Alyssa Johnston
Year: Senior
Major: Writing
Hometown: Southlake, TX
If you’ve ever found yourself scrolling endlessly through the LGBT+ section of Netflix after finishing Sense8 for the hundredth time—then ultimately giving up in favor of Marathon #101—this is the review for you. As fun as it is to stick with characters already familiar to us, it’s healthier to take a chance on something new, especially when that involves an exciting mini-series with its final season on the way.
Netflix’s Trinkets centers on the struggles of three very different teenage girls brought together by court-ordered meetings of shifterlifters anonymous, bringing to light an addiction not often represented in fiction. The way that this series represents the rush of danger that comes from the petty theft the girls take part in allows viewers to easily empathize with their situations, each real in their own sense. Prison time, relationship abuse, and grief all intermingle in the girls’ lives as they attempt to survive high school in Portland, Oregon and at the same time realize the value of their friendship. The series is a bit of a cross between The Fosters (if the family was a group of friends) and any contemporary teen drama that earnestly tries to engage with the problems of real teens (think Eighth Grade, not Mean Girls).
Trinkets may not have the budget or supernatural intrigue of Sense8, but this short series is able to anchor itself down to the heart of its relationships in a way that’s refreshingly unique. Season 1 is told in ten episodes, each twenty to thirty minutes apiece, which is surprisingly more than enough time to grow fond of its three main characters—one of which falls under our umbrella of acronyms mentioned above. But far from being a “token” among trinkets, Elodie plays an active role in the threefold story and feels more than anything like a real person, which is nice to see in a teen drama. Too many series that focus on the lives of teenage characters rely on stereotypes of the genre rather than the real people they’re meant to represent, a tradition that Trinkets thankfully breaks from.
Perhaps it has to do with the helm of capable female directors behind the camera, but this series presents a wonderfully honest take on the many challenges and triumphs of modern girlhood—boyfriends and girlfriends and high school alike. Although the first couple of episodes are hardest to love (mostly because the three main characters haven’t fallen together yet), the pacing soon picks up with realistic conflict that is easy to grow addicted to until the season’s climactic end. I was ready to throw my hands up in disbelief at its cliffhanger of a conclusion until I was reassured that a final season is scheduled to be released sometime this year, knowledge that makes the wait for a real conclusion is a bit more bearable. So instead of clicking next on Sense8 again, give Trinkets a try for a story that delivers on heart.