Pros: Current youth topics; attractive young actors Cons: The series is too sterile and predictable; low pace and protracted; weak dialogue and a lot of Trinkets cliches
Genre youth drama
Creators: Amy Andelson, Emily Mayer, Kirsten Smith
Cast: Brianna Hildebrand (Elodie), Kiana Madeira (Moe), Quintessa Swindall (Tabitha), Brandon Butler (Brady), Odisis Georgiadis (Noah), Larry Sullivan (Doug), Dana Green (Jenna), Henry Zaga (Luca), Kat Canning (Sabina) and others.
Netflix channel
Year of release 2019
Episodes 10
Site IMDb
Trinkets is the story of three high school girls from very different families who share one vice – kleptomania. Mo lives with a single mother and hates his father, who is in prison. She is an excellent student and smart, pretending to be a dangerous freak. Tabitha is a girl from a rich, prosperous family who is dating the most fashionable guy in school. Tabitha is one of the most beautiful girls in school and is a diligent student. The main character of the series, Elodie, came to Portland (Oregon) from Albuquerque (New Mexico) to her father’s family. She still hasn’t come to her senses after her mother’s death. So different, girls who study at the same school meet at a meeting of kleptomaniacs anonymous and… start stealing together. Of course, they become best friends.
It is clear that girls do not steal because they have a good life. Elodie experiences the death of her mother, for which she blames herself. Tabitha suffers from a toxic relationship that she cannot leave. With Mo, everything is a little more complicated, but she also has reasons for such actions.
As in other youth series, everything is not limited to shoplifting alone. There was a place in Trinkets for LGBT topics, domestic violence, drugs (it seems that Hollywood has started a program to fight for the legalization of methylenedioxymethamphetamine), and issues of fidelity, relationships, family problems, etc. It seems that the scripts of all youth series are written as carbon copies. Slightly change the location, characters, accents – and into production. And although Trinkets is based on the novel of the same name by Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith (screenwriter of Legally Blonde (2001) and Ella Enchanted (2004)), who became one of the creators of the series, this does not change the situation. Trinkets is filled with cliches, platitudes and weak dialogue.
Another problem of the series is some incredible sterility. It seems that everything in Trinkets has been muted – colors, voices, emotions. It seems that from a youth series you expect drive, pace, conversations in a raised voice… But instead you get boring, unhurried conversations in a half-whisper. And it seems that there is even intrigue and crime that unites the heroines, but none of the girls reveal themselves even halfway, remaining as closed and alienated as at the very beginning of the story.
In addition, the series seems to have been deliberately stretched to Netflix’s standard 10 episodes per season. With a running time of 25-30 minutes for each episode, events here develop at a literal snail’s pace. It seems that all the characters live under the water column and move, overcoming the resistance of the environment.
I would like to say something about the talented young actors who starred in the series, but, unfortunately, the existing script does not allow the performers to open up in any way. The only thing we can discuss is their appearance. Well, all the actors playing the roles of teenagers and young adults are, as if by choice, glamorous, sterile handsome men, without color or smell. Of all the actors involved in the series, you only know the lead actress, Brianna Hildebrand, who played Supersonic Warhead in Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Interestingly, the role of singer Sabina in the series was played by real singer Kat Canning, who performs her own songs from the stage. The series featured 2019 singles King of Shadow and Birds. Canning, who identifies as queer, plays a character of the same sexual orientation in the series.
The ending of Trinkets, a bit cluttered and ambiguous, hints at a possible second season, but personally I’m not at all sure it’s worth the wait. Unfortunately, the new series does not live up to the level of the previous Netflix teen hits mentioned at the beginning of this review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz1IkeXs6yI
Conclusion:
Another Netflix youth series, unfortunately, not as interesting as the previous ones
