Netflix has released yet another teenage drama following four Gen Z kids, and the Freeridge review is here to tell you exactly how well they were able to do that. This show is a spin-off of On My Block, and stars Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Bryana Salazar, Ciara Riley Wilson, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Peggy Blow, Michael Solomon, JR Villarreal, Jean Paul San Pedro, Zaire Adams and Abraham Rodriguez, alongside other cast members.
It is an unhinged comedy-drama that goes on for eight episodes, each running for about 30 minutes. Freeridge is created by Lauren Iungerich, Eddie Gonzalez and Jamie Uyeshiro. Iungerich also joins the crew as a director along with Eli Gonda, Arlyn Rodriguez and Joe Suarez.
Netflix’s synopsis of the show reads:
Four teen friends work to reverse a curse after a peculiar old box seems to bring misfortune — and more — into their lives
-Freeridge Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
Teenagers have conflicts, but not like these rival sisters, Gloria and Ines. Their strained relationship is driving a wedge in Gloria’s friendship with Demi and Cameron, who are dealing with their own problems. When a sudden expense on the sister’s end forces them to hold a yard sale, a box suddenly makes its way into the hands of the four friends. After seeing a woman offer them hundreds of dollars for the box, things start to become shifty.
This show is marketed as a supernatural show, and it commits to the promise. From the first episode itself, we sense something awry with the box and its contents. However, the box is a gateway into the relationship dynamics of this friend group and their shortcomings. Even though there is no weight given to this theory initially, the way things start panning out in the show give convinces both the characters and the audience that there is something going on.
It is truly concerning to see teenagers grapple with things happening within the family that have so much gravity. There is love, sacrifice and the understanding that teenagers enjoy behaving like adults and feel some complicated and serious emotions. Every friend has a different dynamic with each other, and even though two friends are closer, it doesn’t feel overpowering in the dynamic. Additionally, the storyline with the cursed box has been interwoven well to highlight aspects of each character.
They are fleshed out, have personalities and aren’t confined to a singular monolith. Even the queer characters on the show have their own way of expressing their sexualities and exploring the kind of dilemmas bisexual people face on the daily. It is a fantastic show that allows the characters to have nuanced takes on each other’s lives and personalities.
However, let’s take a back seat from this hearty praise and delve into the unhinged mess of this show. The supernatural element is built into the storyworld so it doesn’t seem too irrelevant within the show’s context. But there are some interactions and incidents that happen in this show that are entirely bizarre. There is a storyline about stolen treasure, some forced seducement and brujas who are intermediate in what they do.
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Freeridge Review: Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to kick back and watch some drama unfold in front of your screen, this show is it. Highly classifiable as the comfort show that hardly makes you use your brain cells, it is also a great study in understanding sibling dynamics and the popular tropes that surround this generation.
Additionally, it was refreshing to see teenagers not as naive people who don’t understand other people or their emotions. They have been given analytic and social skills to articulate what they feel. It is not lost that the show also embraces diversity really well, apart from the inclusion based on ethnicity. Understanding the perspectives of people with different kinds of interests is not harmful. It emphasises the importance of compassion over comprehension and tries to emulate that relationship within the friend group.
Freeridge is a wonderfully hilarious show about some teenage kids getting into something they are way in over their heads but also just a story about friendships, relationships and the complexities that make them important.
Freeridge is available to stream on Netflix. Which character were you rooting for in this series? Let us know in the comments below.
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