The 2025 teen drama series streaming on Netflix, Forever, certainly stands apart from other similar content on the platform, mostly because of how grounded in reality it is, and how there are no unbelievable twists or turns in it. Adapted from Judy Blume’s young adult novel from 1972, “Forever…,” the eight-part series follows Keisha and Justin, who go through various tribulations in their romantic relationship, as well as the changing dynamics of teenage life. Overall, Forever could be a great watch for fans of romantic drama, particularly revolving around young adult characters.
Spoiler Alert
What is the Netflix series about?
Forever begins on the 31st of December, 2017, as Justin Edwards struggles with a school assignment for English literature, finding it immensely hard to concentrate on the work. While Justin is generally a good student who is liked and appreciated by his teachers, his academic life is a bit tougher than his peers because he has been struggling with ADHD since childhood. Deciding to set the assignment aside for the time being, he takes a nap and is woken up by a text from his best friend, Darius, who has just been invited to a party being hosted at a classmate’s house. Darius can take someone with him to the party, and he has chosen Justin, much to the latter’s excitement, since he would have had to spend NYE with his parents otherwise. Although Justin’s academician mother, Dawn, is not supportive of his plan to go out, especially because his restaurateur father, Eric, has managed to get away from work to spend time with family, he is ultimately allowed to leave.
Justin feels like a fish out of water at the party, as he is not socially confident or an extrovert like Darius, and wonders what to do, when he spots a young woman who instantly seems to relate to him. Unlike everyone else at the party, except for Justin and Darius, Keisha is Black and therefore also unable to mix with the crowd too easily. As soon as Keisha spots Justin, she walks up to him and initiates a conversation, for they are actually previously acquainted, although he does not recognize her at first. Justin and Keisha were once classmates in the same elementary school but had fallen out of touch afterwards. Now, as teenagers, they quickly bond with each other because of a number of similarities, particularly with regard to the fact that both are high school athletes.
The youngsters share a passionate kiss at the end of the night and cannot stop thinking about one another after returning home, because of which they decide to go out on a proper date the next day. The date starts off extremely well, with them shopping together, and Justin also gifts Keisha a bag, but it is this very bag that turns things sour a while later. When Keisha makes a move on Justin inside an empty cinema theatre, he pulls back and shows hesitation, confusedly asking whether she feels obliged to get physical with him because of the gift. Keisha is enraged by this suggestion, and she walks away after claiming that she is not the sort of girl that Justin thinks her to be. Triggered by the sudden question, Keisha cannot help but feel disturbed by a dark patch in her recent past, while her budding romance with Justin seems to have been nipped in the bud.
How does racial identity play a part in the series?
Discussions on racial and class identity take the foreground in Netflix’s Forever, as the characters are well aware of their privileges and also social restrictions. At the very beginning, when Justin wants to go to the party with Darius, Dawn is very particular in asking exactly where he is going and who else will be present there. Dawn’s repeated inquiries into her son’s movements initially feel overbearing, but her fears are legitimate based on the social scenario in the United States at the time when the series is set. At one instance, the woman mentions that the American police have been harrassing Black folks without any hesitation, which is obviously enough to strike terror into the minds of people belonging to the community, especially in mothers like Dawn.
In fact, when Justin suddenly sees a police car driving close behind him while he is returning home after dropping Keisha, he is terrified of the fate that awaits him, and he starts to panic as well. Every time that the young man goes out after dark, and especially after he has access to the new Jeep, which can very well be perceived as flashy by some members of society and law enforcement, Eric makes sure to give his son tips regarding how to act if a police car pursues him. Eric has to guide his son by telling him how to keep his wallet right on the dash so that he would not have to reach into his pockets or make any swift, sudden movements in front of police officers. Therefore, Justin prepares for the worst when he spots the police vehicle behind him and even pulls to the side as a form of surrender when he hears the sirens going off.
Although the police car drives away with its sirens still on, seemingly because it had been in pursuit of some different vehicle all along, the fear and anxiety of getting into some dangerous situation will keep haunting Justin and his family members for a very long time. The young man is also aware of how he leads a very privileged life financially, pursuing private education at a prestigious high school and living in the fanciest neighborhood of Los Angeles. He knows how his parents’ money has enabled him to have numerous experiences in life, and it is because of this class-centered confusion that he assumes that Keisha might be feeling obliged to get physically involved with him on their first date. While the class awareness is comparatively less significant in Keisha, she is obviously no stranger to the societal implications of being a young Black woman.
Months after the prom night which marked a final separation between Justin and Keisha for the time being, she visits the island of Martha’s Vineyard with her best friend, Chloe, only to look for Justin, who has blocked her from all forms of communication. Here, she has to stay with Chloe’s aunt and her family, who are all white, and the girl instantly feels a disconnect from the world she knows. Keisha feels so out of place that she asks her friend where all the Black people are, and she only experiences comfort after traveling to Oak Bluffs, an area of the island where significantly more Black people visit.
