It’s rare for me that by the second episode of a series, I am all in. Maybe it’s because I am bipolar that I am loving seeing characters that have the same issues that I have. It’s been rare that I have found that there is a character that has my mental health issues and it portrayed accurately.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that Spinning Out is a show about figuring skating, but two episodes if there is one thing that I can say is that this show is so much more complex than that. Peoples lives are always complex, but in my opinion skating is taking second place in this show. It’s a show about peoples lives with skating being a part.
And I am thankful for that – because if it was just skating, I would be kind of bored. Sure, skating is absolutely beautiful to watch but I was a little afraid that it would be all that Spinning Out was. It’s not.
By the end of the first episode you are interested in the characters, but by the end of this episode, you are 100% in with these characters. You want to know more about them and you want to make sure that they are getting what they want, that their dreams are coming true. You’re hating some, loving others, and feeling sorry for most of them.
Because as I said, life is complex and so are all of these characters.
But let’s break down what episode two is all about.
KAT IS SWINGING AND MISSING
Kat is currently living in her car – as we all know from episode one. Her Mom is bat shit and she had to leave – at least I felt like she did. But seeing this episode I had to wonder – is Carol right? Is Kat not taking her lithium as prescribed? Sure, we’re seeing her pop the pills and I think she’s doing what she’s supposed to. However, there is something that is off with Kat and I am a little concerned.
However, the thing is that Kat could be triggered by everything going on – regardless of what medication she is taking. And the stress is killing her inside. She’s fighting a war on all fronts – for her dreams, with her Mom, trying to be everything to her sister, and trying to just stay sane. There are a million things going wrong and she’s incapable of trusting anyone right now.
But that’s the thing – she has to be able to trust people because if she doesn’t she’s never going to be able to advance. She’s never going to be able to acheive her dreams.
She’s decided that she’s going to stay in Idaho and not go to London. This means that she’s going to skate with Justin.
Only we figure out quickly that Justin is skating with the complete c u next Tuesday. Leah. Oh we don’t like Leah. Leah is the entitled bitch devil. Yes, I am going all sorts of extreme with the name calling, because I really don’t like her. You know how like when you have an ingrown toenail and it hurts and you have to pull it out and you end up pulling it out and it draws blood – she’s the kind of fucking pain. Ya, I hate her.
Leave it to Jenn to stick up for her friend. When Kat tries to talk to Justin, Leah doesn’t want to leave him to talk. So Jenn swoops in to give the bitch a tour.
One time that I will stick up for Justin is when he says to Kat that after her saying hat she would not and will not skate with him, he in fact believed she would not and will not skate with him. Kat needs to think about the things that she is saying, but part of me thinks that she just can’t. Impulse control is out the window.
But when Jenn finds that Justin and Leah aren’t getting along, she comes up with a plan. The plan that all Kat has to do is land a triple in front of Justin because Leah can’t do that.
Only Kat can’t do that. For her this is traumatic. For her it reminds her of her fall.
After popping her jumps several times – but lets all give Kat a thumbs up for trying – a few things happen. Justin confronts Kat and asks if she was doing it for him. If she was – he finds it sexy. But the reality is that she doesn’t need to impress him. She needs to impress her Dad.
CAROL IS A BITCH
I want to root for Carol, because I want her to have her shit together. BUT – ya.
When Kat runs into Serena and asks her how she’s doing, I really don’t even know how to describe how rude she is. Serena definitely hasn’t had an easy life and she’s been watching the drama between her Mom and Kat for years. She wants to be loved, payed attention to, and for the first time in her life she’s getting the attention that she wants.
But when Kat tells her that she wants to have time with Serena, that no matter what she wants to make sure that her sister and her have a relationship. But Serena says that for the first time she’s seeing a different side of her Mom and it’s time that they take some space.
I have never wanted to fly through a television and slap someone so hard.
You don’t turn your back on your sister Serena. Kat may not be there, she may be going through her own shit, but the reality is that she would be there for her sister no matter what.
Carol interrupts their talk and Kat goes to leave. Carol goes to talk to all the bat shit crazy Mom’s and they talk about how one of their friends doesn’t talk to their daughter anymore. For a moment we see a softer side of Carol as she chases after Kat and tells her it is time to come home. But Kat is still angry, she’s still upset and says that if she was to come home – then she would end up like her Mom and that won’t happen.
So Carol hits back. These two exchange hurt for hurt. But when it comes down to it – all I can think is which one of these two is the Mom? Because they are – when it comes down to it – effectively both acting like children. I think they’ve had to raise each other.
But telling your daughter that all you see in her is wasted potential. That’s some fucked up shit Carol.
The only good thing is that it inspires Kat.
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
Kat has to make an impression on Justin’s Dad. She’s taken Mandy up on help – and she’s been inspired to do a routine that the world once stopped to look at her skate. She knows that it was a great routine.
And when she does – she’s mesmerizing. Mandy has James there at the rink to watch. James doesn’t see the hype in Kat, but Mandy is a spitfire. She reminds James that it’s not a business deal, it is about his sons happiness.
And I have to admire that about her.
Mandy looks like a Stepford wife, but she’s anything but. She’s got the best of intentions but family means everything to her. And that is a beautiful thing. Mandy is so strong and fierce and she’s not one to fuck with.
The five or so minutes that we wait to see if they will take Kat on as Justin’s partner and get rid of Leah – well that shit hits you in the feels. You know that you want Kat to get what she deserves – and that is a chance to win!
A chance to set her life straight.
And when she’s at the rink and Dasha walks in and tells her that she’s made it – I have to say I started crying. Because Kat deserves this. Kat deserves all of it.
And I am excited as fuck to see how her and Justin do.
But I worry about Kat and the way she acts from the beginning with Justin. How she wants to set boundaries that are already there.
This is gonna be interesting.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- My heart broke for Marcus. He really, really likes Kat, but I think that she was completely right in shutting that down. She’s all sorts of messed up and not in the right space to do him right.
- Carol scratching off Kat’s face in all the pictures of her – WTF is happening here.
- Serena – I am not sure how I like her or if I do. But I think that someone has got to slap some sense into her.
- If Kat is so mesmerizing, why does everyone act like she’s invisible half the time. I am a little confused by this.
- The sex thoughts that Kat keeps having about Justin – I am loving. Ya, ya – I am not a perv. But I love these two, I ship the fuck out of these two. Kat makes Justin want to be a better person. You see it in his eyes.
- Kat living with Dasha is going to be an interesting thing.
- Kat standing on the balcony looking down at Idaho was her Titanic – “I’m the King of the World” moment
