This pilot is nicely done. It's a bit of a slow burn but the characters are engaging and the story has a nice blend of mystery, suspense, teen angst and authenticity to it. I'll definitely keep watching.
2 Reviews
Good pilot.
teiixeiral15 October 2020
Very true to the feeling of the book series, Son of a Trickster
CWNC9 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Having read the books, I can say I am pleasantly surprised with the direction they've taken so far with CBC's, Trickster.
Something the pilot captured really well, more than anything, was the feeling of Jared as a character. We get to see Oulette basically fit the essence of Jared perfectly, his portrayal of the character almost uncanny to what was described in the book. Jared is observant, adaptable, almost too logical, and he uses these characteristics to sort of get by, with as little unnecessary conflict as possible, in a world that wants to make everything complicated for him.
We see how he wants to be a normal teenager, and yet he can't, because he has to constantly juggle providing not only for himself, but also his mother and his father, who are both battling addiction. Although there are moments where we see Jared trying to be carefree and open to what life has to offer, more than anything we see him being held down by the actions and even responsibilities of those close to him.
He's also thrown expectations from society around him, mostly his educators, who say he's not reaching his fullest potential. I think this moment in particular with Jared and his counselor was done really well, similar to the way the book did it, because it's the one setting where Jared is very unsure. Everything else in his life is pretty simple, he's going to try to figure it out because he has too, his livelihood basically depends on it. School on the other hand, is not something Jared sees as a solution to his problems, but more so just people and institutions that want him to be something he can't be right now. He doesn't have the privilege to only focus on school and extra curricular. He doesn't have the time to dedicate himself to thinking about who/where he wants to be when he grows up.
Some of the moments from this episode, that resonated with me the most, was first when Jared dealt with a customer at the Tasty Bucket, who was initially very nice to him, yet ended his order with, "you're not like the others,", implying Jared is more hardworking than other Natives. The second one was a few minutes after this, when Richie comes and threatens Jared in the drive thru, warning him that his mother will be the "next dead b***h lying in a ditch". Both of these lines resonated with me because, well, I know that Indigenous peoples are very poorly represented in media (on the rare occasion that they are at all) and this only perpetuates the extreme racism they experience still today. I also know that Indigenous women have more of a chance than any other group to be murdered/go missing, without receiving justice, so both of these statements are quite harmful and almost dangerous, and yet Jared has to carry on, because he quite frankly has no choice but to carry on (at least for now).
I look forward to seeing where the show goes and I hope to see more people watching it, because I have a feeling it will be unlike anything we've ever watched before.
Something the pilot captured really well, more than anything, was the feeling of Jared as a character. We get to see Oulette basically fit the essence of Jared perfectly, his portrayal of the character almost uncanny to what was described in the book. Jared is observant, adaptable, almost too logical, and he uses these characteristics to sort of get by, with as little unnecessary conflict as possible, in a world that wants to make everything complicated for him.
We see how he wants to be a normal teenager, and yet he can't, because he has to constantly juggle providing not only for himself, but also his mother and his father, who are both battling addiction. Although there are moments where we see Jared trying to be carefree and open to what life has to offer, more than anything we see him being held down by the actions and even responsibilities of those close to him.
He's also thrown expectations from society around him, mostly his educators, who say he's not reaching his fullest potential. I think this moment in particular with Jared and his counselor was done really well, similar to the way the book did it, because it's the one setting where Jared is very unsure. Everything else in his life is pretty simple, he's going to try to figure it out because he has too, his livelihood basically depends on it. School on the other hand, is not something Jared sees as a solution to his problems, but more so just people and institutions that want him to be something he can't be right now. He doesn't have the privilege to only focus on school and extra curricular. He doesn't have the time to dedicate himself to thinking about who/where he wants to be when he grows up.
Some of the moments from this episode, that resonated with me the most, was first when Jared dealt with a customer at the Tasty Bucket, who was initially very nice to him, yet ended his order with, "you're not like the others,", implying Jared is more hardworking than other Natives. The second one was a few minutes after this, when Richie comes and threatens Jared in the drive thru, warning him that his mother will be the "next dead b***h lying in a ditch". Both of these lines resonated with me because, well, I know that Indigenous peoples are very poorly represented in media (on the rare occasion that they are at all) and this only perpetuates the extreme racism they experience still today. I also know that Indigenous women have more of a chance than any other group to be murdered/go missing, without receiving justice, so both of these statements are quite harmful and almost dangerous, and yet Jared has to carry on, because he quite frankly has no choice but to carry on (at least for now).
I look forward to seeing where the show goes and I hope to see more people watching it, because I have a feeling it will be unlike anything we've ever watched before.
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