Dead Like Me: Back?

         Have you ever been crushed by a show’s abrupt ending?  Fans of television have always been deterred from watching new shows, due to the agony of cancellation.  As a television watcher, you have to wonder: if I attach myself to this show, will it be back next season?  Look at the list of series that were cancelled after the 2007-2008 season, some have only been on air for less than a year (not even a full season if you count the writer strike). Its sad to think that if a show doesn’t get enough ratings, no matter how good the concept and storyline is, it won’t last.

Jericho: cancelled after the first season, brought back for a second season by “the power of the fans,” and then cancelled again.  Freaks and Geeks: considered one of the best coming of age high school comedy series, created by Judd Apatow, and cancelled after first season—we still talk about it as one of those prematurely cancelled T.V shows.  My So-called Life: Now a cult hit—it has one of the most visited tribute website, but only aired 19 episodes in 1994/95 season.  Thank god for DVD re-releases! We would miss out on some of the great ones, no matter how short or long the run was. 

Television to movie: this concept is great for all those loyal fans that hoped and prayed for a satisfactory ending for their favorite characters.  Not all shows receive this kind of treatment, but hopefully more will in the future.  Fans would feel less abandoned.  Which brings me to this current news: Dead Like Me is back, not in series form, but as a feature length movie. 

Anybody remember this show? It aired on Showtime for two seasons in 2003 and 2004

 It was one of those dark, intelligent, quirky comedies that always seem so short lived once canceled.  It starred Ellen Muth as 18-year-old Georgia Lass, who was struck and killed by a “toilet seat” falling from the sky, a mishap of the MIR space station.  Maybe it was a statement: Life sometimes throws crap your way? 

Because she was fated to, George gets a reprieve from death and actually takes her rank among the living dead—so-called grim-reapers. A grim-reapers job is to free (reap) the soul of the living from their bodies upon impact of death.  Assigned to the “external influence” division (a division that specializes in death caused by suicide, homicides, and accidents), George learns to cope with her new circumstances and accept her afterlife (which proves to be hard).  George and her family of grim-reapers struggle with a crisis of faith, love, and life’s other unresolved issues—such as families they left behind. 

Even though she lives in her former hometown, George is

 forbidden to revisit her past life.  The family she left behind: Joy (mother), Reggie (sister), and Clancy (father), all struggle with George’s death—all three in different ways.  Because of her borderline-pathological way of grieving (i.e. steeling toilet seats from the neighbors), Reggie is placed in therapy.  Her mother Joy, with a repressed state of depression, lives in a world of denial and Clancy’s withdrawn and isolated state leads to the deterioration of their marriage. 

This was a great show that asked many life and death questions and was never afraid to be blunt about the answers (watch it and you’ll know what I mean). I look forward to the movie release, but I have to wonder, as a movie, will it live up to the series?

 How do you feel about series cancellation? And should more shows be turned into movies? And if so, which series?     

-Caylee So 

Choosing Your Favorite Characters.

           Do you ever wonder how you choose which character becomes your favorite on a television series? What are your criteria?  Do you attach yourself to characters that are fun? Nice? Relatable? Have intricate backgrounds? Suffer from an ailment?  Or is the attraction unexplainable and differs with each genre?  From Tony Soprano to Dr. Gregory House, how do we choose? And what storyline keeps us most fascinated? Let’s take a look at three of my own favorites.

          First up, Meredith Grey of Grey’s Anatomy: a surgical resident at Seattle Grace hospital.  She is the daughter of the once renowned surgical doctor, Dr. Ellis Grey.  Meredith’s relationship with her mother was very rocky, leading to bouts of suicidal tendency (season 4), and of course…the commitment phobia.  Her sense of disconnect with the world around her always seem to drive a wedge between her and Dr. “Mcdreamy,” a.k.a Derek Shepherd.  After almost dying last year, this season Meredith Grey finally admits to needing therapy and actually sought it out.  Unresolved issues abound, this character throws some of the wrenches into her own life, and then puzzles at how and why the wrenches managed its way into the mechanism of her world. 

