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If FreeForm recommitted to making web series, Five Points would probably be on their slate with its teen angst and drama.
| Network | ||
| Creator | Adam Giaudrone | |
| Director(s) | Thomas Carter | |
| Writer(s) | Adam Giaudrone | |
| Air Date | 6/4/2018 | |
| Noted Actors | ||
| CJ | Raymond Alexander Cham Jr. | |
| Tosh | Madison Pettis | |
| Ronnie | Jahking Guillory | |
| Lexi | Hayley Kiyoko | |
The Introduction
We begin things with CJ. Someone who is in a working poor household where the fridge is empty, there are three mouths to feed, no father, and an eviction notice. To try to keep things going, CJ steals people’s electronics but the landlord now wants all the $3,000 of back rent in three days or CJ’s family is out. So, after hearing local rich kid, Tosh, talk about the guns her dad has and taking note of her style, alongside friend Ronnie, who also has money issues, they rob her house. Hoping the pawn shop they go to will take more of what they must know are stolen goods.
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Is their rent really somewhere around $1500 a month for that location? There has to be more to that apartment than it seems.
- Did they not think about putting guns in the dumpster could lead to them being trashed or someone being thrown in there and finding them?
Highlights
It’s Likable
Five Points isn’t likely to put Facebook Watch on the map and do for the platform what say, Handmaid’s Tale did for Hulu or Orange is the New Black or House of Cards did for Netflix. However, those who discover it I think will like it. CJ, who is part of an ensemble, from what it seems, is likable despite being a serious thief. I mean, within an hour of hearing about guns he knows will fetch a pretty price at a pawn shop, he is in a classmates house taking stuff.
Yet, the way Giaudrone wrote CJ and Cham Jr. portrays him balances him out. Like when he has a conversation with Lexi about rock music to push this idea that he is kind of a victim of circumstances than a straight hoodlum. Granted, having knowledge of rock music doesn’t mean forgiveness but you have to recognize they are trying to keep CJ from fitting stereotypes.
On The Fence
The Attempt At Making CJ Seem Like A Good Kid In A Bad Situation
Let’s be real for a second, presenting CJ as this kid with an appreciation for rock music and skateboarding may help him sidestep some stereotypes but doesn’t avoid the big one. That is, a kid from an urban area, who is non-white, who’d rather do something illegal to make it than find a legit hustle. But, as noted, they show that with a mom who is overworked and little sister to think of, what choice does CJ have when, assumingly, there aren’t any real opportunities to contribute? At least, opportunities that could make him easy cash.
Yet, still, there is just this vibe of how grimy this kid is for robbing a peer just because they are living better. Like, it is one thing to take something like a cell phone or a tablet but now you made this girl feel unsafe in her own home. You stole from her room even! Someone who wasn’t even all that rude to you when you were staring at her like you had a SERIOUS crush.
First Impression: Positive (Watch This)
Is Five Points the next 13 Reasons Why? Absolutely not. I don’t even think if this was on FreeForm’s website and had better marketing than it does now it would become big. However, as a possible mini-series, maybe multi-season show, it’s the type of program perfect for the summer months while there isn’t much to watch besides reality shows and game shows.
But, despite making the show seem better than nothing, it does have promise. It’s just that you have to look at it as a show on a platform which doesn’t necessarily have a voice yet. So, following suit, Five Points has this misfit, good on its own but wouldn’t survive on cable or network TV vibe and that’s okay. For just like every movie shouldn’t either be a blockbuster or potential Oscar winner, not all shows need to be geared towards Emmys or think pieces. Some shows, like Five Points, are just good for the sake of entertaining its audience. Of which I think for those who watch it, they’ll be hooked.
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