Partner Track Season 1 Review: A Fun, Imperfect Adaptation
In a year of book-to-TV adaptations, Partner Track is a standout. Based on the novel The Partner Track by Helen Wan, this is a legal drama that is endearing and suspenseful from beginning to end.
While not everything about this series is perfect, there’s so much about it that just makes sense. Like all good adaptations, the series takes the best of the source material while giving it new life.
If you’re a Teen Wolf fan who saw Arden Cho for the talent she is and think that she deserves justice, this is the perfect series to showcase her star power. The heart and humanity she brings to Ingrid Yun is magnetic.
Ingrid’s story is a bittersweet one. Her capabilities are never in any doubt. Her story is so frustrating to watch, as it becomes clearer and clearer that the corporate world and society at large are set against her success.
Her’s is a classic immigrant story. Keep your head down, and keep working, never mind the myriad of microaggressions that really aren’t so micro that must be faced on a regular basis. It’s sobering to see these truths in the spotlight.
It’s devastating, really, to watch such an accomplished and capable woman constantly put down by men who are far less than her in every conceivable way. It’s disgustingly relatable to so many women who have been told we are less than.
Arden Cho has truly found her stride in this perfectly cast role. Her character is perfectly, beautifully human, flaws and triumphs all included.
Her journey is a relatable one. Her methods and motivations for getting what she wants are often questionable. Yet, her character is no less compelling or relatable. This character is fully-formed and an example of what female characters can be.
The friendships throughout Partner Track are the relationships that work. Rachel and Tyler in particular benefit greatly from having their characters expanded upon within the series.
Here, Rachel is a successful partner who also doubles as Ingrid’s wing-person in every way. The romance between Rachel and a paralegal doesn’t always work and is ultimately a distraction from this complex character with the soul of an artist.
Tyler is the stand-out in this friend group. Bradley Gibson’s performance is so incredibly versatile. He does it all. His comedic sensibilities, combined with heartbreakingly emotional scenes, make this one of the show’s most well-rounded characters.
In particular, Tyler’s response to the violently racist “stand-up comedy” routine at a firm party is tragic as it is necessary. Through his character, the viewer is invited to consider the damage that making light of racism every day causes real people.
Tyler’s journey is the most compelling of all of the potential partners. As a gay Black man, he’s in a unique position to see how vial and racist the legal profession is. It’s a sobering reminder of what the Black community has said for generations.
Stylistically, Partner Track is the picture-perfect example of the Night Luxe aesthetic. Defined by Seventeen, “The aesthetic is about getting dressed up, hitting the town, and making the most of your post-work (or post-school) hours”.
The drama does this by combining luxurious shots of New York City, glitzy outfits, and making use of a perfect soundtrack, including “Jump” by Astrid S and “Warning Call (Theme From Mirror’s Edge Catalyst)” by CHVRCHES.
If the dialogue seems overly exposition-heavy, this is very much in keeping with the source material. While this may not appeal to all viewers, it’s a way to quickly introduce characters and stakes. It’s not always elegant, but it can be effective.
Unfortunately, not everything about Partner Track worked or came together in the (hopefully) inaugural season.
So much of the romantic subplot falls flat, particularly between Ingrid and Jeff “Murph” Murphy. It boggles the mind to think how such a smart, talented, beautiful woman would ever fall for…an accent? She deserves so much better.
Surprisingly, the romantic chemistry that’s the strongest is between Ingrid and Zi-Xin ‘Z’ Min. It’s a shame that this relationship was never explored further beyond professional boundaries.
The ethics of Partner Track are so often all over the place. While this may be true to life, in the sense of people changing their views and actions in light of new information, this series is far too short to explore these nuances.
The series is ill-equipped to make a statement on environmental ethics. This would have been an interesting point to explore with the dynamic characters the series introduces. This, too, is a storyline that’s discarded too soon.
In terms of pacing, there is too much content to fit neatly into ten episodes. Plot points and character arcs are introduced and aren’t able to be fully resolved by the finale.
Toxic bosses can be fun to watch in a fictional setting. However, all of the bosses shown here are banally evil, with no redeeming qualities and no context that makes them understandable.
It would have been great to see more of Ingrid’s sister, Lina Yun, who has an emotionally rich story of her own. Although it’s effective to show how isolated Ingrid is from her family, there is a character with a lot of potential that’s missed.
A Juilliard dropout trying to find her place in the world would have been a perfect addition to the show.
Finally, it would hardly be a reflection on this series if there wasn’t some discussion about that ending. In the novel, Murph’s character is pretty much set up to be the absolute worst from the beginning.
The revelation in the show is so much more devastating. Hoping that Murph could be redeemed ultimately makes his betrayal much worse. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that a strong case has been made for why a second season is needed.
As a whole, Partner Track is a top-notch legal drama with endearing characters and a suspenseful story throughout. The stage has been set to further explore these stories.
The way that this show brilliantly captures female rage and how women ultimately find a way is nothing less than inspiring. This is truly a series for our time.
What did you think of this episode of Partner Track Season 1? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Partner Track Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.
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Justine Kraemer
Justine is an unashamed fan of too many TV shows and movies with a particular love of all things Marvel. She balances her love of massive massively popular shows with hidden gems that are just waiting to be discovered.