Spinning Out Summary
Undeniably, the sport of ice-skating can be extraordinarily demanding, and just one wrong move can easily spell disaster. Netflix’s new drama show ‘Spinning Out’ delves into the lives of those who compete in the intense world of the sport. The show revolves around the life of a young girl named Kat, whose figure skating career comes to an end after she has the PTSD of a past injury. What follows is her gritty journey wherein she not only struggles to overcome her fears inside the skating rink but also learns to deal with several hardships outside it.
With its gritty representation of injuries and all the challenges that one has to go through to master it, the show’s drama can often feel a bit too real. And not to mention, the way it deals with all the imperfections of its characters and their relationships can be quite relatable for many. So, for obvious reasons, you must be wondering if ‘Spinning Out’ is based on a true story or any real-life person. The ice-skating drama will be available to stream on Netflix from Wednesday, 1st January 2024.
Who is in the cast of Spinning Out?
Kaya Scodelario will be starring as Kat Baker, a promising figure skater who’s ready to hang up her skates after a traumatizing injury. She is joined by Mad Men’s January Jones, Arrow’s Evan Roderick, and Willow Shields, who played Primrose in The Hunger Games franchise.
It would’ve been a missed opportunity if Netflix didn’t bring in the figure skating-obsessed Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye), who’ll also be making a no doubt iconic appearance.
This show is by Samantha Stratton (Mr. Mercedes), a former competitive figure skater herself.
Is Spinning Out Based on a True Story?
The most straightforward answer to the question is: No, ‘Spinning Out’ not based on a true story. Having said that, if you take a closer look at the series, you’ll realize that its representation of several themes revolving around the sport of figure skating is not too far from reality.
‘Spinning Out’ might, at times, come off as a sugar-coated romantic tale that highlights the journey of a figure skating pair. However, as it fleshes out the relationship between the two characters, it never really holds back from showing their imperfections. When it comes to its representation of figure skating as a sport, instead of glamorizing it, the series focuses more on what happens behind the scenes.
The series holds back from focusing too much on the sport, and instead, it shows how it affects the lives of the ones who pursue it. In the rink, all the skaters expected to be perfect with their alluring movements, overall performances, and external beauty, but outside it, their lives are far from being perfect.
Kat proves to be a skater with a hopeful future, but just one injury crushes her entire career, but this might go for some another character of this show also, who can give up on the sport. All of us know that person in real life who once aspired to be good at something but were weighed down by some unforeseeable hardships.
The show also sheds some light on mental illness and how it can have a significant impact on one’s relationships and ambitions. In the past, many films and shows have attempted to reflect on mental health conditions. However, quite often, this portrayal of mental illness on screen seems inaccurate and characterize. For me, the way ‘Spinning Out’ deals with all of its mental illness seemed entirely accurate. This show is a portrayal of how a mother struggles to have a healthy relationship with her daughters because of her bipolar disorder felt real and even riveting at times.
