Tiny Pretty Things 2020 Series Review

『A Complex Friendship and Love Blooming Amid Fierce Competition』

🎥 Drama Overview

🎬 Title: Tiny Pretty Things (2020)
🌍 Country: 🇺🇸 USA
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Mystery / Teen
🗓️ Production & Release: Netflix, Season 1
⏳ Runtime: About 40–50 minutes per episode
📢 Creator: Michael MacLennan
🖋️ Based on: Sona Charaipotra, Dhonielle Clayton – 『Tiny Pretty Things』
📺 Platform: Netflix

👩‍💼 Cast: Kylie Jefferson – Neveah Stroyer (Neveah)
Casimere Jollette – Bette Whitlaw (Bette)

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

⚔️ 'Fated Rivals'

In Tiny Pretty Things, the relationship between Neveah and Bette forms a complex rivalry entangled with class, race, and pure talent, becoming one of the show’s central driving forces. Their relationship follows the classic teen drama arc: starting as "Enemies", moving to an "Uneasy Alliance", and evolving into "Provisional Friends".

🩰 Class, Talent, and Hostility

Neveah and Bette’s relationship begins as two queen bee contenders clash within the elitist world of the Archer School.

💃 Neveah: Outsider vs. Innate Talent

• The 'Diversity' card and raw talent: Neveah, an outsider from the city outskirts and a woman of color, is brought in to fill the void left by Cassie Shore, used by the school as a token of 'diversity'. Despite lacking formal elite training, she possesses instinctive and raw talent. She represents justice and resistance against the hypocrisy and abuse of power within the school.

👗 Bette: Privilege vs. Struggles in the Shadows

• The pressure of 'ballet royalty': Bette is the daughter of a prestigious ballet family, living in the shadow of her already-successful sister, the school’s star dancer. Representing the privileged elite, she suffers under her mother’s expectations and constant comparisons to her sister. Outwardly arrogant and protective of her status, she inwardly reveals fragility and destructive tendencies.

• Initial hostility: Bette immediately perceives Neveah as a threat to her status. Her hostility stems from racial prejudice as well as personal insecurity and jealousy of Neveah’s talent. Their early petty conflicts highlight how their rivalry represents more than competition — it reflects a clash of social classes.

👯‍♀️ Shared Pain and Temporary Alliance

As the series progresses, mysteries and the school’s dark truths force the two rivals into a temporary alliance.

(1) Shared hostility toward Ramon

• Neveah fights against the school’s abuse of power and sexual exploitation, particularly enraged by choreographer Ramon’s violent genius and grooming behaviors.

• Bette initially seeks Ramon’s favor, but after experiencing his psychological and artistic abuse, she finds common ground with Neveah. Sharing clues about his exploitative nature, the two form a cooperative bond. In this moment, rivalry gives way to solidarity as fellow victims, united by a drive for justice.

(2) Exposing vulnerabilities to each other

• Neveah learns about Bette’s dysfunctional family dynamics and her mother’s suffocating pressure, while Bette discovers Neveah’s complicated background (her mother’s imprisonment, her relationship with her brother). Sharing or witnessing these hidden vulnerabilities adds depth to their relationship, moving beyond a simple 'mean girl vs. righteous heroine' dynamic.

• However, due to the writers’ inconsistent character development, their relationship swings abruptly between enmity and alliance, often confusing viewers. One episode may show them conversing like friends, only for the next to depict them betraying each other again — undermining the psychological depth of their bond.

🎭 The Relationship’s Endpoint and Symbolic Meaning

By the end of Season 1, Neveah and Bette’s relationship is redefined through the resolution of Cassie’s case and the extreme events of Ramon’s death.

• Fated cooperation: In their effort to reveal the true culprit behind Cassie’s fall (Ashley Singer), the two become decisive allies. This suggests that overcoming the toxic environment of the Archer School and achieving true success requires solidarity beyond individual talent.

• Symbolic meaning of their bond: Their relationship embodies two major themes of Archer School:

• Bette: A product of perfectionism and repression within the elite ballet world. Her struggle symbolizes an insider’s fight to resist authority and claim her own identity.

• Neveah: A newcomer fighting against external prejudice and racial pressure. Her struggle represents a challenge to outdated structures and biases.

Ultimately, Neveah and Bette’s relationship aimed to show how a shared passion for dance can temporarily transcend social and personal barriers. However, due to the series’ overly dramatic tendencies, their bond never develops with full conviction, remaining instead a surface-level 'Frenemy' (both friend and enemy) dynamic.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★