Freeform, previously ABC Family, has had no difficulty transferring literature onto the big screen, from its hit series Pretty Little Liars to its latest series Shadowhunters. Recovery Road, based on Blake Nelson’s young adult novel of the same name, is the new addition to the bunch, except instead of facing off against psychopathic stalkers or slaying hideous demons, the characters of this series confront a real world issue far more frightening than any supernatural monster — addiction.
Recovery Road is centered around Maddie Graham (Jessica Sula), a girl who appears to be a healthy teenager from afar but must contend with a heavy, personal demon — alcoholism. After a night of forgotten debauchery, Maddie is caught with a bottle of alcohol at her high school. To avoid expulsion, she is forced by her school’s counselor, Cynthia, to participate in a sobriety program that requires her to spend 90 days at a rehabilitation facility for recovering addicts of all ages.
Many shows on Freeform have done a wonderful job pushing boundaries with a progressive edge, such as The Fosters, and dealing with life-altering situations, like Chasing Life. Recovery Road is a prime example of a series that encompasses both. But, at the same time, having drug and alcohol addiction at the forefront of the show inevitably gives it a darker undertone not present in your average Freeform series, separating Recovery Road from the rest.
The series highlights universal issues that could affect any race, any sexuality, any gender or any identity. Even though the rehabilitation center is filled with occupants of different races, different backgrounds and different sexualities with different stories, they’re all bound together by the same mission: overcoming their addiction. We see how these characters’ choices and internal struggles influence their lives in a realistic way; from the very beginning, we know what’s at stake if these characters don’t maintain their sobriety. Recovery Road doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and it brings forth the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse while making sure not to bombard us with them. They balance the heaviness of the subject with light-hearted moments, such as scenes between best friends Vern and Cynthia orany scene with the hyper Trish. These characters add comic relief, and they are a breather for the audience before we jump right back into the angst and anxiety of the difficult matter at hand.
The biggest shortcoming of the series, however, is its lack of development of Maddie’s life before her sobriety. Screenwriters jumping straight into the action is sometimes necessary to keep the audience’s attention, but it loses its effect when it leaves us unable to judge for ourselves the type of person Maddie was beforehand. We haven’t been exposed to her addiction, unrestricted, before she got the help she needs. We’ve only heard about it and gotten a few glimpses here and there through flashbacks. This makes the series lose part of its urgency. The audience would root for the recovery of the central character more and understand her internal turmoil better if they witnessed the severity of her condition firsthand.
In general, Maddie’s life outside of her time at the center is kept hidden from us. We’ve seen her friends, who we’re supposed to believe are “her life,” only a handful of times. They got more screen time by the fourth episode, but it still wasn’t enough. That foundation wasn’t created from the very beginning, and this makes her friendship group shaky rather than steady. On top of that, we hardly see Maddie and her boyfriend, Zack, interact and display the chemistry a regular couple exudes. Again, additional screen time between the two in the fourth episode didn’t make up for their lack of rapport. If anything, it made the issue more obvious, and it’s mostly on Maddie’s end, which could be intentional. Either way, the relationship seems forced. Maddie is a complex and flawed character who has so much potential to be an enjoyable heroine, but her life outside of her sobriety needs to be explored more to make her a rounder, three-dimensional character.
Overall, Recovery Road has a lot of potential. The cast is filled with great actors who get the emotions across without being too melodramatic. The series has many storylines that could be expanded upon in a dramatically pleasing manner. The characters are relatable and diverse, and they have the right balance of angst and humor. This series isn’t perfect, and there are certain aspects of the characters and the plot that the writers still have to develop and build upon, but watch out — Recovery Road may just become your new addiction.
Grade: B
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