Episodic Pilot Showcase: Penelope
by Karen Pecota

Mel Eslyn | USA | 2024

Indie collaborators Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn craft together an eight-episode series attracting both the young and old in Penelope. A teenager’s quest to disengage from the modern world, Penelope and chooses to explore the majestic nature that surrounds her while on a family excursion.

Camping with family and friends, Penelope (Megan Scott) decides to take one last walk in the woods before her tribe leaves the site for home. Penelope never returns. While her family waits for her to join them on their drive back to society, Penelope journeys further into the woods, as if she is running towards something that’s mysterious, beautiful, and adventurous. Without a care in the world, she is enamored by what her eyes behold.

The audience observes a resourceful Penelope as she lands upon a local store specializing in camping supplies. Out comes her phone, spending $500 worth of goods with her mom’s Apple Pay link. Penelope is on her way to explore the Pacific Northwest but does text her mom to note the expense and to let her know she is fine and not to worry. Innocent 16-year-old Penelope never thinks about the possible dangers of her expedition with no money, no cell phone charger, or no directional plan, but happy to travel on foot.

Eslyn shares, “In the early days of the pandemic quarantine, Mark Duplass found his whole family coming together to watch the show Alone.” Three generations (his pre-teen/teen daughters to his parents) were captivated by the efforts where humans tried to survive in the woods with very few resources. Eslyn continues, “Mark wondered if there was something more universal here, this desire to escape the modern world, to slow down, and to confront our own survival.”

Eslyn is a lover of nature with a secret desire to unplug from her everyday reality and run away to live in the woods. The story the two collaborators built in Penelope resonated deeply with Eslyn. They begin to explore if indeed such a life could be possible. Eslyn recalls, “Mark went camping and I started taking survival courses and edible plant classes.” Adding, “The show became deeply personal to us.”

Mel would direct all eight episodes choosing the Pacific Northwest for their film location, as Washington state is home to an immense diversity of ecosystems and would visually be possible to journey with Penelope in the outdoors. Duplass adds, “There is a new movement where teens are becoming more enthralled with the environment around them and willing to disconnect from social media and their cell phones. Penelope reflects that desire, told through the eyes of a teenage girl, but hopefully resonates with all humans.”