Kate Moss got discovered while she and her father were stuck in an airport courtesy of a delayed flight. A photographer spotted Cindy Crawford in the stands of a local football game. Modern family sensation Sofia Vergara was discovered on a beach. There are countless stories of people getting discovered and their whole lives taking a turn. So Netflix’s latest 10-episode series, Geek Girl, follows a similar premise. Harriet Manners, a 16-year-old introvert who gets bullied by pretty much everybody, gets a chance to change her life when a celebrity scout spots her. The show revolves around Harriet trying to find her feet in the modeling world and coming to terms with who she really is.
Spoilers Ahead
How does Harriet get a modeling gig over Nat?
Harriet is the classic example of a ‘Geek,’ and the show shoves it down your throat by literally showing the meaning of geek in a dictionary. She gets bullied in school by pretty much everyone, and Lexi and the Olives lead the charge to make sure Harriet never lives in peace. Her best friend Nat is one of the very few people who actually loves her for who she is, along with her classmate and neighbor Toby, her father Richard, and stepmother Annabelle. When Harriet and her class got the opportunity to travel to London Fashion Week, little did she know that her life of misery was soon to be replaced by glitz and glamor. Wilbur Evans, the godfather of many models, is tasked with finding a new face for his agency, and he spots Harriet in a neon green football shirt in the crowd. Even though Harriet refuses to be a model at first, Wilbur doesn’t give up and shows up at her school to convince Harriet that she has a chance to become the next big thing. Harriet tells him that if she goes, Nat will go with her. Wilbur agrees, and the girls go to London for a trial alongside their parents.
Annabelle doesn’t let Harriet join the agency, thinking her schoolwork will be affected, and she thinks Harriet is meant to be a paleontologist, and she’s not cut out for this world. Harriet is obviously thinking that her stepmother is a thorn in her path and tries to convince her parents with a presentation on how successful people made their careers while also being good at academia. But crashing your dad’s 40th birthday party is in no way the right time to do it. She and Nat bunk school to go to the casting trial anyway, and even though fashion nerd Nat doesn’t get selected; Harriet does. Yuji Lee is a fashion designer with a lot of prestige, and she wanted her new face to be raw and someone who captures the essence of her brand. Yuji’s nephew, Nick Park, is a supermodel who developed a crush on Harriet when he first saw her outside Infinity Models during her first visit. Nick motivates her enough for Harriet to develop her confidence, and Wilbur is truly rooting for her. Yuji Lee selects Harriet, but Harriet doesn’t tell Nat about it, thinking that Nat is the one who worked all her life for an opportunity of this kind.
Why does Nick break up with Poppy?
Nick Park dates Poppy Hepple-Cartwright, the supermodel who was originally supposed to headline Yuji’s show before Yuji chose Harriet. Poppy and Nick date only for PR, and it’s not a real relationship, but Poppy sure makes it look like one. Nick gets tired and frustrated with Poppy and her stupid Boba Tea sponsorship and tells her that he can’t pretend anymore. Poppy doesn’t take it well and tries to convince him to stick with her for a few months more before they can promote the breakup in the next year as a “new year, new me” thing. Nick obviously likes Harriet, and he outright rejects Poppy, but she doesn’t take it seriously and keeps pretending like they’re fine. Poppy is also jealous of Harriet for replacing her as the headliner of the show, and she can’t stand Harriet and Nick’s dynamic getting serious.
What happens when Harriet goes to Canada?
Harriet comes back home after securing her first modeling gig, and Richard already knows about it. Since Anabelle is out of town, Richard allows Harriet in and shows her the tickets to Canada. In her first visit to the green room, Harriet sees the dress she’s going to walk in. Yuji Lee is a tight-lipped, intimidating figure, but Harriet’s innocence brings out a smile even from this tough nut. Poppy is very obviously salty about all of it, and she can’t stand her hogging the limelight. Harriet still hasn’t told Nat about anything, and she pretends to be heartbroken over the rejection. Richard tries to cheer her up by lying to Anabelle, who listens to their made-up voice note after discovering that she’s pregnant. Richard’s lies do end up costing him his job, but the man is only too happy to sacrifice it all for his daughter. Nick starts to flirt with Harriet in front of Poppy, and her frustrations just keep piling up. During the event, Harriet gets the tallest of heels to walk in, and the headline act trips on the ramp walk. Just when she thinks her life hasn’t changed at all and she just found a bigger stage to embarrass herself, she finds the courage to get back up and completes the walk. Everybody applauds this show of confidence and grace, but Harriet runs back to the green room, thinking she’s fired. Yuji tells Wilbur that she thought it was great how Harriet handled it, and she wants Harriet to be the face of her next perfume campaign.
