What to Know Before You Watch Netflix's New Series About Mental Illness 'Spinning Out'
Netflix added another mental health-related TV series to its roster with the Jan. 1 premiere of “Spinning Out,” featuring a figure skater with a traumatic brain injury and bipolar disorder.
• What is Bipolar disorder?
“Spinning Out” centers on Kat Baker (Kaya Scodelario), a promising figure skater who is forced to quit the skating world after a devastating fall that leads to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). With the help of new coach Dasha (Svetlana Efremova), however, Kat eventually transitions into partner skating with ex-boyfriend Justin (Evan Roderick).
The trauma from her fall and the difficult relationship she has with her ex-skating mother Carol (January Jones) and sister Serena (Willow Shields) make it hard for Kat to get back in the ring. Kat and her mom both have bipolar disorder, and at times they both struggle to take their medication and stick with treatment. For Kat, this sometimes includes instances of self-harm to regulate her emotions and episodes of mania.
Many people took to social media to praise “Spinning Out” and recommend others watch the show, saying the mental health themes were well-done and relatable.
Netflix recommendation – even though no one asked for one – you gotta watch Spinning Out. It’s a figure skating drama but it addresses mental health, racism, and so much more. Watch it. #WhatToWatchOnNetflix
— Lamby ???????????????? (@TeachQuiltPlay) January 2, 2020
Ok but ‘spinning out’ is pulling all of my heart strings … from the figure skating world to the mental health to the fear of getting back into the sport I can relate to every single episode of this show ????❤️ @kScodders is also amazing omg #SpinningOut
— naomi stella ???? (@naomistellax) January 2, 2020
While manic, I put on #SpinningOut #spinningoutnetflix having no clue bipolar was a huge factor of the show. They handled the topic amazingly and accurately. Shout out to @jvn and @Adaripp as well! It can be triggering but the show is really good.
— Kimberly Dana???????? (@KimDwnTheRbtHol) January 2, 2020
Others, however, shared they felt some of the mental illness plot lines felt like a cliche. Some with lived experience of mental illness found some of the content triggering, like scenes of self-harm and mania.
What bothered me the most was the poor potrayal of mental illness. Some of the scenes are triggering, and I wouldn’t recommend the show to anyone with similar issues! I have a history in my family with mental illness and it was certainly not pleasant to watch. #SpinningOut
— Florence (@florenceflo160) January 2, 2020
Actress Scodelario, who plays Kat, did alert fans on Instagram that the series may be triggering for some people. Scodelario also said she hopes “Spinning Out” shows a 360-degree view of people who live with mental illness — that a mental health diagnosis doesn’t define a person. She wrote:
I’ve learnt so much about Bipolar disorder from playing Kat and just wanna take a second to make you aware that we do show some scenes of self harm and extreme mania. I feel like it’s important to put this trigger warning out there – We’ve done our best to highlight the difficulties of living with mental Illness whilst still showing the beautiful, passionate & typically complex sides to being a young person.
“Spinning Out” is available now on Netflix and you can watch the full trailer below:
Article updated Jan. 2, 2020.
Header image via Facebook
Renée Fabian was the features editor at The Mighty. She has also written for The Washington Post, VICE, Healthline, Talkspace, The Fix, The Establishment, The Culture Trip, and GRAMMY.com, among others. Renée was named a 2019 AHCJ Comparative Effectiveness Research fellow, a 2020 USC Center for Health Journalism California fellow, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter @ryfabian.
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