Season 2 of First Day puts Hannah (Evie Macdonald) into a new school year. This Australian drama about a transgender girl gives Hannah plenty of new challenges in the new year.
First Day is full of firsts, even though Hannah passed a major milestone by attending school as her true self for the first time in season 1. This year she faces bullying, starts an LBGTQ+ group in her school, and petitions to get the uniform policy changed so students aren’t forced to wear gender-specific school uniforms.
Hannah’s friends Olivia (Elena Liu) and Natalie (Nandini Rajagopal) are still there for her, even though they have some rough patches. They encourage her to run for class captain. They commiserate with her when she’s the only girl not invited to a popular birthday party.
Hannah is really grown up compared with season 1. She’s matured in terms of her ability to speak out and be a leader. She advocates with the school principal about creating the new group for LGBTQ+ kids, and again when the uniform issue comes up. She speaks before the whole school. She helps another transgender student find the courage to attend school and not do home school.
Hannah’s also matured enough to be thinking about boys and dating. Specifically, she’s interested in Billy (Jackson Evans). Luckily he’s one of the few things that isn’t a disappointment in this season, because he likes her, too.
This short series was written and directed by Julie Kalceff. It looks at life from the kids’ perspective. Even though they aren’t the most articulate about the battles they face in life, they certainly manage to make their issues clear. Overall the series is optimistic, compassionate, and tender.
Both seasons of First Day are available on Hulu.