Harriet gets a massive panic attack when the journalists and photographers surround her at the after-party. She runs away from the crowd to calm herself down, and Richard follows her. Harriet still feels like a geek, and all of this hasn’t really changed her, and she doesn’t feel like the supermodel she just became. Richard very sensibly tells her that she can be both and be good at it. He thinks there’s no label that can define her as a person, and she’s going to be just fine. Harriet and Nick want to go out together, skipping the party, and Richard allows them to go have some fun. Wilbur and Richard discuss how other teenagers won’t even ask for permission and how lucky Richard is to have Harriet. Meanwhile, Yuji has replaced Poppy once again to make Harriet the star of her perfume shoot, and the jealousy only keeps growing. Nick gets a pair of slippers for Harriet and holds her heels like a proper gentleman, and when they go to the museum together, a couple of kids click a picture of them together. The picture immediately starts trending on the internet, and Nat finally finds out what Harriet was up to.
How does Harriet handle her newfound success?
Anabelle is already home when the father and daughter comes back from their wild adventure in Canada, and Anabelle is proud of how well Harriet did and apologizes to her for not seeing what she’s capable of. She’s still mad at Richard for doing all of this behind her back, and she doesn’t want two teenagers at her home. Harriet comes back to school, and the person who got bullied by everybody is the Belle of the Ball now. Everybody wants to talk to her, and even Lexi and the Olives start to behave nicely toward her. But what Harriet really cares about is Nat, who is mad at her and doesn’t want to discuss anything. Nat feels betrayed, and for good reasons, as no best friend should find out about such a big thing when everyone else on the internet does, and Harriet doesn’t understand it. Although she is really apologetic, Nat refuses to have any of it. However, Harriet does have things in life to look forward to, as Nick texts her asking for a second date. The next day, Harriet convinces Nat that she’d go with her as a model for Nat’s interview for a fashion school, and Nat somewhat forgives her and gives her a chance. Nick comes to the school in a vintage Chevy, which he borrowed from Wilbur. Nick is very nervous about all of it too, and he asks Wilbur how his second date was and if he could give him some advice. The two drive off to a park, where they have a little picnic. Just when the first kiss is about to happen, a phone call interrupts it, and Harriet sees that she’s late for Nat’s interview. The car decides to break down at the worst possible time, and they don’t make it on time. Nat finds them afterwards and tells Harriet not to try to talk to her again.
How does Harriet ruin the perfume shoot?
Anabelle and Richard accompany Harriet to the perfume shoot, and they’re thrilled to see their daughter shining in the fashion world. Poppy is obviously still desperately trying to get on Harriet’s nerves by clinging to Nick, and she tells him that the only reason she got replaced is because she isn’t his girlfriend anymore. Poppy accuses Nick of playing favorites and asking her aunt to change the lead. She’s also posted breakup videos on social media, but it’s obviously a cry for sympathy from the fans. The hate comments for Harriet affect her before the shoot, but Betty comes and tells her that she supports Harriet in all of this, and she thinks Harriet and Nick are the perfect match. The chemistry between Nick and Harriet is off due to all of this, but when the camera isn’t on them, they play around with each other. Yuji sees their actual chemistry and tells the director to shoot them candidly, and it works like a charm. After Nick’s scenes are done, Harriet works with a different male model for a few more scenes and accidentally kisses him on the cheek, and Poppy clicks a picture of it. She posts it on social media, and Harriet can’t take it anymore. She posts an apology video explaining that the kiss was an accident, and she also apologizes to Nat for the lies, but this video bombs the extremely confidential perfume campaign, and Yuji gets furious over this. Harriet is embarrassed over what she’s done and quits modeling before she can ruin more things.
What happens after Harriet leaves modeling?
Yuji Lee has disappeared after the horrendous mistake Harriet made, and Jude Paington, the CEO of Infinity Models, wants to replace Harriet with Poppy for the highly anticipated BASCAR event. Wilbur is not okay with what’s happening, but Harriet doesn’t return his calls. She’s made up her mind on never returning to modeling again and goes back to school to continue her life. Wilbur goes to visit Nick and sends him to talk to Yuji while Wilbur thinks of a way to convince Jude. When Jude is persistent about her choice of Poppy, Wilbur resigns from Infinity and takes his two biggest clients, Nick Park and Harriet Manners, with him. Meanwhile, in the school talent show, Toby performs a comedic monologue on King Arthur and also motivates Harriet to be herself instead of running from the world. Toby tells her that they’re like polar bears, and they have big, squishy paws to take on the world. Soon after, Lexi and the Olives perform a dance, and all of them are playing Harriet. Anabelle and Richard are furious and ask the headmaster to stop the show, but the bullies continue anyway. Harriet gets another anxiety attack just when she thinks she’s getting herself together, but she’s had enough of the bullies anyway. Harriet picks up a can of blue paint and dumps it on the bullies, finally overcoming her fear. Nat and Toby are happy that she finally stood her ground, but she receives a reply from Jude, telling her that Infinity doesn’t want her back and informing her that Poppy is replacing her.
