Trinkets: Season 2/ Episode 4, 5, 6 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Like the episode 5 title, “Work in Progress,” we see the ladies of Trinkets try to grow despite Brady, society, and the everyday growing pains of young girls.

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Director(s)	Sherwin Shilati, Ayoka Chenzira
Writer(s)	Emily Ryan Lerner, Baindu Saidu, Courtney Perdue, Emma Fletcher
Aired (Netflix)	8/25/2020
Introduced In These Episodes
Marquise	Austin Crute
Kayla	Jessica Lynn Skinner

This content contains pertinent spoilers. spoilers.

Recap

Episode 4 “Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun”

Time is passing by quickly, and it’s already Halloween – which usually means mask and costumes, but it seems people are more than willing to show their true face. For example, Brady shows his to Tabitha as if him going to therapy and trying to make her jealous means he is a changed man. However, she is onto his BS, and on top of worrying about Luca, she is also looking at Moe’s brother Ben like a snack.

Speaking of Moe, with her joining the robotics team for extra credit means facing off with Chase, who might be book smart, but either due to lacking common sense or his ego getting in the way, Moe gets to one-up him publicly. However, it seems there is no love lost between them at Rachelle’s party later. Showing Moe isn’t much for holding a grudge, unless you are an utter, irredeemable, d****e.

But, in going to Rachelle’s party, to support Elodie, like Tabitha, this leads to Moe and Noah having a fight since he’d like to do more group, couple stuff, but Moe is still easing her way into being public. This feeling Elodie can relate to for while she is out and has no issues with her sexuality, approaching someone when you don’t know theirs is difficult. Never mind, when it comes to guys, queer stereotypes are easier to follow, as seen by Tabitha’s new friends. As for girls? You pretty much need a verbal confirmation.

Problem is, Elodie only gets an hour and a half and being that Jillian may not be popular, but it isn’t just Elodie with eyes on her, she may not be able to be as shy as she is comfortable with. Even if Jillian gives her the slightest hope that she too could be queer.

Episode 5 “Works In Progress”

With everyone in their teen years, it’s only natural that there are growing pains past the physical. For example, Moe is still trying to learn how to be a girlfriend, and that’s hard for her since Noah has expectations, but isn’t breaking down what he needs. He wants her to show up, but how? Also, is he taking into account what Moe is capable of and comfortable with?

Maybe that’s why she flops when it comes to showing up, they get into a fight, break up, and she ends up kissing Chase?

But maybe Tabitha’s doing better, right? Well, yes and no. No, in the sense she gets racially profiled, and this messes with her a bit. However, with that happening comes her growing closer to her mom, Lori, who also experienced racism, and she grows closer to Marquise. On top of that, she finds herself embracing her Blackness a bit more and getting braids.

Leading to, with feeling more empowered than ever, wanting to speak to her former best friend Kayla about Brady, but Kayla is so far up her own behind that she doesn’t wish to speak. She’d rather make Tabitha seem like the bad guy, and to prove Kayla is an ass, she takes a picture of Moe and Chase kissing since she wants to be as much a soiled d**** as Brady.

Leaving Elodie. With her, the progress is being a little less shy and taking the initiative when it comes to Jillian, then trying to be patient since Elodie, and her family, been knew she was gay. Jillian? Well, she isn’t sure, and coming out isn’t a simple process. Especially if you aren’t 100% sure and may not be gay, or rather lesbian, but bi or one of the more complex sexualities.

However, Elodie likes Jillian, and though she doesn’t want to be anyone’s secret, she does recognize Jillian’s journey isn’t like her own. So it isn’t clear how things are going to work, but Elodie is willing to make them work.

Episode 6 “Ocean’s 11^th Grade”

So, it’s the day of Moe’s robotics competition, and on top of Chase dealing with his feelings, Moe has to deal with Brady wanting to blackmail her over the picture Kayla took. Which, because she just reconciled with Noah, and sees their relationship as too fragile to handle a grey area kiss, it leads her to try to steal the mid-term exam.

However, Chase makes that hard for her, and with the teacher thinking they snuck into their room to have sex, that complicates things. Luckily, Tabitha and Elodie help, but that comes at the cost of Elodie stealing, and it happening on her 30^th day of not doing so.

