Trinkets: Season 1 – Summary, Review (with Spoilers)

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In trying to be a light drama, Trinkets avoids addressing what’s human about its characters and barely takes us beyond the surface.

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Network
Netflix
Creator(s)	Amy Andelson, Emily Meyer, Kristen “Kiwi” Smith
Genre(s)	Coming Of Age, Drama
Good If You Like	Lighthearted Drama A Show Focused On Young Women A Coming Of Age Show Not Focused On Sex, Drugs, and Has Minimal Debauchery
Isn’t For You If You	Desire To Get To The Core Of Character & Really Get To Know Them Beyond What They May Put In A Social Media Vent And Delete Later
Noted Cast
Paula	Julana Torres
Carl	Michael Ray Escamilla
Kayla	Jessica Lynn Skinner
Elodie	Brianna Hildebrand
Doug	Larry Sullivan
Mara	Lynn Adrianna
Tabitha	Quintessa Swindell
Moe	Kiana Madeira
Luca	Henry Zaga
Noah	Odiseas Georgiadis
Whit	Linden Ashby
Lori	Joy Bryant
Brady	Brandon Butler
Vicky	Larisa Oleynik
Rachelle	Haley Tju
Sabine	Katrina Cunningham

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Trinkets Season 1 Summary

After Elodie’s mom dies in a car crash, she is forced to live with her estranged father, Doug, and the family he started in the Portland area. It’s an odd time for Elodie since, with his new family, Doug is everything Elodie’s mom, Mara, wanted him to be for hers. So, with that in mind, Elodie isn’t that happy at home and does what she has done since the time of her mother’s death – steal. That is her one vice, and she is quite good at it, until she gets caught.

This leads her to go to Shoplifters Anonymous in which she finds out her classmates, Tabitha and Moe, are attendees as well. However, with Moe and Tabitha not necessarily looking for new friends, especially since they are former friends of one another, Elodie remains alone for a while. That is until they bond over stealing and begin a secret friendship. One that leads them to hang out at the Paper Tiger sometimes, with another new friend Luca and they slowly, but surely, expose their personal lives to one another.

As established, Elodie is dealing with the death of her mother, and as for the other girls? Well, Moe is dealing with her father getting out of prison, a potential opportunity to study abroad, and trying to maintain this persona people have of her while keeping a boy, Noah, at arm’s length. As for Tabitha? Well, she is dealing with her father, Whit, cheating on her mom, Lori, who makes her a bit insecure as well as her boyfriend, Brady, being abusive. Which leads to her, in retaliation, committing a crime with the girls that could destroy their lives far more than anything they ever stole.

 

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Nearly any you can think of when it comes to Danny from why he went in, what led to his relationship with Vicky being what it is, and why did he not show up?
2. How Lori and Whit met, and why did they get married?
3. What is Ben, Moe’s older brother, doing, why did he move out, and how he feels about Danny getting out?
4. Is Vicky, Moe’s mom, aware of how much trouble she got in because of Ben? Much less, how Danny has affected her life?
5. What are Noah’s parents like?
6. Is there more to Rachelle, who is a faux friend of Elodie, than meets the eye?
7. Why is Brady how he is?
8. What got Lori into being so into social media, and what did she do before becoming some kind of influencer?
9. Why is Brady so gung-ho on Stanford and makes it seem he needs Tabitha’s family despite being a rich kid who drives around a BMW?
10. Is the reason the owner of Paula’s Pies is close to Moe simply because she goes there a lot or is Paula perhaps a family member?
11. Why does Moe’s paternal Uncle, Carl, not talk to her more?
12. Did Mara have no family in New Mexico that Elodie couldn’t stay with?
13. Where was Lori’s family during Tabitha’s birthday? Did anyone see any Black or Brown people there?
14. Was the grandpa Tabitha always talked about her paternal or maternal grandpa?
15. When it comes to Moe, was nearly everyone we saw her hang out with her brother’s friends?

Highlights

At Times, Elodie’s Relationship With Sabine And Moe’s With Noah’s Is Adorable – 85

Perhaps one of the few outright highlights of this show is Elodie being google-eyed, with a dopey smile, as Sabine performs and Moe’s relationship with Noah. A relationship which is a secret throughout most of the season, but considering how much Noah works to win over Moe, it does become adorable. As for Elodie and Sabine? Well, it starts off cute until Luca makes Sabine seem not as nice as she appears and then she pushes the idea she likely will grow bored of Elodie when she no longer fascinates her.

Sabine’s Music – 84

But, despite a potentially toxic personality, there is no denying Sabine’s voice, and music is catchy. I’d argue, if the music isn’t available elsewhere, you might even rewatch the episode and want to record the audio just to be able to relisten on the go. That’s how good her two songs are.

