Series One Retrospective
Overall Impressions: As always with first seasons, they all tend to be a trial of sorts, testing what works and what doesn’t. And it’s very much the same here. Some things work really well, where as other things tend to look dated and aged badly. It is strong in parts, in which we are introduced to the basic elements of the series. Whether that be The Dumping Ground, the care kids & workers, as well as various characters outside the care home. But what it also does is makes things very vanilla. You’d think with a series set in care, we would have something far more gritty and darker than what we actually get. It’s not a bad thing, but such something that is introverted with the series when people first approach the series with more serious expectations.
Tracy: Now when we actually put this character in a real life situation or care home, I highly doubt she would get away with a lot of the antics she did in this series. A hard to live with, bratty, intense, difficult tween who is constantly hostile to other care kids and care workers, presenting a cynical front as well as desperate for her Hollywood mum to come rescue her to live the good life abroad. With those traits though, there is deep down a much more vulnerable and misunderstood protagonist who can be isolated and anxious when the situation arises. The care home kids hardly rally round her, leaving Tracy with rarely any allies whatsoever. She does however meet people like Ben & Cam who become more open and interested in her personality, style of humour and aspirations and build a friendship with her. Tracy’s relationship is very key to this series as it builds and builds to a significant moment in the finale. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Ben. Its adorable and really quite fun to watch as they are both very similar, but from very different backgrounds. Then there is of course her mother, in which Tracy has done a stellar job at building her up to be this big Hollywood star, which of course no one believes. But the reason Tracy does this is to feel more secure and comfortable. Strange, but it makes sense.
Justine & Louise: The main antagonist in this first series is Justine Littlewood, a character in which hates Tracy from their very first scene together. Terrific. Getting straight to the point, I like it. Then there is Louise who is set up to be Tracy’s former best friend before Tracy left and Justine came in. She’s often caught in the middle and portrays a very girly goody goody image within the female care kids. It’s a character style that can often get quite annoying at times, but fits well none the less within the central cast.
Other Kid Characters: You have a wide selection of other care kids in series one, all with their own unique traits and personalities. First is Peter, a sweet younger kid who is very sensitive and likeable. He looks up to Tracy massively, despite Tracy’s constant hostility towards him. This leads to an episode where Tracy manipulates him to embrace his badder side, which proves disastrous. I’ve talked about it before but it does produce Tracy in a very unlikeable light. He’s a one off season character but his departure is handled very well and makes for a memorable episode. Next is Zac & Ryan, the first brother duo in the series. They have schemes and always have a plan or idea up their sleeve. If anything, they are an early versions of other brothers we may see in the series. I noted before how amazingly skilled Ryan is in certain situations and scenarios, where as Zac seems like more the immature and childish one when comparing between the two. They are fun to watch and provide a real light sense of fun within the series. Then we have Adele who is the oldest kid in care. She tries her best to have her own life away from the other kids, providing herself with independence and space. She can be feisty and very wound out by the other kids, yet they do look up to her when necessary, and she can get protective when the situation arises. The final episode of Series One hints at what could be in store for Adele going forward as she plans to move into a halfway house which will give Adele her first taste of independent living. Lastly we have Maxie, the youngest kid in care who I’d hate to say but is a fairly pointless character who doesn’t really do much. The only thing to him is a catchphrase and nothing else.
Care Workers: Of course with a show about care comes care workers and we have three very different but very good care workers. We’ll start with the head care worker Jenny, who I think is very firm and fair leader, yet can possess a fun side to her at times. She has moments of being down to earth and relatable as well as a very responsible and mature person with her position. Next is Mike. A good kind character that out of all of the care workers, is the closest to Tracy. He’s fairly likable and relaxed, a bit more so than Jenny Duke perhaps. He does depart after one series in the second to last episode, but rest assure we will see him again in the near future. Lastly there is Duke, who is the most fun and comical of the three. The chef of the household, he often is involved in food related plots and produced easy laughs throughout the series. That being said, he can be serious at times and does it fairly well. He is very enjoyable to watch and will prove to be a very crucial character in the future.
Elaine: Ultimately the key character for the next five series and the character that gives social workers nightmares as she is in many ways, the nightmare social worker. She comes off very arrogant, and dismissive of the kids views and ideas regarding their future. Even Jenny has some form of antagonism to her, though she hides it very well.
Cam: A light in Tracy’s life comes in the form of Cam, a journalist who writes an article of life in care, and comes across Tracy and becomes fascinated with her and her personality. Developing a curiosity to her, she is open to appreciating Tracy’s humour and approach to life, and begins pondering the idea of fostering her. That question becomes central through Series One and plays into Tracy’s relationship with Cam.
Ben: The only friend outside of care that Tracy gets and it becomes one of the most fun to watch. Ben ultimately starts by proclaiming he’s on the streets, which immediately makes him interesting from the start. This fake identity continues for a few episodes before eventually being found out by Tracy after Ben gets hurt. They have a fallout but make up in time for Tracy’s birthday. With that, Ben begins mingling with the rest of the care home and develops a much more happier and relaxed attitude as a result. See with Ben’s rich background, it has ultimately made him quite unhappy and feels more connected with the kids and sees it as a far more relaxing and fun atmosphere than where he is at home. We’ll see this a bit more in Series Two and where this leads for his career.
Key Episodes: There are some really strong episodes in Series One that deserve more note of praise. Tracy’s birthday episode surprised me more than I can remember and proved to be a bit of a rollercoaster for a children’s series. I also really enjoyed Miss You which was Mike’s departure episode and provided some closure to Mike & him and Tracy’s relationship. The finale episode is also terrific, as well as the Dares episode with Tracy & Justine which was based off the second novel The Dare Game, to some degree. Then there was the treasure hunt episode, which was more silly and wild but still really fun to see all the characters run around trying to win this mysterious prize, which would turn out to be quite a disappointment. Then there is the new girl episode, in which Tracy befriends a temporary new girl in the care home and develops quite a unique and sweet relationship with.
Flaws: I won’t lie and say that Series One has nitpicks and flaws. On the one hand, Tracy’s hairstyle in this series is atrocious and really quite awful and untamed. She grows it out in the next series and it looks so much better. The music is also quite flat at times, and the animation is very tame knowing that it will get better down the line. In fact, a lot of criticism is down to the perceived knowledge of future series going to improve and be stronger overall. It’s usually a common theme with a lot of Series/Season One’s with TV.
Rating = 81% - A-