The sense of Black teenagers feeling very unsafe and unsure around citizens of their own country, just for being racially different, is evident throughout the series. Being a young boy with social exposure to all communities, Justin is repeatedly warned by his parents to not open up too much, and to not get physically involved, with white women. The implication is clear that these instances can be used to wrongfully charge Justin in a criminal case, and it would destroy his academic and athletic career in a country that is heavily biased against the Black community. Therefore, Dawn is extremely happy and even proud when she learns that her son is dating a Black girl, and thus, she is accepting of Keisha.
Does Shelly take legal action against Christian?
One of the main plot points in the first half of Forever revolves around Keisha’s struggles with the incident from her recent past, in which a private video of her with her boyfriend at the time, Christian, had been leaked among her peers. Keisha had to face extreme humiliation and ostracization from her schoolmates, leading to her having to change schools as well, financially costing her mother heavily. Although she had created a strong academic and athletic profile in her previous school, which would have helped her massively in securing a scholarship for future education, the girl had to leave all of it behind and begin life anew at a different school. Despite these changes, she still faces humiliation at the beginning of the series, as a lot of youngsters in the community recognize her from the video and immediately treat her differently.
Significantly, Shelly remains completely unaware of this incident for a long time, because of which she pushes her daughter to be close with Christian still, despite figuring out that the youngsters had broken up. Christian is a highly rated basketball prospect who is sure to make it big in the sport, and Shelly naturally wants her daughter to have a certain level of stability in life, which she thinks can be achieved with his support. However, Shelly definitely does not want to be rich at the cost of her daughter’s dignity and well-being, which is why she completely changes her mind after learning of what had actually happened. Her belief that Keisha had requested to change schools because she was finding it difficult to fit in at the predominantly white institute is shattered when Dawn tells her about the private video.
One of the compelling characteristics in Forever is that its protagonists, and almost every other character, make numerous mistakes in judging people or acting on situations, to varying degrees. Justin feels that Dawn is extra-protective of him and even wants to make decisions for him, which comes from a place of serious care and concern. Similarly, Keisha feels that her mother will feel let down if she ever tells her the truth, and so she hides the matter and instead keeps feigning closeness with Christian, even going to prom with him. She does not expect Shelly to react in such a manner after finding out about the video, as her mother eventually supports her and even apologizes, for Shelly too had been wrong in being so strict on her daughter that she would hide something so crucial out of fear.
Following the revelation, Shelly very fiercely wants to do something against the injustice that her daughter had been subjected to, and so she wants to sue Christian. However, her decision is halted by Keisha’s admission that she too had been responsible for the scandal, since she herself had sent the video to Christian and had also fully consented to the recording. Keisha shows tremendous maturity by holding herself responsible for the fiasco, as she totally owns her mistake and realizes that forgiving herself and moving on would bring her closure in this case. Thus, she convinces Shelly to not take any legal action against Christian, for it would really not do the family any good.
Do Justin and Keisha remain a couple?
As high school ends for the protagonists and they are at the brink of college life, Keisha gets selected at Howard University, where she will pursue her education alongside her track running. Meanwhile, Justin’s parents push him to attend Northwestern University, and after his perseverance and hard work, he is selected at the prestigious institution as well. However, the idea of moving to Chicago and being so far away from Keisha unsettles him and eventually brings him to the realization that he does not want to join the university. Although Justin’s realization stems from the fact that he does not really want to pursue a professional basketball career, something that would have been helped massively at Northwestern, his expression makes it evident that he wants to make this decision at present based on Keisha’s presence in his life.
Forever’s ending gives the protagonists a valuable life lesson in this regard, as both Keisha and Justin are just at the beginning of their academic and professional lives, and they should not take decisions based on their romantic endeavors. Based on the experiences of the adults in their lives, especially Keisha’s father, who is quite vocal about it, prioritizing love over careers at such a young age would only possibly limit both the youngsters and cause frustration later in their lives. Although breaking up is a terribly difficult decision to make, Keisha ultimately chooses to part ways, despite initially being quite hopeful about a new sort of life.
Justin has a very hard time dealing with the idea of being apart from Keisha, but the experience ultimately makes him realize that he genuinely does not want to go to Northwestern and try his luck with basketball, since he actually enjoys producing music much more. He bravely tells his parents about this decision, and having always cared about their son’s well being over everything else, they accept his decision. Thus, in Forever’s ending, Justin and Keisha are no longer a couple, and they are about to live in different parts of the country as well.
Keisha leaves home for her new life at Howard, while Justin stays back in Los Angeles, at least for a year, and starts working at CVS to earn his own pocket money. Alongside this menial job, he also continues to produce music with Rodney, the acquaintance he had made through Keisha’s cousin. Forever ends with the youngsters going out on one last date, in which they thank one another for the genuine support in tackling each of their lives’ complications, before parting ways with perhaps the hope of reuniting some time in the future, when their circumstances will allow their love.
