Warning! SPOILERS for Not Okay.
Quinn Shephard's newest dark comedy Zoey Deutch's role as Danni has been particularly lauded.
Not Okay tells the story of Danni Sanders' rise to internet fame after a fabricated writer's retreat puts her at the scene of a devastating terrorist attack in Paris. Danni first feels she should fess up and set the record straight, but she ultimately leans into the fame offered by faceless followers and pretends to be a traumatized survivor to impress Colin, an influencer on whom she has a crush. Along the way to internet stardom, Danni meets and befriends a victim of actual trauma named Rowan. By Not Okay's end, Danni is made to set the record straight and becomes one of the most reviled people on the internet.
's cast of characters exists to satirize internet fame culture and social media. Shephard wrote the dark comedy to demonstrate the perils of making victims of trauma internet famous and the film examines the issue from a few different sides. By its ending, a significant thread is left dangling in hopes that viewers understand Danni's motivations. Here's Not Okay's ending explained.
What Happens In Not Okay's Ending?
Danni confesses her lies after being threatened by a coworker who has worked it all out. She's fired from her job, she becomes an internet pariah, her information is leaked, she receives death threats, and she finally deletes all her social s. With everything going wrong, Danni attends a group for people like her and realizes that she really hasn't learned any lessons. She decides to apologize to Rowan for everything that happens but ultimately doesn't do so after hearing Rowan perform a piece of poetry about her.
Why Didn't Danni Apologize To Rowan?
While not one of the most anticipated movies of 2022, Not Okay's ending has enough meat in it to intrigue its viewers and make a lasting impression. Rowan's spoken word poetry is some of the rawest writing in the show and it brings a reality to the show that at times feels disconnected from the real world. Ultimately, it's because of character growth that Danni decides to apologize to Rowan and goes to her performance. It's also due to character growth that Danni ends up not apologizing to Rowan. Rowan's poetry helps Danni understand that any apology she issued would be for her benefit, not Rowan's. This is the reason Danni gets up and leaves the auditorium at the end of Not Okay instead of finding Rowan and apologizing.
What Did Colin's Character Represent?
Rowan is only one of the internet-famous people with whom Danni interacts in Not Okay. Teen Wolf star Dylan O'Brien plays an influencer named Colin and Danni has a huge crush on him for the majority of the movie. The two briefly hook up and it becomes apparent that he's only interested in Danni because of her apparent trauma in the wake of the attacks. He exists in the film as a foil to Rowan's character: where she is someone thrust into fame because of tragedy, he's a hollow shell of a person who has carefully crafted a persona and brand in order to become famous. Through her interactions with both of them, Danni learns a lot about responsibility, fame, and what being a good person should mean. Colin exists in Not Okay to highlight the hollowness of internet popularity and through an awkward sexual encounter, he shows Danni just how fake influencers can be.
What Did Danni Learn From Rowan?
Known for her role in the Amazon Prime original movie Don't Make Me Go, Mia Isaac plays Danni's new friend Rowan. Rowan is a school shooting survivor who found solace and notoriety in writing spoken word poetry about her feelings and trauma. While she never sought fame and would gladly trade it if it meant she never had to experience the shooting, Rowan tries to use the platform thrust upon her to do good by seeking social reform and policy changes. Danni originally befriends Rowan because of her fame and piggybacks on her popularity to help her article about the Paris attacks go viral but ultimately grows close to her because of how genuine and kind Rowan is. After a bad night with Colin, Rowan teaches Danni that doing good is more important than being popular, but the lesson doesn't fully stick until Danni watches her performance at the end of Not Okay.
The Real Meaning Of Not Okay's Ending
What might cement Not Okay as one of the best movies on Hulu is its ending. Viewers may spend the movie finding Zoey Deutch's Danni grating and unlikable, but the end of Not Okay suggests that it's okay for anyone to think what they want about her. She is moving past what others think and growing to find herself on her own . Her realization at the group suggests that Danni recognizes the consequences of her actions, but that the lesson is still on its way. Her deletion of social media and her decision to leave Rowan's performance without apologizing suggests that Danni is finally on a path to learning something from her bad actions. When Danni leaves, she's finally setting herself free from the need to be liked by other people.
Not Okay features an interesting central conceit, a few brilliantly acted characters, and a message very relevant to 2022. With big talents like Zoey Deutch and Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien, it's not surprising that Not Okay is reviewing so well. Though the film opens with a warning that the main character is unlikable, Not Okay pulls an interesting bait and switch with its ending that suggests Danni just might be getting to a place where she could be likable enough — but also to a place where she doesn't care if other people like her, so long as she likes herself. Not Okay is streaming now on Hulu.
