(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)
A boy and a girl meet at a New Year’s Eve party.
It’s wild how they’d never “known” each other before then. Same city. Same circles. Maybe even shared the same space once or twice. But this night, something shifted. It felt like a beginning. A turning point. Like life quietly saying, “Everything’s about to change forever.” not just for them but for me too.
Forever-ish
Watching the show felt personal. Like someone had watched me live and recreated my memories for TV and that party was more than just a plot point. It reminded me of a season in my life when I met someone who rerouted my path. A boy, overly honest, a little intense, maybe too soft for the world, who found someone at the edge of his own transition. And suddenly, nothing was the same.
(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)
Forever, the Netflix series, is about love. The kind that isn’t perfect but feels real. The series dives into the awkward, complicated terrain of young love, sex, mental health, and what it means to grow up Black in ways we don’t usually see. It’s soft and raw and so incredibly human.
Justin and Keisha and Me-ish
Watching Forever as an adult hit me harder than I expected. Because even though it’s about teens, it’s really about me. The man I am now, still carrying the things I wish I had figured out back then.
Watching Justin, the boy at the center, I saw myself. The ADHD, the sensitivity, the constant juggling of trying to do well while feeling out of sync. He’s not some clichéd “troubled teen” or “gangsta” stereotype. He’s a real kid navigating a real world with all the confusion and hope that comes with it. He wants to make music. He’s trying to stay afloat, do well in school, stay grounded, and make his family proud. His parents aren’t perfect, but they’re real. Supportive. They’ve built a life and they’re still building. For him. For the legacy they believe in.
(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)
And then there’s Keisha. Her story hit just as hard. A private video of her and her ex gets leaked online, and everything falls apart. Her reputation, confidence and peace. But somehow, in all that chaos, she finds this boy. This safe space. And the connection between them feels sacred.
It was painfully familiar. A reminder of how vulnerable we are in a world that is quick to judge, especially as young Black people trying to find our place.
Hard Conversations
(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)
What struck me most was how the show talks about sex and love with honesty and respect. There’s this one scene, no spoilers, where a Justin’s dad has a real, grounded conversation with him about it. Not just about pregnancy or protection, but about choices, emotions, consent, and intimacy. It’s one of the most honest moments I’ve seen on screen between a Black parent and child. And we don’t get that enough.
That scene made me think about all the conversations I never had. The ones I should have had as a teenager but didn’t. The ones that might have saved me from a lot of confusion and pain.
Forever reminds me that those lessons about consent, about emotional readiness, about vulnerability don’t stop being important once you grow up. They shape who you become. And sometimes, as adults, we’re still learning them. Still unpacking the baggage of youth.
ALSO READ: 5 Great Movies That Teach About Sex
(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)
An Ode to younger me-ish
Watching the show was like looking back at a younger me and also looking forward at the man I want to be. It’s a tender reminder that growing up isn’t a straight line. That healing takes time. That love, in all its messy glory, is worth it.
So yeah, Forever is a teenage story. But it’s also my story. Our story. The one about learning how to love ourselves and others even when we don’t get it right the first time.
(Image credit: Elizabeth Morris/Netflix)
When does it end?
This show lingers. It sits with you long after the credits roll. It makes you think about the people you’ve loved. The people who shaped you. The people you had to let go of. It made me want to text someone, “Hey… remember us?”
And maybe that’s the point. Maybe Forever isn’t just about romance. Maybe it’s about the version of you that you’re still learning to love.
Season 2 is on the way. And honestly, I’m already counting down.
If you’re into stories that feel real, that hold up a mirror, that make you laugh, cry, and heal a little, this is one to watch. And if you want more takes like this, come hang with us in the Fusion Netflix community.
P E A C E. 🌿
