Does Adriana Choose Brayden Or Freddie?

Warning: This article includes MAJOR SPOILERS for Finding Her Edge!

Finding Her Edge sets up a love triangle that drives the show, leading to a season 1 ending that answers who Adriana chooses. Two years after the death of their mother, the Russo sisters bear the heavy weight of keeping her parents’ skating legacy alive. Mimi is an up-and-coming ice dancer, Elise is a figure skater on the way to the Olympics, and Adriana retired from ice dancing to help keep her family business afloat.

However, Elise gets injured, and Adriana has to step up to help get the medals and sponsorships that can bring in money. She partners up with the bad boy of ice dancing, Brayden Elliot, while her former partner and boyfriend, Freddie O’Connell, partners up with her best friend Riley. This brings lots of drama for the characters of Finding Her Edge.

As Brayden and Adriana start working together, the tension grows but it turns from hate into lust and maybe even love. They compete at qualifiers and get third place, meaning they won’t go to worlds. However, a doping scandal knocks the first couple out. As Riley and Freddie and Brayden and Adriana go to Worlds, the question arises who Adriana will choose in this modern Jane Austen show.

Why Adriana Chooses Freddie Over Brayden In Finding Her Edge

Adriana spends most of the season falling for Brayden, and they have incredible chemistry. They both make each other better versions of themselves. This makes it all the more surprising that, in the end, she chooses Freddie. Ultimately, her choice comes down to her inability to let go of her first love.

Two years before Finding Her Edge, her father pressures her to leave Freddie as both a skating partner and love interest. She didn’t want to leave Freddie, but she appeased her father. However, Adriana doesn’t consider that her own choice. As such, she never got the closure necessary to move on with Brayden.

Additionally, Adriana has lost her mother, her family’s financial security, and her relationship with her older sister. She has to be the rock for her family business, even though she shouldn’t have that burden placed on her. Consequently, she wants someone who will be stable, responsible, and consistent.

Brayden makes huge strides in that direction throughout the series, but that doesn’t matter to Adriana. Instead, she thinks Freddie is already that type of love interest she’s longing for, though I’m not sure I would agree with her on that. Ultimately, it seems like Adriana will have to go through a relationship with Freddie before she can truly give Brayden a chance.

How Brayden & Adriana Win The Gold Medal At Worlds

Cale Ambrozic as Brayden Elliot and Madelyn Keys as Adriana Russo on the ice in Finding Her Edge Season 1

Brayden and Adriana only make it into Worlds on a technicality, so it wasn’t a given that they would win the gold medal. And, frankly, if they had gone to worlds with the same routine, I don’t think they would have won.

The routine was beautiful; there’s no question about it. However, the two didn’t seem to emotionally connect with the dance. It felt like they were performing something made for a different couple, which makes sense because it was.

Adriana’s mom choreographed it for Adriana and Freddie. They have a completely different dynamic than Brayden and Adriana. The former is puppy love while the latter is sultry and passionate.

Luckily, they decided to create an entirely new routine that fit their relationship. They visibly connected with each other. The song and moves reflected their passionate chemistry. The choreography even played into their strengths. By making the dance their own and executing it perfectly, they were able to win over the judges at Worlds.

How Will Saves His Family’s Home In Finding Her Edge

Will Russo smiles in Finding Her Edge season 1

Throughout the whole show, Will is struggling to keep the rink and their home. They are in massive debt because he’s prioritizing his children’s rink time over paying customers. What’s more, they aren’t able to get sponsors for their skaters. The best chance of this was Elise, who gets injured early on.

Ultimately, he has to give up big to save his family home. Will sells his rink to Voltage, the competitor company. They will be in charge of staffing and clients, which means Will won’t be coaching anymore. The rink also now prioritizes ice dancing over figure skating, which he definitely didn’t want.

However, Voltage pays enough for Will to own his house without worry of it getting taken away. Additionally, they allow his daughters, Adriana and Elise, to still be involved at that rink – Adriana as an ice dancer and Elise as a coach.

What’s Really Going On With Freddie & Brayden’s Parents

Brayden and Freddie laugh together in Finding Her Edge season 1

Freddie and Brayden have a lot more similarities than they expect, which becomes clear when they share the truth about their families. Both of the teen boys have absentee parents who emotionally harmed them.

Freddie has a mother with an alcohol-use disorder who never showed up for him physically or emotionally. He doesn’t have a relationship with her because of all the times she let him down. Meanwhile, Brayden’s family relies on him for money, but they never show up. He is essentially only valuable when he gets medals and sponsors.

Both are affected by their upbringings in Finding Her Edge, which is extremely refreshing to see on TV. Far too often, men’s traumas are ignored, and they’re expected to act tough. However, Brayden and Freddie are both able to express their emotions and insecurities and get support from others in the Netflix original show.

How Elise Moves Forward After Her Injury

Elise leans on the edge of the ice rink in Finding Her Edge

Elise wasn’t exactly kind before her injury, but she becomes extremely cruel and mean towards absolutely everyone afterwards. She feels pain and lashes out to make others hurt just as much as they do.

This includes disparaging her sister Adriana, both to her face and in an interview with a journalist. She ruins her family’s chances at getting sponsors that could save the rink and family home. She leaves the house and moves in with her boyfriend. At a big event, she even kisses Freddie, knowing it will hurt Adriana deeply.

Luckily, by the end of the series, she reflects on her choices. She begins making amends for her actions and shows up for her sisters in a more meaningful way. In the jump forward, we see that she is back on the rink but in a new capacity. Elise is a coach at the rink, teaching new ice dancers.

How Finding Her Edge’s Season 1 Ending Sets Up Season 2

Madelyn Keys as Adriana Russo in Finding Her Edge Season 1 on Netflix

The end of Finding Her Edge is shocking because Adriana chooses Freddie over Brayden. Then, Brayden leaves Worlds before the final showcase with the intention of quitting skating. This leaves Adriana to dance the showcase alone, until her sisters join her on the ice in an act of familial love.

In the jump forward, Chamille tells Adriana and Freddie that she wants them to dance together because Adriana doesn’t have a partner. She says that she has a plan for Riley. They discover what the plan is when they walk into the dance studio to see Riley doing choreography with Brayden.

This sets up a serious rivalry in Finding Her Edge season 2, where the partners will be swapped. Because Adriana and Brayden are both champions, they will be heavily watched going into competitions. Additionally, we’ll see jealous reer it ugly head for Adriana, who clearly isn’t happy about Riley and Brayden.