Spinning Out takes a risky turn for the better

Spinning Out takes a risky turn for the better

Netflix brings us yet another original series with a plot that drags out with no real luster to keep it entertaining—or so I thought. 

Spinning Out is a Netflix original series that came out January 1. It stars Kat Baker, played by Kaya Scodelario, a former professional figure skater, till her career-ending fall concluded with her bashing her head into the ice. Under the pressure of her mother, she is faced with the difficult decision of if she wants to continue skating or give up her passion because of the fear of falling again. 

The show starts out after her fall, but contains continuous flashbacks of the tragedy throughout the season. My first thought was that the show was playing it safe. It seemed like the characters had very little depth and all they cared about was skating. Even though I understood that was supposed to be the main storyline, I still wanted more while watching. Needless to say, I began to get bored and started to give up hope that the show might actually have a better plot that we haven’t seen before. 

Soon after that, however, I realized I had been utterly mistaken. Spinning out took a drastic turn that made the season go from average to having intricate and meaningful scenes every episode. It became clear that the real plot was not about skating but actually was about a girl battling a bipolar disorder, a hereditary mental illness she obtained from her mother. 

The characters became deep and complex showing the audience that just like in the show all people are three dimensional and have more sides than what they present

Her mother’s name is Carol Baker, played by January Jones. Both Kat and Carol’s bipolar disorders are excellently displayed in a way that makes you both feel their pain and never want to put down your screen. 

As I previously stated, the show started out playing it safe like all the other basic Netflix original series. But with this controversial subject material turn, the show came alive. The characters became deep and complex, showing the audience that, just like in the show, all people are three-dimensional and have more sides than what they present. 

Another aspect of the show is the relationships it portrays and how to balance them with all the other things that go on in Kat’s life. I loved watching the character development between the main love interest which of course gave the show some flair. However, it also showed us many more complicated relationships between mother and daughter, mentors, friends, stepsisters, and many more each relationship as meaningful as the last. 

Although I feel the show should be watched with caution given that some scenes may be triggering and a little bit too risky. The overall hidden message is one that needs to be projected, and if the way to share this message is through the television we watch, then so be it.