East Armour

East Armour follows four roommates over a three-year period as they become better teachers, better people, and lifelong friends, before ultimately going their separate ways. The series captures that unique time in our early 20s when we’re supposed to have the answer to the age-old question—what do you want to be when you grow up?

Gwen Richardson is a black woman from Indianapolis. Her students are not unfamiliar to her; she grew up attending similar schools in similar neighborhoods and only ever wanted to get out. While she wants to connect with her students, she also wants to be perfect in their eyes. That perfectionism will be tested after Michael Brown’s murder and Gwen’s participation in the Black Lives Matter movement. Through BLM, Gwen will come to see her upbringing and her community differently. It will no longer be something she has to escape, but rather something that grounds her life in meaning.

Elijah Ramirez grew up the youngest of five in a strict Catholic household. When he was 12, he realized he was gay. He prayed for G-d to fix him. He threw himself into the church. But it none of that changed who he was. When Elijah was 17, he finally accepted that there was nothing to fix and came out. Coming out left him without a faith and without a family. Unmoored, Elijah spent his college years crafting a new identity he hoped would lead to a chosen family. The Elijah we see in the pilot is self-absorbed and focused solely on what others think. Throughout the series, Elijah will reconnect with himself as he builds genuine connections with his roommates and learns to be his authentic self.

Paige Jefferies is from a wealthy family. Her father is an executive at Monsanto, her mother a housewife. Her whole life, Paige has been taken care of. She chose her boyfriend because she thought he would take care of her too. She joined ACNE because thought teaching would be a cute job until she became a wife. But in the pilot, Paige’s vision for her life comes crashing down when Dan, her boyfriend, breaks up with her. Terrified of being alone, Paige moves in with Elijah, Gwen, and Maggie, who help her realize that she is stronger than she thinks. Ultimately, Paige will come to realize that there is beauty in independence.

Magnolia “Maggie” Granowitz was raised by Jewish hippies in Oakland. Her parents taught her to be independent and unapologetically herself, but she worries she’ll never be good enough. When her father committed suicide when she was seven, Maggie, too young to understand his depression, thought that if she had been better, her dad would have wanted to live. Today, Maggie still tries too hard to make others like her; making friends always feels like a challenge. Throughout the series, Maggie will come to realize that she is worthy of love and friendship just by being herself. She’ll let go of the idea that she always needs to be something more.

Together, these four characters will help each other grow into better versions of themselves. We’re all shitty humans in our early twenties. But through their connections, they’ll all become a little better.