‘The Trust’ 1×05 – 1×07 review: The truth doesn’t set the group free

No one was safe during the second batch of episodes of Netflix’s The Trust. Between Episodes 5 to 7, the paranoia and tension heated up as the players were more willing to cut each other for “the sake of the group.” Sure, the morality stronghold set forth by Brian, Gaspare, and Jake held strong, but it’s on shaky ground heading into the season finale. What this second batch of episodes has delivered is the true nature of The Trust: the firm line of how far your trust in others will go, and who is deserving of the prize. And wow, it gave us even more cutthroat gameplay! These episodes were more enticing and satisfying than the first.

One such area that improved was the offers made from the Vault. The deals pushed the players further to make tough choices about whether they should satisfy themselves or support the group. The offers presented twists that had serious repercussions on the game. If it wasn’t for Brian accepting the deal during “The Snake Is Slithering,” we wouldn’t have had the tense paranoia brought on by the players unsure if their votes would’ve counted. And Winnie’s deal during “Selfishness Is NOT Black And White” could’ve been a shocking reveal had she not been voted out during that round regardless. These offers had real stakes that made a real impact — we need more of these in the future.

However, the only drawback is that the decisions could’ve been much deeper. For instance, the dollar values for accepting the deals should be increased more dramatically as the rounds increase. These $20,000 or $30,000 values are tempting in the early rounds when there are a lot of players fighting over their shares. However, with only a few players left, a $30,000 deal is a drop in the bucket to the bigger share they could get. Like, we need more deals that were presented to Jay (e.g., take the money and leave the game); these offers have a significant impact on the course of the game and they tempt the players. Plus, if it were a dollar value of $50,000 or $75,000, the offer would force people to choose and debate.

The debate over money doesn’t help when The Trust constantly gives the players more opportunities to add more money to the group pot. By the time of the vote reveal challenge, barely anyone had stolen money from the group pot. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED this trust test as it forced the players to come clean and reveal how trustworthy their word was. However, adding $60,000 to the group pot to come clean was too easy, especially when no one was stealing money in the earlier rounds. The Trust needs to add more consequences and irresistible offers in future seasons.

In the case of the eliminations, these moments brought a much higher level of tension, even if some were predictable. Bryce’s elimination was expected – I had called this as such during our review from the first batch of episodes. Lindsay said it best that Bryce never fully understood his level of privilege and how his life differed from everyone else’s in the group. His narrative focused too much on how he was rich, how much of a struggle it was to not discuss his brand labels/being rich, and how he was a “self-made” millionaire by 21 years old. However, as Tolú and Julie clarified, he wasn’t self-made — Bryce had an easier start since his mother created their real estate business, and he had a safety net to establish his career.

Bryce’s elimination provided us viewers and future players a great lesson on how NOT to approach your life during a morality-based game like The Trust. Lindsay’s advice to him about how he could frame his life was the perfect solution. If he had been more empathetic to the struggles of his fellow players and brought up how winning the funds would support his employees, that information would’ve gone a long way to connecting with the group. The team would’ve chosen to help Bryce’s employees rather than
Bryce the Millionaire.” Bryce failed to properly make a case for why he could help the group, so his days were number. Though, he should’ve never revealed he was a millionaire; that was a bad decision, regardless.

Jay made the call to accept the bribe and leave the game. Come on, did anyone actually think she would’ve made it to the end of The Trust? There was no way. Jay was on the hit list by the guys and Julie. If she hadn’t taken the money, she would’ve been eliminated after Bryce. I’d even be confident to say that she would’ve been the person voted off during “Snake In The Grass,” and not Winnie. Good for Jay making a smart move and prioritizing herself!

Winnie’s elimination was an interesting case of a morality mirror. Sure, the girls had banded together to strategically remove Juelz and Bryce from the trust; they had played the game to cut out those they felt undeserving. So, for the men to then band together to eliminate someone they felt was being “underhanded” and “unjust,” it proved how hypocritical and morally superior competitors can get.

Players like Winnie, Tolú, and Julie weren’t shy about making the moves they wanted to – they had valid reasons for why they felt they made the choices they did. And the same goes for the men too; they stood behind why they cut Winnie out. However, I didn’t like how condescending and righteous the players like Brian, Jake, and Gaspare were acting. In reality, cutting out Winnie wasn’t “righting some wrong” or “bringing harmony back to the group,” no matter how hard they tried to position it. The guys played the game, they got spooked by the strategy going on, and they banded together to save their spots. The men were just as “underhanded” as the women; they could’ve easily forgiven them and not voted. The only difference is that the women acknowledged they utilized their strategy.

Was anyone else shocked that Lindsey was voted out of the trust? Or more likely, was anyone else shocked by how poorly Lindsey dug herself into a grave? It’s one thing to feel betrayed and be backed into a corner, but it’s another to lash out at everyone over what happened. Lindsey let the pain of the strategy cloud her head. If she had taken a moment to reframe herself and her narrative, she could’ve easily spun it into a reason for why Tolú should’ve been cut. Instead, her stubborn debates turned her into an ally that couldn’t be trusted. You should always care about self-preservation in a reality show, but it has to be handled smartly and strategically.

The second batch of episodes for The Trust kept the momentum strong for this freshman series. A slew of shocking twists and impactful eliminations made these three new episodes such a thrilling roller coaster ride. With a few improvements for future seasons, the game could easily implement these again to a greater success. But for now, The Trust did a great job showing why it’s a must-watch new series.

The Trust airs new episodes every Wednesday on Netflix. 

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Images courtesy of Netflix