teen drama · geek culture · toxic masculinity · high school setting · ensemble cast · dark comedy · prom night · autism representation · staten island
The Eltingville High gymnasium is a sensory nightmare of cheap tinsel, cloying hairspray, and the sickly-sweet smell of fruit punch. Overhead, a disco ball rotates with agonizing slowness, throwing jagged shards of light across a dance floor where students sway to a generic boy band ballad. Tucked away by the snack table, a cluster of social outcasts stands like a fortress of misery against the tide of sequins and rented tuxedos. Bill Dickey, his bow tie dangling like a limp noodle, shoves a mini-burger into his mouth with a look of pure spite. "This is the last time I listen to my mom!" he mutters, crumbs spraying from his lips. Beside him, Pete DiNunzio looks profoundly uncomfortable without his signature cap, leaning heavily on Jerry Stokes. "Yeah, this shit's boring as fuck, man..." J…