Stars: 3.5/5
To say that this show is a rollercoaster ride is an understatement.
If there was a way to combine “You,” “Pretty Little Liars” and “Gossip Girl” and set it in Mexico, you’d have “Control Z.”  It is not a show for the weak.
The series follows an exposé of the popular crowd at Colegio Nacional (National School) in Mexico City. 25 minutes into the series, the hacker is on the loose, exposing a transgender student to the whole entire school. Over the course of a few days, more students are exposed and one is beaten into a coma.
However, our heroine, Sofía, is not part of the exposé or in the popular crowd. Instead, she is the over-analytical, know-it-all introvert who is magically recruited into finding out who is behind the hacking scandal. Sofía even has a secret of her own which is revealed later in the season.
When you have watched enough teen mystery dramas, you know that you are going to be pulled in several directions that find out who is the villain. “Control Z” throws tons of characters at us within the first episode alone. The mystery aspect of the show is great, leading you on to think the hacker is a few people. Also, most of the main characters have complex characterization and backstories.
I had to dock the rating down due to the brutal bullying. I can sit through a lot, but a lot of the bullying scenes went overboard with scenes that lasted around five minutes. I feel uncomfortable even comparing it to “13 Reasons Why,” but that is what these bullying scenes remind me of. There was no need for them to be so brutal. But at least “Control Z” isn’t a pompous wannabe advocate for a cause like “13 Reasons Why.” 
However, it tries to jab at the obsession that Generation Z has with social media and our phones. Every adult has an issue with cell phones. This is slowly becoming a trope, and it’s becoming obnoxious. Maybe it’s because I attended a technology-positive high school, but this annoys me severely. “Control Z” comes off too self-absorbed with its tech obsession and lacks to teach anything. 
Sofía’s ability to analyze things was simply her looking at something and then making obvious connections or simple assumptions. It was nothing special, but I found that her backstory was intriguing. Although, there were still some questions I had after. 
Despite its flaws, “Control Z” honestly shocked me. The first time I watched it, my jaw dropped. The final episode brought all the drama and emotions. One thing “Control Z” knows how to do is leave you with a cliffhanger that hurts.