'Trinkets' Season 2 Review: Elodie, Moe and Tabitha's revenge comes with extra drama that could've been avoided
Spoilers for 'Trinkets' Season 2
Back in 2019, Netflix's 'Trinkets' had us sold with our beloved Negasonic Teenage Warhead from 'Deadpool' starring as a lesbian kleptomaniac in what was primarily a coming-of-age story. Brianna Hildebrand was refreshing as usual as the quiet and depressed Elodie who moves to Portland to live with her dad and his new family after the sudden death of her mom.
In her emotional journey, she stumbles into stealing not just as an addiction but also as a coping mechanism. But in the process, she makes lifelong friends in fellow classmates Moe (Kiana Madeira) and Tabitha (Quintessa Swindell), who couldn't be more different. There was this raw innocence about pain, suffering loss and how finding a comforting support group can make even the darkest situations glimmer with hope. After soaring to resounding popularity, a second season not only made sense but it also became a huge craving amid the fandom. And knowing Netflix, the nuanced story of friendship turned into something more dramatic, as if they tried to infuse all the spices and cuisines into a botched dish with added teen drama and not enough authenticity.
'Trinkets' Season 2 falls prey to one of the most common problems with sequels — matching up to its predecessor. Elodie's story might have seen her as the central character but it was never just her story alone. The fiercely independent Moe and imperfectly perfect Tabitha rounded up the trio of kleptomaniacs who met at a support group meeting and became friends over who is a better thief. Coming from widely different backgrounds, each with a heartbreaking backstory of their own, these characters were more than just your it girl or the class clown. The aching need to not conform to the status quo continues, with the budding alcoholic in Moe constantly acing her robotic ventures and the formerly clout-hungry Tabitha looking to get in touch with her roots and explore and reclaim her Blackness. But Season 2 adds a whole lot of relationship drama in a way that the girls' entire identity becomes pining for unattainable romances. And that's not fair.
Perhaps it's the final season curse. Perhaps Netflix wanted to flesh out these characters into the young women they are growing up to be and offer them storylines that would encompass it all. With Elodie's loss, Tabitha's traumatic past and Moe's obligations to her family of misfits, these characters were already complete on their own. There was no need to explore love triangles in each of their individual arcs to complete them, but here we are, the classic Netflix teen drama formula shoved down our throats. The only respite here is watching the wholesome Elodie just trying to figure new feelings out with Jillian, a closeted girl who turns out to be really healthy for her.
There are good bits in Season 2, of course. For starters, Elodie finally snaps ties from her narcissistic rock goddess Sabine because, well, "Sabine Sabine-ed," as they keep saying as a running gag. The topic of boundaries when exploring new relationships are also addressed, and so is the respect for where LGBTQ+ people fall on the spectrum. Respite comes in the form of Moe standing up to her father, who finally shows up at Thanksgiving, although her monologue dissing him leaves more to be desired. The biggest relief comes from watching the heinous and manipulative Brady finally getting outed for physically abusing Tabitha multiple times. Elements of blackmail, bullying, hurt pride and parental guidance also receive their due screentime in a plot that will mostly leave you asking who raised these kids. But most importantly, there's compassion for people trying so hard to swerve out of the spirals of addiction and that's worth commending.
Based on Kirsten 'Kiwi' Smith, and co-created by her, Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer, such is the charm and simplicity of 'Trinkets' that had won us over when it first arrived. 'Trinkets' has a way of highlighting teen issues without the debauched disturbia of HBO's 'euphoria' or the sensationalized crime thriller that Netflix's '13 Reasons Why' tried so hard to be. There's nothing particularly problematic about these characters, and definitely not with our leading lady. Take away all that unnecessary relationship drama and it almost makes one wonder why would Netflix end this perfectly nice thing without a Season 3.
'Trinkets' Season 2 is now available for streaming only on Netflix.
