Slight spoilers ahead!
With the amazing young adult drama run that Prime Video has been on since the release of The Summer I Turned Pretty in 2022, it wasn’t a shock in August of this year to see people talking about a new Prime Video show called Sterling Point. I figured it would just be your standard teen romance show, which I never mind, but I wasn’t expecting this show to stand out as much as it did. As someone who grew up watching drama shows of the 2000s such as Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill, I figured there would never be a modern show that would make me feel the same nostalgic feeling these shows do. I was delighted to discover that Sterling Point was the exact show I’d been waiting for. In the midst of redundant, repetitive YA shows, Sterling Point provides a fresh and authentic take on the tropes we all love.
The show follows Annie Jacobson, a wealthy teenager living in New York City with her twin brother and father, whose life takes a turn when she discovers she’s inherited her estranged grandfather’s island in Canada after his passing. She leaves for Canada without her father’s knowledge in hopes of discovering more about her grandfather and late adoptive mother, not knowing what she’ll find in Sterling Point. The plot of Sterling Point grabs you from the first episode. One of the things I loved most about the show is that it’s not romance centered. There is romance included in the show, shown through realistic and awkward teen relationships, but it’s not the main plot. The heart of the show is Annie, and her determination to find any possible connection to her mother. Compared to other shows like Off Campus that tend to focus mostly on romance and sex, there’s so much more depth to Sterling Point’s story. It allows the audience to actually connect and relate to the characters, particularly Annie, as she navigates her journey of discovering herself while grieving her mother.
Not only is Sterling Point about Annie’s relationship with her late mother, it’s also about her newfound relationship with her estranged sister, Ramona, whom she meets on the island, having zero prior knowledge of her existence. They get off to a rocky start, with Ramona even straight up telling Annie they’re not sisters. I don’t have a sister, but I absolutely loved watching Ramona and Annie’s relationship develop throughout the series. Although the series is a short eight episodes, it did a wonderful job at portraying Annie and Ramona’s developing sisterhood, that I’m sure any girl with a sister would love to watch and relate to. We get to watch as they slowly settle into each other’s worlds. There’s a scene where Annie is brushing Ramona’s hair as she tells her about a kiss she recently had, and it practically sums up girlhood; the dialogue is so realistic it’s almost scary. The acting is stellar. It reminds me of the natural, fast-paced dialogue of Gilmore Girls that makes you feel as if you’re not even watching actors on a TV show.
Although romance is not the center of the show, it’s still a major theme. The show features a small love triangle between Annie, Ellis (a native of Sterling Point), and Rory (a childhood friend of Annie’s from New York City). The love triangle trope has been abused for decades, but the way this love triangle was handled was so refreshing. Firstly, Rory and Ellis are both great guys. It’s so typical in media for a love triangle to be between a good guy and a guy who sucks, so you basically already know who the main character will eventually end up with. So, I was relieved when Rory and Ellis turned out to be good guys who were equally interested in Annie. What I also loved was Annie freely experiencing a relationship and romantic moments with both of them, rather than one being favored over the other. It’s mentioned that Annie was never interested in dating or romance before this, even questioning if she was asexual. Now she suddenly gets to experience dating at her own pace, without the pressure of having to commit, allowing herself to grow confidence on her own.
Lastly, the overall aesthetic of Sterling Point is what really creates the nostalgic feeling I’ve found other YA shows to be lacking lately. Taking place on an island with no service, the characters barely use cell phones, reminiscent of the drama shows of the early 2000s we all love. The audience gets to fully immerse themselves in the quaint town of Sterling Point. It’s a charming show that has captured the hearts of thousands of viewers, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what season two has in store!