Low Points

Drama For The Sake Of Drama – 64

A few times in the show, like the group becoming fractured and Tabitha’s revenge on Brady, you feel like the show is crafting drama just the sake of trying to wake up its audience. The problem is, the reason the group splits, which deals with Moe never stealing, seems kind of silly – even when you take note Elodie’s feelings on it dealing with feeling judged. Then, with them pushing Brady’s car into a lake, it just seems so extra. But them deciding to take his car rather than unlock it, get Tabitha’s grandfather’s watch and go, that made it so you know this show was going to craft some unnecessary issue. Especially to compensate for the fact only Elodie was really stealing anything as the rest barely, if ever, dabbled.

The Storylines Weren’t As Strong Or As Hard Hitting As Hoped For – 65

Let’s start off with Tabitha and Moe being former friends. You’d think the show, even if for the sake of viewers, would have helped detailed why these two were no longer friends – it doesn’t. We’re just left to assume, like with many shows, there was a split in either late middle school, perhaps early high school, in which Tabitha became popular, Moe didn’t, and one or the other decided to just end things there. Not necessarily on the best of terms. Which sucks since Moe clearly doesn’t have friends. She knows a lot of people, probably friends of her brother, but as for close relationships? Moe only has her mom since she is hot and cold with Noah – for reasons never really explained.

I mean, you’d think it was because of her studies or something like that, but she never outright says that. You also could argue that it could be because his ex, Kayla, has this on again and off again thing with him. Something that is a noted issue but never vocalized as the specific reason she wants to sneak around with Noah rather than be public. Heck, even knowing how those two began isn’t gone into.

But perhaps the bigger issues deal with how you may feel certain storylines don’t have the depth or impact they should. Take Tabitha. Between having an abusive relationship which, maybe for a year of more, led to her being bruised and then her mom, maybe dad as well, pushing her to stay with Brady, we don’t dig into that much. Heck, we don’t even deal with how Lori, early on, makes it seem she is causing Tabitha to have insecurities with her body. That is just brushed over, and Tabitha handles it by jumping from dating Brady to dating Luca. Which, considering how she is portrayed as a serial monogamous, it makes you wonder why that may be but, again, this show doesn’t try to take things that deep.

You know what, perhaps the best way to describe this show is that it treats its storylines, and perhaps its characters, like food in a microwave. Yes, there is heat and potential all around, and on the surface, things get warm and have the appearance that something is happening. Yet, when you try to stick your teeth into it, really get a taste of what’s going on, you get something grossly undercooked.

On The Fence

There Are A Few Hooks When It Comes To This Show – 75

While some may see Elodie to be a bit robotic, others may take this as just her being awkward, considering what she has went through. Making it so when she has one of her first kisses with a girl, and that dopey smile when it comes to Sabine, it is like a baby bird cracking open that shell and seeing sunlight for the first time. It’s weird, different for them, but cute.

Then, of course, there is Moe being a bit of a smart ass, even if she may come off generic in the pursuit – with her being smart thrown in to argue that she is not. Add in Tabitha, the poor little rich girl, and while the hooks won’t snag a huge swaths of people, likely, for the first few episodes, these girls will get your attention. Maybe long enough for you to get halfway, or a little more, and figure since you made it this far, you minas well keep going until the finale.

You Barely Feel Like You Get To Know The Characters – 71

Playing off the weak storylines that didn’t hit hard, I will say you at least learn a handful of facts about each character. Maybe not enough to feel like you went beyond stalking their social media, but you do grace over a handful of tidbits which present enough to ask you questions. Perhaps too many questions, of which many don’t go answered, but maybe the frustration of not getting all the details you want is a testament to how invested these ladies, and the supporting cast, get you.

The Stealing Angle Is Rather Minor – 70

Despite the idea this show is going to be about stealing, it doesn’t happen that often. Also, usually it is only Elodie who does it because she gets triggered about something. So when it comes to the whole excitement of stealing thing, that was just marketing. Much less Elodie making it seem like she does it because she is a lowkey badass.

Trinkets Overall: Mixed (Stick Around)

The main issue with Trinkets is that it shows potential to have depth, but it goes lighthearted and shallow. Often by ignoring some of the serious things the characters are going through, be it abuse, grief, or Moe’s possible sense of abandonment. Leaving you instead with storylines dealing with Brady’s car being dumped in the lake or you just unsure where this show is going since it meanders a bit. Hence the mixed label for while the show has potential, it seems season one will be about gaining feedback and if this gets a second season, hopefully taking that feedback into consideration to deliver something good.

Fingers crossed.

Has Another Season Been Confirmed?

Too early to tell but considering Netflix hasn’t really promoted this series, with YouTube vids, like it has its other YA shows, that could be a sign. Unless someone is just late in getting the material up.

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