Ahead of star gymnast Simone Biles’ return to the Olympics in Paris, her third such appearance overall in the games, Netflix has a new docuseries about her (Simone Biles: Rising) that’s just debuted with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes — and, honestly, I’m not surprised.
Granted, I don’t follow the ins and outs of competitive gymnastics. Which means, by default, I’m much more interested in the stories and basically the human factor outside of the technical details of what this or that aerial twist or floor routine entails. And I’m not the only one. Biles’ new Netflix series, directed by Katie Walsh, is currently sitting at a super-low 43% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests that, like me, many people are paying attention to and apparently have strong feelings about Biles’ life and experiences, both during and outside of the games.
As I write these words, the four-part Simone Biles: Rising is also #2 in the US TV show category on Netflix, behind only the streaming giant’s hit drama Cobra Kai. So there’s that, too.
Even people who don’t follow competitive gymnastics are probably aware that Biles withdrew herself from several events during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She’d been the clear front-runner for several gold medals — but, after struggling with her mental health, she chose to step aside rather than push herself to the brink. The first episode of the new series, titled “Write me down in history…”, gets into all of this, with Biles also reflecting on the pressure she’s felt while prepping for her comeback.
Before I talk about some of the nasty comments people are making online about her and about the Netflix series, let me point out a few salient facts.
It’s undeniable that Biles has already achieved an incredible amount of success, with her total of 32 Olympic and World Championship medals (a gymnastics record) ensuring her status as a great athlete, full stop. When she’s at the top of her game, it’s clear that her execution is flawless, and she’s also known for the pioneering nature of her performances — as I understand it, there are new moves that have been named after her.
Also worth noting is that she’s 27 today. At the time of the 2020 Olympics when she laid her mental health struggles bare for everyone, she was just 23 years old. I can’t imagine being that young with the eyes of the world on you, and with all of the pressure that I’m sure that entails. Nevertheless, Biles’ detractors still feel some kind of way about her (“There is Zero chance I’d watch anything pandering to this arrogant egomaniac Quitter,” one Rotten Tomatoes audience reviewer blasted. Added another: “Aside from the continuous whining and complaining it was alright”).
Obviously, I don’t know Biles or have the inside track on what she’s thinking or why. I can respect, though, that she stepped away in 2020, during a pandemic that reoriented many people’s thinking about the things that really matter in life. One of those things is the fact that you can’t hope to conquer the world if you haven’t yet mastered yourself.
Part 2 of the series will hit the streaming giant this fall. For now, I’ll just say that I’ve found it, so far, to be an engaging and a worthwhile watch. Definitely worth your time.