Second up, Dexter Morgan of the series Dexter. By day Dexter is a forensic scientist specalizing in blood-spatter, by night, a serial killer—who lives by the “Code of Harry” (his adopted father).  His sociopathic tendencies can be directly traced back to the traumatic childhood murder of his parents.  Dare I say post-traumatic stress syndrome?   This character is dark and claims to have no human emotions, yet his intricacies keeps me watching.  The season two finale has Dexter sailing away into the sunset with his on-again girlfriend Rita and her two children.  He’s cultivated human bonds and realizes he needs them, even if it makes him vulnerable.  What troubles will season three bring I wonder…    

Lastly, this season, I had to bid farewell to one of my favorite CSI investigators: Sara Sidle.  Since she landed on the crime scene in 2000, Sara’s confidence, sassiness, and her disregard for authority, landed her onto my list of “great” to watch characters.  During the first couple of episodes, Sara managed to ruffle the feathers of many of the other CSI, making her somewhat of an outcast, and as we learn—a loner. She had an abusive father who battered both his wife and his children, and was later killed by Sara’s mother. Her mother landed in jail, and Sara landed in foster care—at the age of thirteen.  Despite her disposition, Sara managed to graduate from Harvard to become one of the top forensic scientists in her field.  But her childhood incident later leads to alcoholism, challenges in her career, depression, and inevitably, her choosing to face “the ghosts of her past,” by leaving Las Vegas.

In her last episode “Goodbye and Good Luck,” which aired November 15, 2007, Sara places her vest in Ronnie's (a new CSI) locker and on her way out of the building she passionately kisses Grissom (they were newly engaged) in the hallway. The scene ends with Sara in a cab, driving away, and the words in the letter that she had left for Grissom heard in a voice-over narration saying: "Know that you are my one and only. I will miss you with every beat of my heart. Our life together was the only home I've ever really had. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love you. I always will. Goodbye." I almost cried… but as sad as it was for me to watch Sara leave, I couldn’t envision a better exit then that of a character choosing her mental health.  The viewers will miss you Sara Sidle!

Even though they are fictionalized characters that provide us with a sense of entertainment, they all have a very real common factor: the struggle for identity. It is that kind of journey—the journey of self-discovery that attracts me to these characters, these shows, their world.  With no internal conflicts, these characters would be an empty shell with no relatable factors and we would all cease to care about what happens to them.  That is how I feel.  Great shows produce great characters that in your imagination will live lives long after the show has ended.  Take Sex and the City for example.  What a reunion the movie was!  And how about Lorelai Gilmore of the Gilmore Girls? I still imagine seeing her sipping coffee at Luke’s everyday of the week.

 

 What do you think?  Who are your favorites? And why? 

-Caylee So

 

 

            

The Role of the…Audience?

It’s not just another show about teenagers….and it’s not MTV. High school confidential marks one mother’s attempt to delve into the lives of teenage girls armed with a camera. And as a whole, the attempt is astounding. Taping 12 girls for 4 years and then putting all that footage into an 8-hour event? That is quite an ambitious undertaking, especially for a first time filmmaker. Really, for any filmmaker. To be able to put this together, along with the exceptional musical choices, is really mind-boggling.

After seeing the trailer some time ago and now the final product, it is clear that the trailer is better than the show. For a while I couldn’t understand it. But thinking about it more, I finally understood why. (For the trailer I am referring to…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBG-pul6gOw)

And as a whole, the trailers and openings are fast moving. We are introduced to all the subjects in a quick manner. Each girl has a very different story. But once you try to delve deeper into those stories, one at a time, the shock factor, speed, and sincerity seem to fall apart. As a crowd, it’s shocking: suicide, marriage, pregnancy, drinking, eating disorders - all coexistent in a group of twelve. But pick them apart and focus on two stories at a time, and something happens...

Despite the attempt to showcase what happens in high school, the show simultaneously makes the problems seem common day. Instead of truly delving into the issues, I feel that girls were simply listing their problems. Perhaps it is because 4 years are being told in an hour, or because of the pairing, which is additionally and exceptionally problematic…

Take the episode about Caitlin, Beth, and Lauren. Caitlin and Beth’s fractured family life is a complete 180 from Lauren’s family. And the voice over will stop at nothing to remind us of that: “While Caitlin’s family struggles to stay together…Lauren’s support from her family helps her excel at school.” Suddenly, the show insults an entire family and pushes the fault onto parents. Almost all pairs have this comparison. The show suddenly turns into family vs. family, not the sharing of a high school diary.

The show’s entire success rests on who the audience is. A girl similar in age to those portrayed may not find these testimonies shocking. I don’t feel that moved about this show but perhaps that’s because I’m 21 and was in high school 4 years ago…Older audience members may not recall high school experiences as being quite like this. This issue boils down to a very different question – should the validity of a show depend on the audience? Is something effective when it only works with certain audiences?

This may be a greater question that I don’t know the answer to.