Why does Harriet go back to modeling?
Wilbur shows up at Nick’s apartment, telling him to go pay his aunt Yuji a visit while he’s playing Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Meanwhile, people in school now love Harriet and her squad for finally bullying the bullies. Sadly, her phone gets confiscated by a teacher when she keeps taking it out to decline Wilbur’s calls, but Wilbur is already in her house. Nick meets Yuji and tells her that she has to hire Harriet back, but Yuji refuses, telling him that she quit. Nick loses it and tells her that if anybody truly represents what Yuji’s brand stands for, it’s Harriet. Even though Yuji sends him back, she soon bursts out in laughter, realizing that Nick is in love and he did say the right things. There’s no one better than Harriet to represent Yuji’s vision, and she knows it very well. Harriet comes home from school and sees Wilbur all set to take her to the BASCAR. Harriet doesn’t have anything to wear, and Richard immediately leaves in his Vespa to get Nat on board. They bring the dress Harriet missed wearing when Nick’s car broke down. Harriet and Anabelle share a heartwarming moment when she shows Anabelle a list of people she thought hated her, and it includes Anabelle as well. Anabelle asks for the diary, crosses everybody’s name out, and tells her that the only person who matters on that list is Harriet herself, and she shouldn’t let anybody else pull her down. Harriet comes out wearing the dress Nat made, and she stuns everybody in the room. Wilbur and she are now off to BASCAR, where they need to settle some scores.
What happens at BASCAR?
Poppy walks onto the red carpet with Nick, who’s clearly uncomfortable with her. Jude is giving an interview where she insists that the reporter doesn’t address her as a retired supermodel but rather asked to be addressed as one of the originals. Poppy confronts Nick when he tries to swap the dresses and tells him that she’s walking for Yuji, and he has to deal with it. But her proud face soon turns pale when the TV in the background shows Harriet and Wilbur walking down the red carpet. Harriet proudly says that she’s wearing an original Natalie Grey, and Nat back home tears up seeing her best friend. Wilbur unleashes his biggest star on Jude, and Harriet interrupts Jude in the middle of her interview. When Jude tries to fake niceties with Harriet, she confronts her, saying that she doesn’t need to act like she likes her. In this exchange, Harriet shows Jude her place, and Yuji finds Harriet. Yuji hires Harriet back and fires Jude right in front of everyone. Poppy wants revenge after being replaced once again, and she fakes an apology to sneakily stick a note with “Geek” written on it to her back.
Yuji returns the friendship necklace Harriet lost during the perfume shoot, and she acknowledges that it’s more of a talisman for Harriet and even shows her own to her. Yuji only behaves nicely toward Harriet during the whole show, and it’s not wrong to assume that she sees a little part of herself in Harriet. Harriet does her wonderful catwalk wearing Yuji’s best design, but when she turns around, everybody starts chattering about the geek sign. Nick walks down to meet her in the middle, and Harriet knows that this is her moment and she needs to own it, no matter what people say. Harriet kisses Nick in the middle of the ramp, and the crowd loses it. Her parents and Nat break into tears of joy back home, and Harriet has finally rewritten her story. She can be a geek and a model, just like Richard once said. The show ends with Wilbur, Nick, and Harriet watching Harriet’s billboard advertisements in Central London, and Harriet proudly wearing a hoodie with Geek written on it, which is Yuji Lee’s new line dedicated to her top model.
What will happen in Season 2?
We can expect to see more of Harriet and Nick’s fresh romantic angle in the next season. The kiss in the middle of a Yuji Lee’s event certainly will garner a lot of positive PR for the designer. With Jude and Infinity Models out of the picture, I certainly hope Jude would want to get back at Yuji and Harriet for the public humiliation. Poppy has been one of the leading models of England who lost her place and her made-up boyfriend to Harriet, and I wonder what tricks she’ll pull out of her hat to sabotage Harriet’s career and personal life. She’s clearly obsessed over Nick, and she wants him at any cost. With Richard applying for a new job and Anabelle’s pregnancy, the couple will have to root for Harriet from the sidelines as they’ll have a lot more on their plate than expected. Nat is finally doing what she loves, and she’s in a fashion school where she wanted to be. Her modeling career ended on a sour note, but I really hope her career in fashion goes a long way. Season 2 will obviously have to cater to a lot of expectations, and it’s up to the makers to capitalize on a great opening season.
