Of all the self-promotion Prime Video could do for Amazon within their projects, the use of an Alexa device in the Paper Girls official trailer was rather fitting — and amusing, too.
In the trailer, an Alexa device picks up on a sarcastic comment about calling “time travel 911” for help and offers to actually call “911.” Understandably the moment freaks the girls out and is just one of several noteworthy moments from the complete trailer. And it offers a greater look at the group’s relationship and the consequences of their time traveling and has us excited for what’s to come.
Initially set in Cleveland 1988, the coming-of-age science-fiction series is based on the comic book series of the same name. It tells the story of four paper girls: KJ Brandman (Fina Strazza), Mac Coyle (Sofia Rosinsky), Tiffany Quilkin (Camryn Jones), and Erin Tieng (Riley Lai Nelet). During their morning paper route in the early morning hours following Halloween, they inadvertently time travel to the future, remaining in the same place but now in 2019.
From a more in-depth look at how the group came to be to first looks at the villains, the official trailer expands upon the teaser trailer’s offerings in numerous ways. It even shows certain snippets that parallel the comics. But a key point from the latest trailer reveals that the girls have committed a crime by traveling out of their time. Now, they are wanted in 2019. But just how bad is it? Enough that it’s a capital offense — not to mention the end of the universe has come.
Erin and her older self (Ali Wong) remain the center of the narrative. The full trailer goes past the “holy shit” moment and highlights adult Erin’s “psychotic break” about her 12-year-old self and “her punk friends” breaking into her house. This, however, doesn’t deter her from helping the girls with their situation.
The villains are a group of individuals dressed in white futuristic outfits and equipped with laser guns. These weapons are the primary tool in use for the scenes where the girls are being attacked — not an atypical choice for a sci-fi show. One scene, though, gives a glimpse at what appears to be another form of weaponry: flying robotic insects. As though insects weren’t annoying enough already.
One of the best parts of the official trailer is the further insight provided for each paper girl. The teaser featured only Erin and her older self, but this latest one offers brief moments of the other girls and their future selves. It also shows a bit about what makes each of them unique in their group.
The closing message, though? They’re dedicated to one another, and not even time-traveling craziness is going to tear them apart. Whether that’s the reality for the entirety of the show remains to be seen. But it’s a strong and important idea that we’re happy to see.
Watch the full trailer for Paper Girls here:
All eight episodes of Paper Girls premiere on Prime Video on July 29.
