Netflix’s new teen sports drama, Finding Her Edge, explores themes of sisterhood, legacy, and identity, while still bringing the fire to the ice with its central romance.
If you’re a fan of skating-themed sports dramas like Disney Channel classic Ice Princess, Netflix’s own Spinning Out, or this season’s hockey hit Heated Rivalry, Finding Her Edge just dropped its full season on Netflix last January 22.
Finding Her Edge tells the story of the Russo family, made up of figure skating legend Will, and his three daughters – Elise, Adriana, and Maria. After the death of the girls’ mother, Sarah, Will struggles to keep the family business afloat. The responsibility falls on the Russo girls to uphold their mother’s legacy and save the skating rink by giving their all on the ice.
The show is based on Jennifer Iacopelli’s bestselling YA novel of the same name, which was loosely based on Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Read on for a run-down on the events from start to finish. Major spoilers ahead.
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Russo Rink
Finding Her Edge opens on a busy day at Russo Rink, where Will (Harmon Walsh) is training his eldest daughter Elise (Alexandra Beaton) for the upcoming figure skating world championship. The middle Russo girl, Adriana (Madelyn Keys), gave up skating two years ago after her mother’s death and is now helping her father manage the rink. Maria (Alice Malakhov), the youngest daughter, is an ice dancer training with Camille (Meredith Forlenza), a family friend who serves as a maternal presence for the girls.
More than an ice skating rink, Russo Rink also serves as a dormitory for the world-class skaters training there. Today, the skaters are moving in for the season, including Adriana’s former partner and first love Freddie (Olly Atkins). Two years ago, her father and Camille forced Adriana to drop Freddie as her partner, saying that she would eventually outgrow him, physically and metaphorically. Freddie is now partnered with Adriana’s best friend, Riley.
Adriana and Freddie meet again at the big welcome party, but their reunion is interrupted by Brayden Elliot (Cale Ambrozic), the “bad boy of ice dancing” who is in the market for a new partner. Adriana is unimpressed by Brayden’s cockiness and swears she’ll never skate with him. Later that night, Elise hooks up with Brayden.
Queen bee
Will has placed all his hopes on Elise winning Worlds, believing that her success will attract sponsorships and save the rink. Though she hides her anxiety with snark and intensity, Elise feels the weight of her father’s expectations. She falls while performing and injures her shoulder, leaving her unable to compete.
Sensing that their family needs a backup plan to keep the rink, Adriana decides to return to skating with Brayden as her partner. She chases after him and convinces him of her passion by spontaneously dancing with him on the train. Will, wary about Brayden’s reputation, agrees to their partnership on the condition that Brayden keep his relationship with the girls professional. Later that night, Adriana sees Brayden enter Elise’s room.
Finding Her Edge Recap: Friendships and fairy princesses
Given the limited time left to prepare for qualifiers, Camille suggests that Adriana and Brayden do a routine choreographed by Adriana’s mom, which also happens to be Adriana and Freddie’s last routine. Brayden is initially offended that he has to get another skater’s “sloppy seconds,” but he later bonds with Freddie, who helps him learn the choreography as well as understand Adriana a little more.
Elsewhere in Finding Her Edge, the Russo girls are invited to skate at the birthday party of the daughter of a potential investor. It’s Adriana’s first time on the ice after a long time, and she is exhilarated. However, still traumatized by her injury, Elise is unable to do her routine. Despite Elise’s condescending attitude, implying that Adriana is after the spotlight now that Elise is out for the season, Adriana comforts her sister, and they share a sweet moment.
Maria meets the birthday girl and learns that she has no interest in the traditional party her father set up. Maria then performs an edgy, unconventional routine to the girl’s delight but to the investor’s fury.
Will chastises the girls for losing the sponsorship and reveals that they needed the money to keep their house. Elise is fed up with her father downplaying their financial troubles and feels as though he is putting the burden onto her and her sisters. She leaves to live with her boyfriend Weston.
Cover girl
Will agrees to a magazine interview, hoping it would give Russo Rink good press. Meanwhile, Brayden and Adriana have gained each other’s trust, as Brayden actually ended things with Elise that night he went to her room. He opens up to Adriana about his issues talking to the press, which stemmed from his childhood trauma at having to deal with his famous parents’ public divorce.
Adriana supports Brayden throughout the interview, where she is pushed by her dad as the new star who will lead Team Russo to Worlds. Elise walks in and sees Adriana at the center of attention. In her anger and jealousy, Elise tells the reporter that Adriana is unable to handle the pressure of being in the spotlight and is not talented enough to carry the team to victory.
Qualifiers
The article comes out just before qualifiers, bringing bad press onto all of Team Russo but especially on Adriana and Brayden. In hopes of blowing off some steam, the two of them go clubbing the night before the competition, where they share a very public kiss. A picture of them goes viral on social media and they’re instantly known as “the hottest couple on ice.”
