What’s Next for the Ice-Skating Love Triangle at the Heart of Finding Her Edge?
5 min readSpoilers below.
As the Winter Olympics approach, all the hottest romances in TV seem to be taking place on the ice. In the wake of the sensation that was season 1 of hockey romance Heated Rivalry, every network and streamer seems intent on delivering your next winter-sports love affair of choice. The latest contender is Netflix’s Finding Her Edge, based on Jennifer Iacopelli’s 2022 young-adult romance novel of the same name. The story—a self-described “soapy YA drama” focusing on a love triangle between ice dancers Adriana (Madelyn Keys), Freddie (Olly Atkins), and Brayden (Cale Ambrozic)—shares little resemblance to Heated Rivalry other than its ice-rink setting and its romantic yearning. But that might be enough for fans eager for a spark of heat in the dead of winter.
Finding Her Edge, both the book and Netflix adaptation, is loosely based off of Jane Austen’s novel Persuasion, which should give viewers some indication as to which would-be romantic partner Adriana might ultimately choose. In the series, Adriana Russo trains as a competitive ice dancer after her sister, Elise (Alexandra Beaton), suffers an injury that prevents her from competing. If Adriana can win gold, she can save the Russo family’s legendary ice rink—currently on the brink of financial ruin—and carry on the legacy of her Olympic-champion parents. But lacing up her ice skates again after a two-year hiatus means she can’t train alongside her former collaborator (and ex-boyfriend) Freddie O’Connell, who’s found himself a new partner. And so Adriana turns to a last resort: Brayden Elliot, the bad boy of ice dancing, and the only other available partner who might lead her to an Olympic podium.
Ultimately, Adriana and Brayden capitalize on their chemistry, striking up a fake relationship—which the media coins “Braydriana”—to stir up sponsorship interest and keep the Russo Rink operating. But Brayden’s real feelings for Adriana soon make themselves apparent, which creates conflict in Finding Her Edge’s final episode, when the two compete at the World Championships. There, they secure first place over Freddie and his partner, Riley (Millie Davis), but Adriana makes it clear (to her sisters, to Freddie, and to Brayden himself) that “Braydriana” was a ruse and that her heart belongs to Freddie. Adriana and Freddie share a kiss, and an angry, hurt Brayden leaves Paris (and his partnership with Adriana) behind.
In the final moments of episode 8, Freddie and Adriana become a romantic couple again, and they agree to compete together again as ice-dancing partners. But as they both prepare to train at the Russo Rink (now under new ownership, and called Voltage Skating Academy) they encounter Brayden, who has begun a new partnership with—surprise, surprise—none other than Riley. Now with their roles reversed, Freddie and Brayden are once again at odds, and Brayden looks ready to make the ensuing competition a ferocious one.
With that cliffhanger in mind, here’s what author Iacopelli and the cast members had to say about the polarizing ending…and about Finding Her Edge’s future.
Why does Adriana choose Freddie over Brayden at the end of season 1?
Iacopelli understands that not all fans will be satisfied with Adriana’s decision, especially given that the fake-dating trope in romance novels almost always leads to real love.
But, remember, she argues, Finding Her Edge is loosely based on Persuasion. “Ultimately, [rekindling a romance with her former love] is the choice Anne Elliot makes in Persuasion,” Iacopelli says. “I think we made it a little harder on Adriana because Brayden is a way better guy than the original Mr. Elliot, both in the show and in the book, but even still, the pull of first love is strong, even years later.”
She continues, “I love our love triangle because I think it’s one of the few out there where the decision isn’t super obvious. There are two young men in Adriana’s life who care about her and who she cares for. What I’ll say is that Adriana is the type of character who very rarely does what she wants simply because she wants it. And what she wants at the end of season 1—and at the end of the first book—is Freddie. She’s been in love with him her entire life, and she wants to give those feelings a chance.”
Adds Keys, who plays Adriana, “I think [Adriana] loves so many things about Brayden. But I also think Brayden is not in the emotional place that Adriana is. She’s had to teach him how to feel, how to [communicate]. And she is the victim of some of his outbursts at times. And so I think, if she were to be with Brayden long-term, there would be that a degree of inequity between them. She would continue to have to teach him, and I want her to be with somebody who can match her and teach her things as well. And so I would think Brayden would need to learn a couple more lessons before they would be a perfect match.”
Will there be a season 2 of Finding Her Edge?
Netflix has yet to announce an official renewal for the series, but Iacopelli and the cast seem optimistic about a second chapter.
“The writers did such an incredible job of giving season 1 its own story while setting up so many new possibilities for drama in a potential season 2,” Iacopelli says. “I can’t wait to see how Adriana and Freddie handle finally being together while they skate together.”
What do Iacopelli and the cast want to see in a potential season 2?
Iacopelli and the whole cast are keen for some mess. “I’m so curious how we’ll see Brayden and Riley develop after being thrown together, both feeling betrayed by their former partners,” Iacopelli teases.
Adds Ambrozic, who plays Brayden, “Obviously, [Brayden] choosing to skate with a new partner who is so close to home is a little bit petty, and definitely a little bit of a revenge plan—I think you could tell by the look [he gives Adriana]. But I thought we ended on a really great note for season 2, God willing.”
Atkins, who plays Freddie, wants to see Adriana’s current partner (and current love) “lose control a little bit” in season 2. He continues, “I’d like to see his competitive spirit unlocked. I think that, with all of this history that he has in really compacting down his emotions and controlling how he expresses how he feels, I want to see him let loose. I think it would be really, really fun to play with.”
Keys is all in for more love-triangle chaos, but she also wants to see Adriana develop further as an individual. “I want to see her be more engaged in the other people in her lives and realize that not everything is about her sometimes,” she says. “I’d love her to be more of a support for not only her father, but also for the other people in her life.”
Turning to Beaton—who plays Adriana’s sister, Elise—Keys adds, laughing, “And, selfishly, as an actress, I want us to fight again. Let’s fight and then make up. That would be lovely.”
This story will be updated.