By the time this posts… I am officially 35 years old. And yet, I still love me a good teen drama. I’ve seen almost all of them since I was a pre-teen. There have been a few really great ones of late, and Sterling Point is certainly one of them.
First off, I’ve mentioned this in previous TV/Movie posts. I’ve been craving original content. In the world of remakes, reboots, and book-to-screen adaptations, I have been waiting for original screenplays. And this is why. The way the season flowed felt right. There was a true beginning, an end, and a lineup for the following season. It truly felt like it was made for TV.
Secondly, the other qualm I’ve brought up is being tired of seeing the same old, same old. There were a couple of familiar faces, but not in the main young cast. Allowing the new talent to shine and lead the charge. Absolutely love that. And what a fantastic crew of fresh faces.
Spoilers May Be Ahead
The show follows Annie Jacobson (Ella Rubin), an adopted twin, who is led to her adoptive mother’s summer home. From there, the family secrets begin to flow out. Along with uncovering the family’s truths, the show is an endearing coming-of-age story. The kids are still in high school. And even though there is a level of all of them having way more responsibilities than an average teenager… There is still something so youthful and sincere about them.
Honestly, the characters all had such great… character. Coming of age, yet confident in who they are, and open to new possibilities. I really loved every one of the kids. They all worked well with each other and stood their own. There were times Annie was a bit too self-important, but she is the main character after all. I don’t think I had a favorite, because they all truly added to the show. If I had to choose, Connor stole the screen every time he came on.
The storyline of Annie coming to a new place and having not one but two boys interested in her is not new. There are a lot of shows and movies that have a new girl who gets all the attention. What I did love about this love triangle is that both guys are great options. Yes, there is the rich boy and the guy from lesser means, but they were both genuinely good guys who treated her well. I appreciated that the boys in the show were shown as respectable and kind. Gives me a little hope that there are decent guys out in the wild.
And on the flip side, the evolution of Ramona and Oona’s relationship is sweet and complicated in a real way. The way they portray the nervousness of having a crush and not being confident that the person doesn’t feel the same way back is so relatable. Along with the complexity of thinking, you are doing the right thing, even though it ultimately hurts everyone. The main relationships were handled really well and felt very realistic, unlike the adult relationships.
I’m curious if we get flashbacks and insight into the adult relationships in future season(s). Yes, I’m manifesting multiple seasons. The way things unfold is incredibly immature when it comes to the adults. Not only how they handled their own relationships, but also how they responded to the children. And in some ways, I find that highly realistic. We’re led to believe as kids that adults have it together, and as we get older, we learn none of us know what we’re doing. That’s why I loved Annie’s callout at the end of the season. Because sometimes, adults seem to forget that they are, in fact, the adults.
I can’t deny… All these teen dramas, even while I was a teen, make me a little sad… In the sense that I didn’t experience a lot of these coming-of-age moments. For me, it’s usually the relationship part. I mean, to experience something like that closet scene, *swoon*. Would love it now, as an adult. I’m going to need straight men to watch and read men, written by women. Because that, which seems so small, is exactly what we want. Even simply the acknowledgment of someone I’m interested in being interested back. It sounds so juvenile, but that’s why I’m still drawn to these YA shows and movies. Hats off to Miss Megan Park for capturing the right mixture of coming-of-age, mystery, and sweet nostalgia.
Yes, there were lots of secrets to be uncovered, yet I didn’t find any of them shocking or groundbreaking. The plot lines went pretty much as I expected, and I was still very invested. I mean, I stayed up all night watching this show. Between this and Off Campus, this generation has some solid teen dramas on their hands. And I am fully locked in.
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Have you watched yet? What did you think?
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