Just like the fictional town, Secrets of Sulphur Springs on DisneyPlus is so much more than what meets the eye.
Have you ever wondered if you were born into the wrong decade? As if there were a time period that would have suited you, and your personality better than the one you're in right now? Well, I certainly have, and during my twenty-four years here on this earth, it's caused me to develop quite a fascination with the concept of time travel.
From shows like Quantum Leap to movies such as Somewhere in Time, there's something special about storytelling centered around this idea and I'm always eager for more.
Today we'll be discussing the DisneyPlus original, Secrets of Sulphur Springs, a new series that blends time travel with elements of the paranormal to create a compelling mystery about two friends who set out to solve the disappearance of a young girl who had gone missing 30 years ago, in the year of 1991.
The Positive
Secrets of Sulphur Springs follows Griffin Campbell, a 12-year-old boy who has been recently uprooted from his hometown of Chicago and moved to Sulphur Springs, Louisiana, where his father Bennett has purchased an old, dilapidated hotel known as the Tremont.
Based on that description alone, it'd be easy to assume that the show would be focused on the challenges Griffin would face with being the new kid in the area, and figuring out how and where exactly he fits in all while living in a spooky, haunted hotel. But rest assured, this series is not that same ol' broken record.
Shortly after his family's arrival in Sulphur Springs, Griffin meets a new kid at school by the name of Harper, a bright young lady who eagerly fills him in on the story of Savannah Dillion, a camper who had gone missing near the Tremont 30 years ago in 1991 and is now believed to be a ghost, roaming the halls of the hotel.
Soon Griffin and his new friend begin to unravel the mystery surrounding Savannah following their discovery of an underground bunker located down in the Tremont basement, containing a portal that allows the two to travel back and forth between various decades in time to see the hotel in its glory days, including the period Savannah went missing.
But as Griffin and Harper dig deeper into their investigation at the Tremont, the two find themselves staring down several suspects who could have been involved in Savannah's sudden disappearance, including Griffin's dad, Bennett, and Harper's mom, Jess, further complicating their quest to uncover the truth.
The use of the parents in this story added a well-executed element of conflict throughout the episodes as we see Bennett become irritated and visibly upset by Griffin's curiosity toward the case of Savannah, while Jess claims the Tremont is cursed and wants Harper kept as far from the hotel as possible; the two display various moments of suspicious behavior and it's made clear that the two of them are harboring a few secrets from their children.
Having the ability to change the past would place a big responsibility on anyone's shoulders but Griffin and Harper having their own parents entangled in this mystery makes it so much more difficult to solve, as one false move could result in some life-altering consequences.
From Left to Right: Elle Graham, Jake Melrose, Preston Oliver, and Kyliegh Curran
But Secrets of Sulphur Springs doesn't focus solely on time travel, it also blends the concept with a touch of the paranormal to keep you guessing whether or not there really is some kind of unexplained haunting going on back at the Tremont.
While Griffin and Harper spend most of their time back in the past, Griffin's younger twin siblings Zoey (Madeleine McGraw) and Wyatt (Landon Gordon) are determined to prove the existence of Savannah's ghost after experiencing some odd occurrences in their new home; the two seek out help from Harper's younger sibling Topher (portrayed by Bryant Tardy) who helps them to use an old camcorder to capture evidence with.
The subtle hints toward a potential haunting helped to create a more suspenseful atmosphere throughout the show that causes the viewer to wonder if what twins are experiencing back at the Tremont are indeed real, or if it's just the sounds of an old home playing tricks on the kids.
Speaking of subtlety, this first season also felt like the beginnings of a really sweet love story between our main characters; Griffin and Harper quickly develope a bit of a mutual crush on each other as the show progresses forward, which was not only handled in a very innocent and appropriate way, but it was also ridiculously cute and far from cringe-worthy like most young love is portrayed on television.
The Negative
While I can't speak highly enough of this show, there was one little thing that I found to be a bit irritating and unrealistic about Harper and Griffin's trips to the past, and that's the effect that their actions had on the present, or in this case, lack thereof.
As you can imagine, Griffin and Harper travel back and forth between 1991 and the present day quite frequently throughout the season, and yet, their actions in the past never seem to impact anything in the present aside from Savannah.
When the show progresses forward the kids find themselves interacting with the childhood versions of Bennett and Jess much more often, and with each time Harper and Griffin would return from the past, I couldn't help but wonder when one of the parents would finally notice that the two of them bare a striking resemblance to two mysterious kids they once knew.
I kept waiting for some sort of indication that the parents remembered "Harry and Hermione" as the kids called themselves to protect their true identities, but unfortunately, it never came up, and it seemed strange that with the constant mention of Savannah, that nothing would dust the cobwebs off of those memories; I found this to be a small, but impactful detail that managed to slip through the cracks.
Conclusion
Just like the fictional town, Secrets of Sulphur Springs on DisneyPlus is so much more than what meets the eye. The show is a great watch for anyone looking for some wholesome entertainment with a well-executed mystery involved.
The show has thankfully drawn some great ratings since its debut and has been renewed for a second season which is set to come out at some point in 2022, and I'm incredibly eager to see what adventures Griffin and Harper get wrapped up in next!
Have you seen Secrets of Sulphur Springs? I'd love to know what your thoughts were on the debut season, so please be sure to leave me a comment below, and don't forget to follow me over on Twitter @RR_Everything, where I talk about all of the shows and movies that I watch and also provide updates on future reviews!
No comments:
Post a Comment