Freeridge Review: Stream It or Skip It?

Recently, whether we like it or not, there have been a lot of reboots, revivals, and spin-off series which have been announced or released already. For example, we have Gen V, which will be a spin-off of the unique show, The boys. Or, one of the most recently released, That 90’s Show, which has been a reboot and revival of sorts of your favorite sitcom, That 70’s Show. Now, we aren’t saying that reboots, revivals, or spin-offs are bad, but they need to be done right, as well as honor the original source material. This brings into question one of the most recent spin-off series that has been released on Netflix, Freeridge. For those who don’t know about Freeridge yet, you can read about it here, and then dive straight into this article to decide whether you should stream it or skip it.

Freeridge is the humorous spin-off of the popular Netflix series On My Block, which came to an end after four marvelous seasons, leaving a void in the hearts of all its fans. Everyone was thrilled to hear about a spin-off series, which seemed very different from On My Block, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case. While Freeridge was mostly a whole lot of comedy, it had some underlying subplots which definitely take some understanding, and once you wrap your head around it, you realize the beauty of a series with layers, and that is exactly what Freeridge was. Here is our review of the latest Netflix series, and whether or not it should be a part of your weekend binge!

Freeridge: A Curse That Has Been Lifted

The heading of this title might seem a little cryptic, but here’s what we mean. When Freeridge was first announced, followed by the trailer, everyone had mixed feelings about it, especially those who were fans of On My Block. Freeridge is different, despite having the themes of friendship at its core, this series falls under the comedy genre. The reason we say that the curse has been lifted is that Freeridge was better than everyone expected. Fans all across the world were worried that Freeridge could potentially be the downfall of the brilliance that On My Block had created, but much to everyone’s pleasure, that wasn’t the case. Although Freeridge has only been out for a couple of days and the jury is still out, we have a feeling that Freeridge will be enjoyed by fans and critics, simply because it was just a lot of…fun. That’s truly the best way to describe Freeridge – fun.

We are also freely using the word curse because of the plot of Freeridge, which revolves around a cursed box, and the friendship group, which consists of Gloria, Ines, Demi, and Cam are convinced that they have been cursed because of a series of unfortunate events take place after the box is in their possession. In this review, we are going to talk about the things we loved about Freeridge, and a few things where we thought it could have been a little better, but hey, that’s what a potential season two might be for, who knows? Before you read this review, it is important to remember that we won’t be comparing Freeridge to On My Block, simply because they are two very unique and different shows, in their own ways. On My Block ended to make way for Freeridge, and now it’s Freeridge’s time to shine.

Gloria and Ines: Smiling Through the Tears, a Bittersweet Relationship

While all four friends were the focus in Freeridge, we have to admit that Gloria and Ines were the two main characters, and we completely understand why. The two sisters lost their mother a decade ago, but they haven’t recovered from the loss, and by the looks of it, they haven’t really come to terms with it either. It is an open wound that often stings, and sometimes you just want to wrap Gloria and Ines into a hug, but mostly you want to shake them up and tell them to stop being so mean to each other. Gloria and Ines are both teenagers, but Gloria has taken responsibility for everyone around her, voluntarily, of course. After her mother’s passing, she assumed the role of taking care of people, especially Ines. The two sisters have a very turbulent relationship and are very different from each other, which we see from the very beginning.

This sibling relationship has a lot of highs and lows throughout the series, but sadly, they are mostly lows. This brings us to one of the things we didn’t love too much about Freeridge, and everyone might have a different opinion about this, but here’s ours. Ines is younger than Gloria, and sadly, Ines’s character is villainized throughout Freeridge as the angsty younger sibling. The script of Freeridge was written in a way that you couldn’t help but deeply dislike Ines, even though on some level you knew she was simply acting out. We were hoping for a redemption arc towards the end of the series, and we thought it was almost there, but the writers only made her character more villain-ish. We are hoping that if there are more seasons of Freeridge in the future, Ines gets the redemption arc that she deserves, because we didn’t even see the beginning of the arc in any of these episodes.

As for Gloria, her character was more lovable, and if any older siblings are reading this review, then you can probably relate to Gloria’s character. She is constantly overwhelmed and angry, and we don’t blame her because between a sister like Ines, their uncle, and their father who has a new girlfriend, Gloria has a lot to deal with, and the last thing she needed was a curse. Gloria’s character has been written far better than Ines’ in our opinion because she is more compassionate and a far better sibling, and we want to see more of that in the future seasons, should they happen. Ines and Gloria’s relationship has so much potential, but we believe that the creators missed out on an opportunity, unless they are setting it up for the future.

Freeridge: A Curse That Was Actually a Blessing?

The whole plot of Freeridge revolved around a cursed box. Some of them believed in it, the others were skeptical, but when things got worse, they couldn’t help but do a little deep dive into whom it might belong to, especially since the mysterious old lady kept showing up everywhere the group of friends went, looking for the box was apparently her possession. We don’t want to spoil too much of the cursed box plot for you, but let’s just say it was a blessing in disguise for Gloria, Ines, Demi, and Cam. It almost forced the group to have some uncomfortable yet important moments that were risen because of the curse.

The whole idea of curses, spirits, ghosts, and everything supernatural has been up for debate for the longest time, but Freeridge taught us something very important. Sometimes, things are as real as you want them to be. That’s all we are going to say about the cursed box because we want you to be able to stream Freeridge and see for yourself what all the hassle about the box was, and in the end, who is cursed? And does someone die, which was one of the biggest premonitions lurking around in this series?

Rusty and Gloria: A Hit and a Miss

Rusty worked for Gloria and Ines’ uncle as his assistant, but from the get-go, there was a certain amount of tension between Rusty and Gloria. For once, everyone will be thrilled about the fact that between a bigger sibling and a skinny sibling, the bigger one has a love interest. Rusty and Gloria go through a turbulent time, but towards the end, they are the cutest couple of Freeridge and we were thrilled because Gloria deserved something nice after everything she had been through.

But, our happiness is shattered when Ines finds out that Rusty was hired by their uncle to be Gloria’s boyfriend. This was another subplot that we didn’t love, and it might even be a controversial one. However, when Rusty admits that he has true feelings for Gloria, and she does believe him, his character arc along with Ines’ is shattered at the same time. We are still unclear on why the creators and writers of Freeridge don’t want us to like the characters, especially those who have so much potential, but we are hoping that any future season clears that up. So, it is safe to say that Rusty and Gloria’s relationship was a hit until it was a big mess and miss.

Should you Stream or Skip Freeridge?

Here’s the important question that you have been waiting for. There are more reasons you should stream Freeridge than skip it, so we recommend streaming it. However, it might take a little while to grow on you, and by the time you love, your favorite storylines or characters might disappoint you, which is something you need to be prepared for going in. Freeridge was funny, and interesting and definitely covered some interesting topics.

Demi and Cam’s relationship and infidelity was something that was explored on the sidelines but still made a huge impact on the show, and possibly the viewers too. We need to know more about Gloria and Ines’ father and his illness. Most importantly, we have to know more about Mariluna, and whether or not she will appear in future seasons. The future of Freeridge is a question mark at the moment, but as soon as we have more news about it. You will be the first to know. Until then, go ahead and stream Freeridge, which is now exclusively available on Netflix. And, if you haven’t watched On My Block yet, we highly recommend that too.

Conclusion

We tried to make this review as spoiler free as possible so that if you haven’t watched it yet, you can go in with expectations and still be shocked at some of the subplots that arise in Freeridge. Do let us know in the comments if you will be watching Freeridge this weekend!