Animation
Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure
Fans of Rapunzel’s sunny, theatrical outing, ‘Tangled,’ will find that her Disney+ series “gleams and glows” in equal measure.
Seventeen-year-old Annie Jacobson just inherited a Canadian island. But that slice of paradise comes with complications.
At the start of the summer before Annie’s senior year, a lawyer shows up at her New York City apartment where she lives with her twin brother, Connor, and widowed adoptive father, Steven. The lawyer reveals that Annie’s estranged maternal grandfather, Gordon, died, leaving her and Connor goodbye letters and an island in Canada called Sterling Point.
Before Annie can learn more about Gordon or Sterling Point, Steven whisks away the letters and demands the lawyer consult him before relaying any more information to the teens.
But Annie wants answers.
Steven’s never been forthcoming with details about her adoptive mom, Goldie, and now Annie’s certain that he’s hiding something significant about Gordon—especially when she finds Gordon’s letter, which reads, “I hope Sterling Point reveals the truth … Find her.”
So Annie does what any curious, headstrong teen with access to a credit card would: She packs her bags and heads to Sterling Point.
When she arrives, Annie meets the island’s locals, who slowly help her learn about her family’s secrets and herself.
First there’s Ellis—the sweet, young pilot who transports Annie to Sterling Point. Though it seems like there’s a spark of romance between Annie and Ellis, their connection won’t be easy. And it would seem that Ellis already has a rival for Annie’s affections, too: Rory, an old middle school pal of Annie’s, seems very intent on taking their friendship deeper.
Then there’s Oona and her 12-year-old sister, Maple. Oona’s electric and flirty personality unleashes the adventurous side of the typically high-strung Annie. And Oona introduces Annie to another exuberant local named Sully.
Annie also meets Ellis’ dad, Joe, who works at the Sterling Point Marina. The more Annie gets to know Joe, the more it seems he had a connection with Gordon—and a unique relationship with Annie’s mom, Goldie.
Finally, there’s Ramona, who claims that Gordon was her grandfather, too. And what really shocks Annie is that Ramona looks exactly like Goldie. Perhaps Ramona is the “her” Gordon asked Annie to find in his letter.
Annie hopes that Sterling Point will help her unravel the truth about Goldie, Gordon and the rest of her family.
Although Prime Video’s Sterling Point tells a coming-of-age story about adolescents, its content seems better suited for mature audiences.
Teenage hormones steer many of the show’s subplots. When Annie isn’t looking for answers about her mom, she’s exploring her Sterling Point romantic options, Ellis and Rory. These romantic explorations involve kissing. And in one episode, a teen guy and girl have sex. Nothing critical is seen, but their actions are clearly implied. It should also be noted that Annie technically has a boyfriend back in New York who she feels she can’t break up with until he’s ready to “come out.” It’s quickly revealed that this boyfriend is cheating on her with another guy.
The other main Sterling Point romance is between Oona and Ramona. The two girls kiss and are seen lying in bed together. In one scene, one of the girls removes her shirt, though the camerawork avoids revealing anything critical.
Both teen and adult characters use frequent harsh profanity, including over 20 uses of the f-word in the first episode alone. Teenagers also purchase and consume alcohol—sometimes in excess—and some teen characters smoke cigarettes.
Much of the show’s drama depends on family secrets and lies, including discussions about marital unfaithfulness, child custody battles and divorce. Characters also talk about infertility and mourn the deaths of loved ones.
There are certainly many moments in Sterling Point that highlight the beautiful bonds that exist in families—even broken ones. But these sweet messages are accompanied, and often overshadowed, by the show’s profanity, sexual content and other mature themes.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
After Annie’s estranged maternal grandfather dies, 17-year-old Annie and her twin brother, Conner, learn that they’ve been willed a Canadian island called Sterling Point. Wondering if there’s more to the story, Annie leaves New York and sneaks off to Sterling Point to learn more about her mother’s past. There, she reconnects with old friends, meets new ones and begins to discover family secrets.
Characters use profanity, including 22 uses of the f-word, nine uses of the s-word, single uses of “g–d–mit,” “d–n,” “dumba–” and “d–k,” four uses of “h—” and 16 misuses of God’s or Jesus’ name
A teenage girl flirts with another teen girl, and later, the girls call each other “hot.” Annie wonders if her boyfriend could be bisexual, and she states that she feels like she can’t break up with him until he’s ready to “come out.” A teen girl implies that she’s slept with someone’s mom. Two male characters (who seem to form a gay couple) are seen dancing sensuously together—even though one of them has a girlfriend. A teenage girl implies she’s a lesbian.
A teenage boy speaks in an objectifying manner about a teen girl, implying that he’s had sex with her. A character talks in detail about a sexually transmitted disease. A boyfriend and girlfriend kiss. A teen boy makes sexual references. A teenage girl makes a graphic sexual reference. A woman makes an objectifying comment about Annie’s dad. A teen boy flirts with a teen girl.
Male characters are seen without their shirts. Female characters wear bikinis. A teen girl takes a shower during which her bare shoulders can be seen, and another teenage girl wears a lowcut shirt.
A character makes a joke about doing drugs. A teenage girl purchases alcohol and smokes a cigarette. Several teens drink alcohol—some in excess. A 12-year-old girl asks if she can have a beer, and her older sister implies that it’s OK.
A character briefly mentions the Buddhist/Hindu idea of chakras. Someone makes a joke about stalking. A woman asks a teenage girl a personal question about menstruation.
Connor says that he and Annie aren’t allowed to talk about their late mom because it makes their dad sad. A grandson says something disrespectful about his grandfather. A father keeps secrets from his kids and hides letters that were written to them. A teen lies to her dad. A teenage girl says that her mom had a lot of boyfriends when she was growing up.
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