With the recent conclusion of Tell Me Why and their upcoming Twin Mirror on the horizon, fans may find themselves wondering what a televised adaptation of a DontNod game might look like. A supposed Life is Strange adaptation is coming, and there’s honestly much that could be done to build off of the foundation of Max and Chloe’s story. However, a complete two season television series already exists that scratches most of the same itches as Life is Strange: Netflix original series Trinkets.
Life is Strange follows Max Caulfield as she returns to her old hometown after being away for years. After bumping into her estranged ex-bestie Chloe Price, Max is spurred to do what she can to help Chloe track down a missing girl: Rachel Amber. While the game involves choice-based narration as well as a supernatural element, the reasons many became attached to the painterly-hazed world of Arcadia Bay were its cozy atmosphere, detailed environments, plausible human drama, and the bond between the two protagonists. The game part was cool, but it was the world-building that really resonated.
Based on a book of the same name by Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith, Trinkets plays similar chords but sings its own song, following a trio of young women forming an unlikely bond in the well-trodden TV hellscape that is high school. From the opening moments of many of its episodes to the font used to depict the show’s title, it feels apparent that what it’s going for is of the same ilk that developer DontNod pursued when crafting Arcadia Bay.
Even more coincidental, the three main characters – Elodie, Moe, and Tabitha – share striking similarities to Max, Chloe, and Rachel, respectively, with certain distinctions that arguably make them even more compelling as TV characters than their indie game counterparts. For example, Elodie (the Max-like) has a more mischievous streak to her; Moe (the Chloe-like) actively works to maintain a healthy relationship with her loving mother; Tabitha (the Rachel-like), is, well, actively present in the narrative from the get-go, among other things. And without giving anything away, suffice it to say that despite the tension and conflict the girls might endure, Trinkets is ultimately much more optimistic and cathartic than the ‘Thanks for crying’ tone of many ‘choose-your-own-sad-ending’ games. Don’t worry – this story has its bittersweet pitfalls, but ends on a decidedly bright note.
Brianna Hildebrand (Elodie), Kiana Madeira (Moe), and Quintessa Swindell (Tabitha) all do their jobs admirably, with Madeira being a standout – much like Ashly Burch’s take on Chloe Price. There are at times those cringey moments where it’s apparent adults are trying to write modern teens, but it’s much less frequent and extreme compared to the collective memes thrown at Max and Chloe’s dialogue. The series is likewise set in the Pacific Northwest, an area we cannot seem to escape from , and follows many of the same social-media-age plot devices while formatting them in more subtle ways. Tabitha, for example, is the photographer of the group, but rather than lining her bedroom with Polaroids like Max does, she posts abstract pics to an alternate Instagram account. Moe eventually embraces her nerdy, science-tuned side where Chloe shed it for a punk motif. And Elodie dips into bouts of petty larceny when she’s stressed rather than manipulating the fabric of time and space.
Where Life is Strange and games like it present things specifically from a single character’s point of view, Trinkets manages to almost perfectly balance things out between all three protagonists, ensuring that most anyone will find at least some understanding and appreciation for someone’s struggles they may not have considered otherwise. DontNod’s greatest strength with regard to its narratives are how it presents characters who (usually) are portrayed as a certain archetype, only to later be revealed as more rounded and complex. Trinkets does this in spades with its main trio in particular, but even supporting characters are given opportunities to show other sides of themselves from time to time. Something else that Trinkets does is apply steady focus on all three of the girls’ family lives and romantic lives. While the latter is admittedly the show’s absolute weakest aspect, all three featured families have very different conflicts and dynamics. Ultimately, they’re all shown to be supportive and loving toward their daughters, something which is honestly refreshing from the Young Adult Drama genre.
While it doesn’t have the crime drama or otherworldly abilities of Life is Strange, the actual plot of Trinkets gets driven by a combination of interconnected conflicts the trio run into with their personal lives and each other, and how the act of shop-lifting and stealing plays into this. It’s not a supernatural show in the slightest, but depending on one’s reasons for liking games like Life is Strange, this might actually be a great thing. This forces the narrative to explore pragmatic cause-and-effect, rather than abstract manifestations of philosophical concepts where the audience is left to draw their own conclusions. There are ups and downs for either approach, but Trinkets flourishes more than most teen dramas in its pursuits, and could bring a much-needed dose of relatable interactions and resolutions to its audience, especially for those in the same part of life as its protagonists.
Trinkets can be streamed in its entirety on Netflix.
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