Only the top two teams qualify for Worlds. The team from the competing rink, Voltage, earns the highest score, while second place goes to Freddie and Riley. Adriana and Brayden perform flawlessly but the judges gave them a lower score due to their reputation. Brayden walks out on Adriana, his ambition getting the better of him. Though Adriana is heartbroken, she congratulates Freddie and Riley on their win.
A new plan
At the sponsors party after the competition, Elise confesses to Adriana that she was the one who said those things to the reporter. Adriana is rightfully hurt but Elise assures her that she truly believes in her, despite what she said.
Brayden shows up to apologize and ask Adriana to take him back. She refuses, still upset that he left her. Freddie steps in to fight for Adriana, but just as the boys are ready to throw punches, the news breaks that the Voltage team is disqualified for taking performance enhancers. Because of this, Adriana and Brayden are going to the world championships.
Adriana takes Brayden aside and proposes that they lean into the couple act to attract more sponsorships. Freddie sees them together and walks out. Elise joins him, in a vulnerable spot herself as she copes with everyone but her going to Worlds. Both sad and alone, they kiss. Adriana and Riley see them and word quickly spreads to everyone else.
Aftermath
Freddie and Elise mutually agree that their kiss didn’t mean anything, though they now have to make it right with everyone involved.
Riley, who initially thought she was in love with Freddie, realizes she values him more as a skating partner and just needs reassurance that she can count on him to not lose focus. On the other hand, Maria is not as forgiving. She tells Weston that Elise kissed Freddie, which leads him to kick her out of his house. Elise reluctantly goes back to Russo Rink.
Maria gets real with Elise about her attitude, and Elise admits how lost she’s been feeling now that she’s unable to skate. Maria helps her sister slowly get back on the ice.
Forgiveness in Finding Her Edge
Meanwhile in Finding Her Edge, Adriana has decided to forget the kiss and focus on preparing for Worlds with Brayden. They go in search of a new song that better fits them and end up with the one they danced to on the train.
Brayden sees Freddie arguing with his mom at a coffee shop. Though embarrassed at first, Freddie tells Brayden that his mom used to be an alcoholic and has disappointed him many times in the past. Now that she claims she’s clean, he still finds it hard to trust her. Brayden later tells Adriana to go easy on Freddie, since he’s been through a lot. Adriana and Freddie eventually reconcile.
However, when Elise tries to make it right with Adriana, Adriana stands her ground. Elise put her down, badmouthed her to the press, and now crossed boundaries by kissing her ex. Adriana tells Elise she’s had enough and walks out.
Before Paris
Will is still struggling with money and hasn’t yet booked the team’s flight to Worlds. In his desperation, he sells his and Sarah’s gold medals to the sleazy investor who had hired the girls to perform at his daughter’s birthday.
Brayden and Adriana go out again before their last practice, with Brayden hoping to recreate the magic they had the night before qualifiers. With the excuse that “people are watching,” Adriana lets herself flirt with Brayden, even kissing him back even if it’s against their rules.
While they’re gone, Freddie’s mom visits the rink, which upsets him and makes him lose his focus. Brayden and Adriana end up taking the rink at the same time as Freddie and Riley. With Freddie out of it, he accidentally crashes into them, causing him to fall and seriously hurt his back. When he returns, Adriana comforts him and kisses his wounds.
The cost of victory in Finding Her Edge
With her feelings for Freddie reignited, Adriana meets him at the carousel in Paris where they had played when they were younger. She tells him that her relationship with Brayden was just for show. Freddie doesn’t quite know how to feel about this, as he felt that Adriana’s feelings for Brayden were real.
Brayden sees Adriana kiss Freddie at the carousel. He tells her how he feels and that he believes that what they had was real. Adriana admits that she’s not over Freddie. Things are tense between them right until they have to go on the ice. Still, they give a stellar performance and win Worlds. Despite this, Brayden is still hurt by Adriana and again walks out on her.
Take a bow
Adriana does her gala skate as a tribute to her mother, wearing Sarah’s trademark wings. As she skates, she is joined on the ice by both her sisters in celebration of their parents’ legacy.
Camille convinces Will to sell the rink to Voltage so that the Russos can keep their house. She also recovers Will and Sarah’s medals. Adriana and Elise reconcile in Finding Her Edge, with Elise later becoming a coach at Voltage.
Adriana and Freddie officially begin their relationship. For the next skating season, Camille wants them to skate together again, saying that she has a different plan for Riley. As they enter the studio, they see Riley dancing with her new partner, Brayden Elliot.
What are your thoughts on the first season of Finding Her Edge? Are you Team Brayden or Team Freddie?
Source: Netflix – Tudum, YouTube, Instagram
