I Am Not Okay With This: 5 Times Dina Is A Good Friend (& 5 Times She’s A Bad One)

Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This follows Sydney Novak, a 17-year-old girl whose father committed suicide, and whose emotions manifest in bursts of her newly acquired and mysterious superpower. She’s also in love with her best friend, Dina.

Dina is unaware of how Sydney feels until Sydney kisses her at a party. She’s also unaware of her superpowers or half of the stuff she goes through at home – whether or not this is Sydney’s choice is up to debate. Even though Sydney doesn’t tell Dina everything, Dina can usually perceive when something’s up, and she’s willing to help her out even when things are strange between them.

10 GOOD FRIEND: Helping Steal Library Footage

Dina sets aside any lingering weirdness after the kiss and helps Sydney when she asks. They need to steal footage from the library’s security system because it caught one of Sydney’s explosions of anger – literal explosions.

Sydney and Stanley tell Dina they had sex in the library so as not to arouse any suspicion. Even though she thinks it’s all a bit strange, Dina helps them, even though it means putting herself in an awkward situation with the janitor.

9 BAD FRIEND: Ignorance Towards Sydney’s Troubles

Perhaps Sydney is at fault for not confiding in Dina, or perhaps Sydney doesn’t think she can trust Dina enough to be so vulnerable with her. At the beginning of the series, their friendship seems based mostly on breakfast dates and gossip.

As Sydney balances living with a single mom, high school, and teen romance, all while dealing with superpowers, Dina becomes a distant beacon of comfort. As they finish breakfast at the diner, Dina doesn’t realize that Sydney is hurt by her mother’s comment, which she interprets as a joke. When Sydney runs out of class, Dina assumes that she’s on her period, and is too preoccupied with her own feelings to ask Sydney about hers.

8 GOOD FRIEND: Choosing Sydney Over Her Boyfriend

Not only does Dina help Sydney and Stanley steal security camera footage, but she shows her loyalty to Sydney in other ways. She doesn’t totally abandon her for Bradley, even though Sydney sometimes feels like she does.

Dina makes an effort to check in with Sydney over breakfast and at school. She chooses to go to Ricky Berry’s party with Sydney, not her boyfriend. She’s not ashamed to be friends with Sydney and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of her. At detention, she proudly chooses to “marry” Sydney in a game observed carefully by Jenny and Bradley. Finally, she and Dina attend prom together.

7 BAD FRIEND: Not Respecting Sydney’s Wishes

Dina helps Sydney get ready for Ricky’s party. Sydney shows up dressed in her typical casual clothes, but Dina gives her one of her own, more revealing tops. She also proceeds to do Sydney’s makeup, even though she doesn’t really want any.

At the party, Sydney tells us through her voiceover that she feels awkward, and keeps a jacket over her top. But Dina unzips the jacket, causing Sydney to feel even more nervous and anxious. If Dina is truly Sydney’s best friend, she should be able to pick up on cues and perceive Sydney’s discomfort. Even if she isn’t her friend, she should respect Sydney’s wishes.

6 GOOD FRIEND: Not Holding The Kiss Over Sydney

Despite Dina’s reflexive retreat, she really doesn’t mind the kiss that much. She’s surprised, but she doesn’t let it affect their friendship in the long-run.

After recovering from her initial surprise, she tries to talk it over with Sydney and continues to support her even when they haven’t sorted things out. This proves that Dina really values their friendship and would go to great lengths for her best friend, no matter how odd Dina thinks her behavior is.

5 BAD FRIEND: Deserting Sydney For Her Boyfriend

Though Dina chooses Sydney over her boyfriend on some occasions, sometimes she doesn’t, especially at the beginning of her relationship with Bradley. The reason Sydney and Dina drift apart is that she spends so much time with her boyfriend.

Dina misses out on some of the most important moments in Sydney’s life, like her discovering her superpowers and learning the truth about her dad. When Sydney needs Dina’s support most, she’s not there. Sydney must be feeling upset and confused and isolated, and she has nobody to turn to. Or when she needs to get groceries and Dina can’t help her because she promised to hang out with Bradley, who doesn’t truly value her.

4 GOOD FRIEND: Believing Sydney About Bradley

Bradley can be very persuasive and manipulative, which is partly why Dina falls for him in the first place, and mostly why she stays with him. Sydney has never been a fan of Bradley, but for Dina’s sake, she doesn’t say anything outright.

During detention, Sydney overhears Bradley and Jenny talking about their hook-up at Ricky’s party. Dina walks in and Sydney tells her the truth. Bradley becomes desperate, shouting at Dina that Sydney is lying, but Dina trusts her best friend far more than she ever could trust Bradley.

3 BAD FRIEND: Not Being Understanding

When Dina questions Sydney’s insistence on stealing something from the school without knowing what it is, Sydney can’t tell her the truth. Viewers know why, but Dina’s frustrated.

Instead of trying to talk it through, Dina storms off, annoyed. She doesn’t observe how upset Sydney looks and how much she wants to tell her. If she had taken a few opportunities throughout the series to talk to Sydney about what’s going on in her life, she would be able to help her through this struggle, and Sydney wouldn’t feel so alone.

2 GOOD FRIEND: Knowing That Sydney’s Lying About The Security Footage

Though Dina often misses the mark or fails to be perceptive, once she’s no longer distracted by Bradley, she immediately realizes that Sydney’s lying about what’s on the security footage.

Sydney and Stanley tell her that they had sex in the library, but she actually accidentally knocked over all of the bookshelves with her mind. Dina doesn’t question it in the moment and decides to help them, but the next day, after her breakup from Bradley, she confronts Sydney. She knows her well enough to know when she’s not telling the truth.

1 BAD FRIEND: Settling For What She Wants To Believe

Dina’s most common mistake throughout the series is settling for what she wants to hear or believe. For example, when Sydney tries to hint at the ridiculousness of her dating Bradley or having “pep”, Dina brushes it off. When Sydney tells Dina that she just hallucinated in the library, Dina accepts it because it’s what she wants to hear – but it’s not the truth. She believes that Sydney will be grateful for her help in picking out an outfit and applying makeup because it’s what she would want for herself – again, not the truth. While Dina may have the best intentions at heart, sometimes she fails to understand Sydney because she only listens or watches for what she wants to be true.

About The Author

Svetlana Sterlin
(256 Articles Published)

After years of relocation, Svetlana Sterlin (she/her) was raised by her Russian parents in Brisbane, Australia, where she completed a BFA and contributes to ScreenRant and Our Culture Magazine. An avid cinephile and bookworm, Svetlana also writes creatively across multiple forms and genres. Her fiction and poetry appear in several printed and digital publications. Find more from Svetlana here: https://linktr.ee/svetlanasterlin.

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