A lackluster ending caps off what was an interesting show on the season finale of Netflix’s The Trust. “The End of the Rainbow” didn’t deliver riches to us viewers at home; instead, it dragged on an hour of filler gameplay and next-to-no suspense. There was no reason that the finale needed to air separately from the second batch of episodes. Why not pair it with Episode 7 in the finale week airing? That way the momentum of those recent betrayals would’ve carried us off into the finale week. Now, we’re left on a dull note that meandered to the finish line.
The cause of the problem for “The End of the Rainbow” is due to the lack of stakes and severity. The ultimate question of The Trust is whether the players will choose to share the Trust or if they’ll cut another member at the end. We’ve seen the group vote out players without a second glance, just like Juelz back during the season premiere. But with only five players left at the end, we had a general idea of how these players would vote when put to the test. There was no suspense if they would cut someone out to increase their share because the dialogue before that had been to keep team unity since they all made the finale.
Brian, Gaspare, and Jake weren’t going to cut someone out, regardless of what their confessionals stated. The only times they ever voted someone out were due to tactical reasons, like cutting Winnie out to stop the opposition or doubting Lindsey’s trust. Since they all made the finale, they wouldn’t be able to live with themselves if they had decided to eliminate Julie or Tolú. So, their decisions to share the money were set in stone.
“The End of the Rainbow” tried to make it seem like Julie and Tolú would turn on the men to increase their share. The problem with that narrative was that the women had already shown that their votes never came from a malicious place. Julie only ever voted people out for strategic reasons (e.g., Simone, Juelez) or those she felt didn’t deserve the money (e.g., Bryce); it wasn’t first about increasing her share of the pot. On the other hand, accepting deals within the Vault was another story — those were all self-gratifying moves that wouldn’t significantly destroy someone. Julie was a pragmatic player who kept her mindset focused on reality, but she cared deeply. Out of the remaining five, she wasn’t going to cut this group because she loved them.
The same goes for Tolú. Sure, she and her allies had controlled most of the votes in the beginning rounds, but the cuts were never done because she wanted to increase her share. Tolú had a similar pragmatic and realistic mindset as Julie, and her decisions within the Vault were all within a realistic standpoint. Just like anyone else, she could’ve easily debated if someone deserved the money or not, but she didn’t seem like a heartless player who would cut someone at the finale. So, from a group view, no one was going to make that shocking decision.
The other big moment from the finale came from the last test in the Vault. Just like the final Trust Ceremony, the Vault wasn’t a surprise either. Who wouldn’t take an anonymous amount of up to $25,000? There were no punishments, no twists, and no real stakes to add dramatic tension. No one would ever find out who took the money unless they came clean about it. And kudos to Tolú for keeping it a secret — it was the right thing to do! Take the money. This decision was so easy; I was surprised that the others talked themselves out of it.
And speaking of obvious moves, why did Julie come clean about accepting the deal during the secret Vault? It’s just like Bryce coming clean about being the millionaire — it made no sense. Julie had made it to the finale and revealing the truth only created doubt in everyone’s minds. This decision felt more like a ploy to get screentime and create an interesting season finale than it was out of genuine concern. Any bit of logic and common sense could easily show that this was the wrong move. Word to the wise for future players of The Trust: keep everything a secret!
The Trust Season 1 finale ended on a whimper instead of a win. The season finale exposed some glaring holes that the freshman series needs to fix for future seasons. While we witnessed the final decision that had been teased since the start of the game, the outcome paled in comparison to the journey it took to get there. There needs to be more stakes and tension for these players to trust one another. The finale was missing that core element.
The Trust is available to stream now on Netflix.
Images courtesy of Netflix
REVIEW RATING
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'The Trust' Season 1 Finale - 4/10
4/10
Justin is a fun-loving geek living in downtown Toronto, Canada. He’s an avid TV buff, movie fan, and gamer. He’s written for publications like Entertainment Weekly’s The Community, Virgin, TV Fanatic, FANDOM, The Young Folks, and his blog, City Boy Geekiness.
