“I want to be remembered.”
When we think about life, we all are doing something. We all have a talent and something that we want to become. I think that we all want to do our best at it and do it to the best of our ability. And most of all – in the midst of it all – we want one thing.
We want to be remembered.
In Netflix’s new drama, Spinning Out, Kat wants just that. To be remembered.
The figure skating drama official synopsis is –
Spinning Out follows Kat Baker (Kaya Scodelario), a talented, up-and-coming elite figure skater who’s ready to turn in her skates after a disastrous fall took her off the competition track. However, when she’s presented a second chance as a pair skater, she seizes the opportunity to continue her career and pairs up with talent pair skater and resident bad boy Justin (Evan Roderick). She soon realizes that in order to chase her skating dreams, she’ll have to overcome fractured family relationships, a rocky partnership, and personal demons that threaten to derail everything she’s worked for.
But watching the show it doesn’t even begin to cover the complexity of what Spinning Out is.
Lets break down the first episode –
AFTER SHE FELL
Kat. She has spent her whole life training to be an Olympic Figure Skater. But Kat – well nothing happens easy for Kat. She had a very bad fall while skating. And by very bad, I am talking cut your head open, blood all over the ice bad. She’s terrified now to jump.
And we all know that jumping is an important part of skating and also one of the things that we all love watching. But one can’t blame Kat for being upset and scared and terrified, because she is the one that fell and cracked her skull open. It’s kinda hard to come back from that one unscathed.
But Kat also has a lot going on. Her sister is also training and she’s obviously her mama’s favorite. Her Mom treats her wrongly. She’s bipolar and trying to manage it. Her boyfriend seems like he’s more of a release than someone that she actually loves. Kat has everything going against her.
But Kat wants nothing more than to succeed. However, she fails her senior test because of her fear.
And to her that means she needs to quit skating all together. She needs to give up on her dream.
Enter Dasha – she is Justin’s (the hot skater that everyone wants) coach. His partner had just quit – which one can’t blame her for because she was dropped and a skating blade went through her boot. She wants her to skate with Justin – but pairs skating is very different than singles. And Kat doesn’t like Justin. Well, so it seems.
But Justin likes her. Personally, I think the two of them need to just get it over with and have sex. The sexual tension between Kate and Justin is palpable.
EVERYONE WANTS HIM
Do we like Justin? Absolutely not. He’s a manipulative with an attitude problem from hell. He thrives off his fathers money and the way that his Dad can manipulate any situation. But I personally think it is because he is just trying to be who his father wants, while not sacrificing the thing that he loves. His Dad is a prick who speaks out of turn. For instance when he found out Justin was going to be a skater he said he thought it “would make him a fruitcake”. Justin doesn’t know who he is.
He just knows he wants to win.
And he’s pulling out all of the stops to win with Kat. But Kat is insistent that never happen. Only you can’t help but think that something has happened. The way that Kat reacts to him I just have to wonder – did these two sleep together already? Were they previously together?
There is a part of me that really just wants to like Justin, but I don’t. Especially when he recruits Jenn (Kat’s best friend) to help him manipulate her into skating with him.
And honestly Jenn – you made me hate you over it.
Do I know that Kat and Justin will skate together? Obviously some point they will. But I think in order to get to that point, they are gonna have to overcome some personal things to get there. But what that is, I don’t know.
FAMILY ISSUES
Carol – Kat and Serena’s Mom – is a first class bitch. She’s so mean to her kids that it is gross. She, like Kat, is bipolar and she is also mad at Kat. She’s mad at Kat because she got pregnant with her and feels as though if she hadn’t – her life would be completely different. She would have gone to the Olympics.
Kat catches her Mom off her meds – because she gets a phone call from her sister that her Mom has woken her up in the middle of the night and is making her do all sorts of exercises. She confronts her Mom and she agrees to go back on her meds.
But you cut to what I think is the next day – and Kat has told off Serena’s coach. Which I legit applaud, because that asshole is smacking her butt, giving her rides home – just acting completely inappropriate.
So when she gets home that night – her Mom thinks Kat is off her meds. She swears that she’s not – but one has to wonder – as they get into a drop down drag out – war of the words fight. And it results in Kat leaving and moving out.
I want to believe that it hurt Carol for her daughter to go – but I actually think she gets off on being a cruel.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Mitch is a piece of crap whom I do not trust
- I am hoping that Serena grows beyond a brat, cause she’s legitimately a spoiled bitch
- The end scene – Kat looks absolutely possessed and it’s scary AF
- We don’t like Leah and if you say you do – we can’t be friends.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF CHARACTERS
KAT
Driven and yet terrified. She’s letting the past control her future. She’s talented, but she’s had some issues and those issues have left her whole career in limbo. She deserves more in her life, but accepts less – because she lets everything and everyone get in her head.
SERENA
Serena is a spoiled rotten brat who needs an attitude adjustment. She likes any and all attention, because she normally doesn’t get it. She is skating because her Mom told her too and I am still unsure if she loves it. But she’s doing it.
CAROL
I have trouble saying mean things about Carol, because she is bipolar. There are a lot of things that she does that are beyond her control – because of her illness. She’s upset that she got pregnant when she was young and it ruined her Olympic dreams, so she hates her daughter because of it. She’s cold and uncaring, but in the same breathe cares too much.
MARCUS
Lost in love, Marcus doesn’t seem to have any dreams beyond skiing as much as possible. He seems like a good guy – obviously head over heels for Kat, but too chicken to show it.
DAVE
Dave is a two pump chump, but hey at least he offers to go downtown. He’s in love with Kat, but I have yet to decide if that is because he thinks he can save her or he really loves her.
JUSTIN
Oh playboy, you know you’re hot and rich. Justin’s the guy that everyone wants, he takes pride in knowing that he can get whatever he wants, and you don’t say no to him. He’s manipulative. But I have to admit with that smile, those teeth, and that ass – I would overlook it all too for a night of fun.
DASHA
Don’t start nothing, there won’t be nothing Dasha doesn’t care. She’s not taking anyones mess. She has goals and she’s gonna achieve them. Her students have goals and she’s gonna make sure that they achieve them. She’s strict and she’s not gonna stand for anyone doing things half way. She knows what she wants and she’s not gonna stop til she gets it.
JENN
The best friend we all need and deserve in our lives – you know until she manipulates and connives. She’s struggling to get ahead and to be remembered. She doesn’t want to fall second, so she’s stupidly putting herself in danger of more things happening by continuing to skate on a hip that needs rehabbed.
MITCH
Former Olympian who thinks that he should be bowed down to. He’s turned coach and has taken on Serena as a student. He’s inappropriate (don’t smack your student on her ass dude) and thinks that his medal makes him a man. He’s a manboy.
MANDY AND JAMES DAVIS
We all know a “bro” type in our lives. The one who never outgrows that attitude that he’s the best, but he’s trying to really assert that his penis isn’t the size of a pinkie? That’s who James Davis is to me. He’s the rich guy in town, Justin’s Dad, and thinks that his money will get him everything. News flash – it won’t.
Mandy is his wife – obviously the second or the 3rd one – and she looks like a stepford wife. But she seems to have a heart of gold and wants to make her family.
