In Freeridge, Gloria and her friends attempt to reverse the curse brought upon them by a mysterious box they found at a yard sale. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Gloria is navigating her life tolerating her sister, Ines, with whom she doesn’t get along. She shares her hatred for Ines with her best friends, Cam and Demi.
Cam is himself struggling with his boyfriend, Andre, and his feelings for Demi. Something that happened in the past has stopped him from pursuing Demi ever again.
While dealing with these personal problems, the group comes across a mysterious box at a yard sale, for which a lady is willing to pay an extraordinary amount.
She appears and vanishes twice before them and claims that the box is cursed. Gloria and her friends attempt to find her and figure out whether they have also brought a curse upon themselves by keeping this box by their sides.
Performances
The lead actors who play Gloria and her friends have done an excellent job of portraying the teenagers. The naive nature is well put, and at the same time, these characters analyze and break down things really well.
It does feel like all of the characters are taking silly things seriously and making terrible mistakes, which they should.
Keyla Monterroso Mejia, in particular, is a strong lead as Gloria. Her character is more or less like a mother figure to Ines, played by Bryana Salaz.
Meija balances the bold and soft sides of her character. Her emotional outbursts on sensitive subjects are natural; a single teardrop expresses an ounce of the feelings her character is hiding.
At the same time, when her character gets angry, Meija shows that annoyance on her face and speaks her mind as if she means every word.
Ciara Riley Wilson, as Demi, and Tenzing Norgay Trainor, as Cam, have great chemistry, which is required for the couple they are portraying. They work beautifully together, and viewers will pray to see them together.
Zaire Adams, as Andre, Cam’s boyfriend, is an occasional comic relief that will be adored by the viewers. His character emphasizes the importance of looking at oneself positively.
Positives
Freeridge moves fast but still manages to give enough time to the introduction of its characters and plot. The show is quick to establish character traits and make things familiar to the viewers.
It attempts to bring a flavor of the supernatural to its regular plot but doesn’t forget that it is a teen drama after all. The problems teenagers go through are presented well and in the most beautiful manner, without overdoing things.
Every character in the show is unique in itself, and they express their feelings in their own unique way.
With that, the different dynamics portrayed in the show do indulge in conflict as expected, but they sort their mess out by accepting each other’s rights and wrongs in a more mature manner.
The writing has to be credited, as these exchanges don’t feel too heavy. They are smooth, easy to understand, and hit the right chords in a viewer’s heart. Lastly, the jokes are written well, with the right sequence created for them.
Negatives
The show attempts to add another mystery towards the end of the first season about a local legend called RollerWorld. The mystery does sound good, but the show should’ve talked about it throughout its run.
It feels like they inserted it right at the end to push the story for a second season. They didn’t even back it up with enough details to make things interesting or to make viewers question the legend.
Verdict
Freeridge is a hilarious watch that is packed with the right amount of supernatural and teen drama. Both of these aspects don’t overshadow one another and are allowed to tell their stories with enough screen time.
Overall, the show is strictly an easy watch where the viewers don’t have to put their brains to work and just have to wait for the drama to unfold.
Freeridge
Director: Lauren Iungerich, Eli Gonda, Arlyn Richardson, Joe Suarez, Paula Garces
Date Created: 2023-02-02 13:30
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Also Read: Freeridge ending explained: Do Gloria and her friends reverse the curse?