Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3/5 Episode 9 -| Review Score – 3.5/5 Episode 10 -| Review Score – 3/5
Fakes is a Netflix series based on two Canadian teenage girls who end up starting and running one of the biggest fake IDs empires in North America. On the surface, Zoe is just your normal run-of-the-mill teenager who is trying to survive high school and make it to college. Becca is the rich girl, who is the life of the party and the one who sees high school as more of a social experiment than a place to learn. At the beginning of the show, Becca and Zoe have a tight friendship as they have been best friends since they were six. They are the polar opposite of each other and have different goals. Becca is into parties, has a boyfriend, likes to dress up, and hails from a rich background. Zoe comes from a less fortunate background and is more focused on school. Her main focus is getting into a good college so she makes a fake ID to access college-level study books in the library. Yes, she is a bookworm. The fake library card is where everything started. One evening, Zoe picks up Becca from a party and on the ride home, Becca notices the fake ID. She is impressed and is curious to know who is Zoe’s “ ID guy.’’ Zoe confesses that she made the ID by herself after a minimal crash course on the internet. Becca is quick to see the lucrative business they can start using Zoe’s newfound talent and her connections to the teenage party world. A few hesitations and panic attacks later and Zoe jumps on the fake ID bandwagon. Becca introduces her to Tryst, he is the typical small-scale drug dealer and runs a few other shady businesses. After hearing about Becca and Zoe’s new business venture he quickly agrees to be their partner because why not! It takes a lot for the girls to deliver their first order given that they were doing it under immense pressure. They are high-school students, and it is expectedly going to be hard juggling school, threats from a drug dealer, and the ongoing problems in their respective broken families. Miraculously, they narrowly manage the order and you would think given everything they have been through they would consider not doing it again. No, you guessed it all wrong they enjoyed the adrenaline rush of it all! Being the “wise”, business-minded teenagers they are, they decide to expand their business, and Tryst offer to bankroll them. They move to a new office and hire two new employees Sally and Sophie. They were just settling in, rolling in the dough, loving being bosses when the long arm of the law started reaching out for them. Amazingly, they thought they could get away with it. As they are about to face the music and dance to the consequences of their actions, a dark twist pulls them further into the heinous criminal world. This Netflix show has a few comedic moments to offer the laughs and the cast did well in portraying their characters. The show chose a risky but intriguing format by narrating the episodes from a different character’s perspective. It alternates in each episode, allowing viewers to get the story from both main leads. It successfully creates “she said, she said” scenario that makes the viewer question who is the true instigator of the crime. It was interesting to see the characters struggle in their families. I think these girls can bond and understand each other because they both come from broken families. Sadly, the show failed to explore Zoe’s situation in-depth with her alcoholic father and her mom’s denial that her son may be turning into an alcoholic. They touched only the surface of the trauma and based on what was portrayed it is understandable why Zoe is more grounded and the responsible one. On the other hand, Becca’s situation at home is not as pristine and happy as one would think. She may come from a rich family and has an allowance many of us wish we had but she pays a high price for her comfortable life. She rarely sees her mom and when her mom is around, she makes her feel like she is wasting her life. Her dad is present but they are more like strangers who live in the same house. I think she thought the fake ID business was a way to prove she is doing something with her life. As you delve deeper into Tryst’s character, you see a soft side to him. He is a dad and is trying to provide for his daughter. He has dreams but no one is giving him a chance and he resorts to illegal activities to survive. He may act indifferent to the girls but in the end, he tried to protect them from Guy. The show takes a dark turn that no one saw coming. Given the show is a teenage comedy-drama, the ending destroyed any hopes of redeeming its storyline. The show felt dragged during the first nine episodes and the ending felt rushed as a result. This show would have been better if it had only five episodes and did away with the irrelevant storylines. As it stands though, this one struggles above mediocrity.
