because of her newly gained social status and Asier.

The show starts getting more interesting after the first few episodes but the last episode fails in its execution of a magical world. 

Amaia’s relationships with Lucia and Zhao showed a lot of potential in the early episodes but again fails in execution. 

Verdict

The show promises a lot in the beginning but fails to execute its magic in its resolution. Despite its failure in certain aspects, it is definitely a fun watch. The last episode ends on a cliffhanger and leaves hope for a second season. 

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 Also Read: You’re Nothing Special ending explained: Does Amaia really have powers?