'Forever' Doesn't Have a Perfect Happy Ending—And It's All the Better For It

This story contains major spoilers about Forever, including the ending. On TV, we’re used to seeing high school sweethearts stay together—from Cory and Topanga on Boy Meets World to Julie and Matt on Friday Night Lights to Spencer and Olivia on All American (the list could go on). After season-long will-they-won't-they arcs, there's a comfort and charm to knowing our favorite on-screen 'ships are meant to be and stay together even after a show ends. But in Netflix's latest teen romance, Forever, that's not the case—and it's all the better for it.

By the end of its eight episodes, Forever has a surprising but satisfying conclusion: the all-consuming high school love story between Keisha (Lovie Simone) and Justin (Michael Cooper Jr.) isn’t their happily ever after. The limited series helmed by Mara Brock Akil of Girlfriends fame traverses the ups and downs of their relationship over senior year as they navigate parents, past romances, and changing identities and desires. They break up, make up, say, “I love you,” and have sex for the first time with each other. But instead of staying together and trying to make a long-distance relationship work after graduation, the couple amicably breaks up in the finale, “Forever…” They leave high school separately to pursue their dreams; Keisha will attend Howard University on a track scholarship, and Justin will take a gap year to explore a career in music production before potentially following in his mother’s footsteps to Northwestern University.

It’s an ending inspired by the classic 1975 Judy Blume romance novel that the series is loosely based on, which itself was ahead of its time. But in a contemporary teen show, a genre which often makes finding your soulmate in adolescence feel aspirational, this conclusion better reflects the reality of those significant, but often fleeting, connections.

For Brock Akil, it was crucial to show this dynamic. “First loves, even deeply meaningful ones, often serve as stepping stones rather than final destinations,” she tells Marie Claire over email. “Teen relationships are often profound precisely because they are impermanent and transitional.” Ultimately, Keisha and Justin’s breakup is not just the right decision for these characters, so they can go on and learn more about who they are as individuals, but because it reflects the truth of most young relationships.

Even if the series doesn’t have a traditional happy ending, Forever never underestimates the impact that Keisha and Justin have on each other. Justin helps Keisha regain confidence after her ex-boyfriend leaked a sexually compromising video of her, and Keisha is Justin’s biggest cheerleader as he tries to figure out what his next chapter looks like. In a moving moment in the finale, Justin recalls how his mom punished him for one of his grand romantic gestures by replacing his laptop with an older model. The old laptop had beats he made years ago; his love for Keisha led him directly to his reignited love for music.

Forever’s bold resolution symbolizes the growth we’ve witnessed for both characters. Justin, who initiates the breakup in the finale, realizes that he doesn’t have anything figured out beyond his girlfriend, and that lack of direction is a wake-up call. “Because of you, I finally know what it feels like to want something,” Justin credits Keisha. “But it can’t just be you.” Keisha is heartbroken but understanding, and leaves him with advice he takes to heart: Stand up for yourself with your parents, so you don’t spend four more years not being who you are.

Introspection about identity drives their decision, and it’s an important message for a show about teen love to convey. “Separating allows each of them to grow into their individuality without losing themselves,” Brock Akil says about the story decision. “It highlights the beauty and necessity of moving through, rather than just clinging to, formative relationships.”

Justin initially tries to grasp onto this version of himself by floating the idea of following his girlfriend to Howard—a suggestion that doesn’t impress Keisha. Then he pivots to what Keisha rightfully views as the easy way out: reluctantly attending Northwestern to appease his parents. But neither of those scenarios allows Justin to spread his wings and discover who he is and wants to be. Only in breaking up does Justin have the space to explore music in earnest.

Sometimes, the tether of a high school relationship in college can be like an anchor, and there’s an implicit understanding between them that Justin’s current stagnancy would drag both of them down, potentially leading to resentment. Normally, TV pushes through this in favor of a more romanticized ending—we’ll never forget that Topanga gave up Yale to attend a local college with Cory in Boy Meets World—but Brock Akil’s radical ending reflects a healthier and respectful bond between Justin and Keisha. That was by design: “Their friendship allowed them to break up romantically and still maintain a healthy connection and love,” she explains. “I want [audiences] to appreciate the courage it takes for these young characters to embrace uncertainty and growth.”

While it’s romantic to believe that your first love is your destiny, the reality is that less than 2 percent of high school relationships last, according to The Journal of Youth and Adolescence. That makes sense: The person we are at 18 is not who we’ll be at 25 (or at 30, and so on). As our frontal lobes, which are responsible for behavior and personality, continue to develop into our mid-20s, it’s not uncommon for people to evolve. The kindest thing Justin and Keisha could do for one another is let the other go so they can go on separate journeys and fully embrace all life has to offer. And who knows—“maybe [their breakup] isn’t permanent,” Akil teases.(Forever was conceived as a limited series, but many similar shows have found more story to tell in their universes, and it would be a treat to revisit Keisha and Justin down the line to see where their decisions have taken them.)

In the source novel, in which the leads are named Katherine and Michael, Katherine acts on her attraction to her tennis instructor, Theo, resulting in her breaking up with Michael. When they run into each other later, Katherine tries to convey that despite it ending, her time with Michael was significant to her. Akil’s adaptation stays true to Blume’s original spirit, even with the door open for a reunion between the central lovebirds: While some relationships don’t last forever, their impact will. Forever threads the needle, displaying how Justin and Keisha have changed each other for the better—possibly the most beautiful legacy they could ask for. No matter the amount of love between them, their adult lives are only just beginning.