What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this teen drama's themes revolve
around adhering to personal values in the face of temptation,
threats, and adversity. Some adults occasionally behave
inappropriately and even illegally, but others are involved
parents who think deeply about what people need to reach their
best potential. The music from each episode is marketed at the
end of the show and via the show's Web site. This could be a
draw for many teens, but it might give some parents pause.
Families can talk about redemption and how people overcome their pasts. How do people learn from their own mistakes and the mistakes of others? How would a person know that someone is a candidate for friendship (even if he or she has been in serious trouble in the past)? What's at risk for Kris? Why does she work so hard to get ahead when so much has been stacked against her? What behaviors show us that a person deserves our loyalty? Also, what makes a family? Is Kris part of Jean's family? Is Pablo? How does the way Dani's father treat her compare to the way Jean treats her family? What kinds of futures are all these characters building for themselves and each other?
Common Sense Media Review
Wildfire is a racehorse, and 18-year-old Kris Fuillo
(Genevieve Cortese) is the teenager who loves him. Wildfire and
Kris are on the same path -- each of them has a troubled past,
and now they're both reaching for the best in themselves.
Kris' story started in juvenile hall, where she was doing time for stealing cars. A volunteer noticed her talent with horses, especially the problematic Wildfire, and helped get Kris placed with the Ritters, a family steeped in the world of Thoroughbred racing. Kris becomes Wildfire's jockey, and Wildfire turns out to be the Ritter family's best chance at saving the family-run ranch.
This show is full of strong women characters. Kris is so diligent about reaching for integrity and acting responsibly that it's hard to imagine she ever went far enough astray to get arrested in the first place. When Kris is confused, she turns to Jean Ritter (Nana Visitor), the stalwart single mom at the head of the Ritter family. Matt (Micah Alberti) and Todd (Andrew Hoeft) are Jean's sons; Pablo Betart (Greg Serano) trains the family's stable of racehorses. Kris' arch foe in love and horse racing is Dani (Nicole Tubiola), whose villainy is often tinged with her own struggle to be a better person.
Almost all of the characters have some issue in their past that shadows them in the present. Pablo was once convicted of an assault, another character may have been involved in insurance fraud, and yet another turns out to have been hiding serious financial problems. This, along with the usual love intrigues, is what makes a soap opera click, and WILDFIRE definitely clicks with its audience of older teens and young adults.
Unlike in The O.C. , the melodramatic relationships and frequent smooching in Wildfire are tied together by a storyline that includes many lessons for teens. The themes here -- that everyone desrves another chance, that risk can have reward, that we are not defined by our pasts, and that family and friends pulling together can make a great difference -- definitely make Wildfire worth watching.
Fans might also enjoy Everwood and Gilmore Girls .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
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