But, silver lining people! Elodie and Jillian do talk about intimacy and how Elodie isn’t this experienced animal in bed, just a virgin who wants to take things slow. Be truly intimate beyond whatever ideas Jillian had in her head of how to act. And with Tabitha? Well, she and Ben too share quiet, alone moments that confirm their feelings for one another. Though, where to from here is anyone’s guess since telling Moe isn’t necessarily an idea either one is jumping for joy to do.

Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs

Review

Highlights

Elodie and Jillian

My memory could just be terrible at the moment, but I really can’t recall many coming of age lesbian films off hand. For, like with any marginalized community, often the focus is on men and their struggle, leaving the unique viewpoint of women often absent.

And while, of course, in the modern age, YouTube and the archives of Netflix and Amazon Prime, away from their main pages of their originals and bestsellers, you can find these kind of stories, you have to dig deep. Never mind sort through the ones with good intentions to find the ones actually good.

Which is why shows like Trinkets are important for we’re still in that transition period of diverse voices not just being available, but marketed front and center. Even if just on the front page for a week or two. Since, when it comes to people like Elodie and Jillian, it gives young queer girls a blueprint or idea of what can be.

Mind you, as with a lot of new stories, we’re still at the point of getting the ideal out of hopes we can normalize the best-case scenario. However, with Jillian, we do get some less than ideal circumstances.

Take her, originally, wanting to be with Elodie in secret. There remains this issue that could as much be a problem for girls as boys, with coming out being strictly a homo-romantic/sexual thing, and there not being room for the other sexualities on the spectrum. Plus, let’s not pretend stereotypes don’t make it so you either fight preconceived notions or confirm them.

So, who knows, maybe Jillian’s issues aren’t just coming out to her parents, but also, if things don’t work with Elodie, no matter how hard she tries, she fears being stuck in the assumption she is a lesbian. Thus making it so no boys would approach her, many girls might feel uncomfortable, and she may only get the attention of women who she doesn’t even like. For while none of these things are guaranteed, we can’t forget this is high school and teenagers. Sometimes the worst-case scenario has to be thought of.

Tabitha’s Storyline

From standing up to Brady, being called out for her serial monogamy, this possible relationship with Ben, and acknowledging her Blackness, we’re very much here for what’s being done with Tabitha. Heck, add in her trying to guide Moe on how to be a better girlfriend in there too. She has become one of the most interesting characters in a rather short time.

Granted, her being the only consistently speaking Black characters helps, for us, but that’s sort of the catch-22 here. There is this need to acknowledge her skin tone, and hair means she’ll be treated differently, yet there is this push and pull. You have to recognize her experience is different from Moe and Elodie yet you don’t want her being Black to be who she is – full stop. Which makes you appreciate when shows try to work that delicate balance beyond to not alienate certain people.

I mean, just Tabitha getting braids and noting it took 8 hours, or having a moment with her mom about racial profiling can feel like enough. Note: it was all packed into one episode, but this is a half-hour show on its final season. They can only do so much.

Brady

The sole reason Brady is a highlight is because he is giving us the villain we need. In a lot of shows, movies as well, there is the need to make the villain someone deserving of empathy, who is just misunderstood, or due to their gender, race, what have you, is only a villain because they couldn’t be the hero. So to just get someone like Brady who you hate because he is an ass, it’s refreshing.

Well, at least until, like nearly all heroes, he gets a swift comeuppance that makes him downfall too fast considering his rise.

On The Fence

Moe’s Noah Drama

While you do have to appreciate Moe catching up on how to be a girlfriend, the whole blackmail angle Brady has does make it harder to enjoy her and Noah. Especially since it pushes the vibe that Moe is with Noah because that’s what’s comfortable and who she knows. Then when you add in the Chase thing, it pushes you to question if Noah is “the one” in a teenaged mindset?

Because, when you think about it, what doe Moe and Noah have besides a cute couple name? What do they talk about, how do they mesh? What I appreciate with the Chase thing, even if it was a short rebound, is that it makes you question whether physical attractiveness, and them generally being nice, is enough? Shouldn’t you want similar interest, goals, and considering that spark Moe made it seem she had with Chase, shouldn’t that be there too?

Though, maybe what I’m trying to overall get at is the idea that the one who seems like the one to get isn’t always obvious? That there are times you need to step away from what you might have been conditioned to like and truly learn to like and love someone based on what can maintain your relationship long term. Because looks fade, get damaged, or could be makeup or plastic surgery that needs touch-ups. What’s behind that face, that body, and contains what can make you feel good, that’s what truly matters in the long run.

Where To Watch

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