‘Finding Her Edge’ is not as cheesy as it sounds

By Amelia Morris

Netflix original series “Finding Her Edge” is the quintessential love triangle, but this time, on ice. 

Based on the book of the same name by Jennifer Iacopelli, the series follows the Russo family as they attempt to maintain their “figure skating dynasty” with their young skating team. 

The main character, Adrianna is the 17-year-old middle child of the three Russo sisters. Elise, her older sister, is working towards gold in the next Olympics. Her younger sister, Maria is favored for the one after that.

Adrianna gave up ice dancing, a form of figure skating, after her mom passed two years prior. Now, she helps her dad, Will, manage the Russo Rink family business. Will Russo does whatever it takes for his daughters to win, even if that means plummeting further into a financial crisis.

All financial hope is in Elise’s success. When she gets hurt in the beginning of the season, Adrianna feels the responsibility fall to her. Once again, Adrianna must skate and find a new partner. Her old partner Freddie, already has someone new to skate with so she is forced to find someone new.

Brayden becomes an answered prayer for the Russo family by becoming Adrianna’s partner. Even though she is rusty, Adrianna does her best to keep up and hopefully win this season.

Adrianna now finds herself in a love triangle between Freddie and Brayden. She must balance this competitive world of ice dancing and her personal life. 

Brayden is the prodigy of skating. He has a huge tough guy ego but is slowly learning to be a great partner to Arianna. When he starts to have feelings for her, he struggles to deal with it.

Freddie, Adrianna’s first boyfriend, is kind, sweet and has conflicting feelings for her. 

Despite the cheesy name, the series was not that bad. It was a bit of a rocky start but I enjoyed it. Every episode ended with a cliffhanger that was intriguing. I was very dialed in.

Adrianna almost exclusively wears blue and black. They definitely found her shade and stuck with it. The costumes do work well for her and the other characters are all dressed according to their personalities.

The music was good but there seemed to be an overwhelming amount of it throughout the show. It was never something distracting, but I don’t think the abundance was necessary for the story. 

The rivalries and performances on and off the ice were very believable. The acting kept me in the story and helped advance the plot. Especially Madelyn Keys as Adrianna. She was able to communicate a range of emotions and made each one of them believable for the audience.

Each sister had a very individual style and attitude to them. Elise is known for being rude, competitive and harsh. Adrianna has a good head on her shoulders, is a people pleaser and dedicated. Mira is smart, resourceful and talented.

There was a large cast of characters but it was easy to get to know each of them. I felt like every character was dynamic and had a purpose within the overall story.

There were the typical romance tropes in the story but they were not bland or boring. The series was done well with soapy, drama filled tones in the best way. This is what the series was aiming for and they did so well. 

I thought I would dislike this show but it proved me wrong. I will be rewatching the series very soon.

The Russo team is a family. They are highly competitive and care dearly for the sport of figure skating. Adrianna’s love life off the ice is not the only thing that matters. The viewer comes along for the journey as Adrianna figures out the priorities of her life. Will Adrianna let her love life cloud her judgement and affect her performance?

Trigger warning, “Finding Her Edge” ends on a cliffhanger and has not yet been approved for season two. I still highly recommend this show if you are looking for a new romance. It was compelling, passionate and inventive.

I have not read the book series but this show told me to start.

‘Finding Her Edge’ is currently streaming on Netflix.

Amelia Morris is a freshman journalism major and writer for Cedars A&E. She loves reading, writing and being in nature with her dogs.

Photos courtesy of Wildbrain.