Personally, I feel that if a show’s strength is dependent on who watches it, it is not a successful one. But I guess that’s true for all shows… right?

How do you feel?

- Michelle

mdelateur@eiconline.org

The Role of the Guest Star

With the repeat of the season 9 opener of Law and Order: SVU, complete with Cynthia Nixon in her post-Sex and The City career, I am reminded of how much weight guest stars bring to a show. With a recognizable name and a number of fans following, a visitor can spark a show and liven the storyline.

But oftentimes, the highlighted guest star brings with them a unique story related to a health or social issue that is simultaneously highlighted in the show. Bringing on famous guest stars along with an important issue drives home the importance of the issue at hand along with a memorable face. It’s an important and successful method used by all networks…and one that should be continued.

As for Ms. Nixon and her presentation of multiple personality disorder (kind of…the character turned out to be faking but was able to persuade a psychiatrist that she had the disorder) once again alerted the public to the very real cases of borderline personality disorder.

And SVU is not the latest to have a guest star with personality issues. Grey’s Anatomy’s recurring character Ava / Rebecca / Girl from the Ferry/ Jane Doe / Enter name here is the latest character to suffer from a personality disorder. Being as Elizabeth Reaser is a recurring actress and not a one-episode guest star, the audience had multiple opportunities to view both the presentation of the illness and how it affected those around her, especially Dr. Alex Kurev (for more “Shades of Grey” see the Finale Review below!).

The bottom line of guest stars comes down to support – Bringing on supporting actors with health and social issues simultaneously shares and supports the cause.

So how long has this trend occurred? Let’s take a look back to more examples:

--Sally Fields (right) as Abby Lockheart's mother on ER – recurring character- (In fact, EIC uses this characters as an example of bipolar disorder in the media and how an actor can prepare for such a role.)

--Kathleen Wilhoite as Chloe Lewis, Dr. Lewis' sister, on ER

--David Duchovney on Sex and The City, as Carrie's high school boyfriend who checks himself into a mental facility for treatment.

--Michael J. Fox as a doctor with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder on "Scrubs"

I know there are plenty more-but these are just a few to get us started! - so fill us in with your faves! Do you know more? Feel free to add your own!

--Michelle mdelateur@eiconline.org

Grey’s Anatomy – Going somewhere?

Amongst the cheesy yet much needed final kissing between 5 (count em!) couples on the season 4 finale of Grey’s (Mer-Der, Izzie-Alex, George – Lexie, Chief-Adele, and Callie-Hahn, yes you read that right), it was hard to see anything that truly changed from a year ago in Seattle Grace. True, in Grey’s time a year ends up being about 3 months, but in some regards we are in the same place. Meredith and Derek are (kind of?) together, but no one knows (again). The Chief and Adele are still married. George is still an intern but gets to retake his test. Christina is still alone. Izzie is still awkward. The biggest change award goes to Callie and Dr. Hahn, whose public make-out session prompted by McSteamy may or may not indicate a relationship...

While the show’s storylines may not have moved us significantly from Point A to Point B, nor have they indicated what those points are, the show has made some leaps and bounds in addressing the mental health of its characters. Perhaps the storyline movement has been translated to a mental health journey. With the revelation of Meredith’s mother’s suicide attempt to Ava’s cutting in the very same kitchen to Meredith’s psychiatric consults to Ava’s personality disorder to Alex’s revelation of his mother’s mental disorder, we were taken on a significant journey in this season finale through the difficulties and struggles to achieve mental health.

Let’s start with Meredith. Her steps towards visiting a psychiatrist indicate positive direction clearly needed after last year’s events – she almost drowned, her mother passed away, and her stepmother passed away after coming in for hiccups. Meredith’s direction forward required her to achieve mental clarity. Bravo for Grey’s to make that storyline decision and show that Meredith, is in fact, human.

Secondly, let’s go with Ava. After the knife event in the kitchen, along with the wetting herself incident, it seemed obvious to both Izzie and Grey’s viewers that Ava needed help. And, surprisingly, Alex gave in to agreeing that Ava needed professional help. Ava has borderline personality disorder that sparked after the ferry incident. Along with this storyline, it was revealed that Alex has been through something very similar while caring for his mother. Thus, a second bravo to Grey’s for allowing a very strong character to admit that he could not go through this alone.

So, while the show may still struggle to travel somewhere in plot during the season, we at least get a glimpse of mental journeys. Let’s see if these mental health journeys can continue along with the show’s plot next season!

--Michelle
mdelateur@eiconline.org

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