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actual western tv!
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vergoldung wanted to talk about My Mad, Fat Diary but hasn't felt up to posting about it, so I'll do it. In list form.
Things I loved:
+ Rae. Duh. What a fantastic character.
+ The direction. There's a lot of fancy stuff going on, but it all WORKS and isn't a distraction at all. Probably because it blends so seamlessly with...
+ The soundtrack. SUCH A GOOD SOUNDTRACK. I'd forgotten how much I love Oasis. But all of it fits the show so perfectly.
+ The handling of mental illness. One of the very best of seen. It was very clear that people involved actually had experienced mental health issues firsthand, because it was so very well done.
+ Complicated relationships. Not one relationship in this show is straightforward, really. Everyone hurts everyone else, everyone loves everyone else, everyone misunderstands everyone else. It's very organic and realistic.
+ The fact that every one of the characters look like a real person (and by real-person I mean 'hasn't been made-over by professional makeup artists/stylists). Even the characters who are 'hot'--Chloe, Archie, Finn the doctor, (and Karim!)--are all believably hot in a way that people in a small town are hot. Not perfectly polished and styled, but attractive. That's amazing--you NEVER see that, not even on Friday Night Lights where the main cast is all stunning. (Forever and ever in love with Finn's crooked teeth.)
+ Kester. I just really love Kester--especially the actor's voice. I would actually listen to audiobooks if he was going to read them.
Things I wasn't so crazy about:
+ I felt that it needed another episode or two to deal with somethings likethe main romance, which I felt was too rushed (I LIKE Finn! I ship it! But I didn't feel like it was built up enough for me to really believe they were in love. Which is maybe the point since they're young and naive? IDK. You CAN make me love a ship in a matter of one episode--see Chris and Jal on Skins--but it's hard to do); the situation with Rae's dad contributing so heavily to what triggered her breakdown (again, it felt rushed); Chloe's pregnancy, etc; maybe get to know Trix, Izzy and Chop more.
+ Also, I felt like the finalewent a little conventional? The It's-a-Wonderful-Life bit that turned out to be nothing at all was a great subversion (I knew it would end up being not real, but I loved it anyway), but the speech at the wedding seemed a little too scripted to me? Especially with the follow-up with Finn and I'M SORRY I DON'T BELIEVE THEY'RE IN LOVE YET. I don't know, I just felt like the finale was one of the weakest episodes. Things wrapped up too much? IDK.
+ The reminder that there really are teenagers out there who party like that (it freaks me out to think about it). And it's probably even more common in small towns in the middle of nowhere like that, because it's not like there's anything else to do.
The realism actually made it quite painful to watch sometimes--I couldn't just sit down and watch an episode, I had to stop the episode to recover after something embarrassing or painful would happen. That's a testament to how realistic the show is, I think (other than that, it really reminds me of Skins at its best, though Skins was never realistic about anything except human emotions).
I'm not madly in love with it in a flail and be involved in fandom sort of way, but I thought it was very well-done and I was really impressed. Though I will say that it needs warnings for triggers for things like self-harm and eating/body issues.
vergoldung wanted to talk about My Mad, Fat Diary but hasn't felt up to posting about it, so I'll do it. In list form.Things I loved:
+ Rae. Duh. What a fantastic character.
+ The direction. There's a lot of fancy stuff going on, but it all WORKS and isn't a distraction at all. Probably because it blends so seamlessly with...
+ The soundtrack. SUCH A GOOD SOUNDTRACK. I'd forgotten how much I love Oasis. But all of it fits the show so perfectly.
+ The handling of mental illness. One of the very best of seen. It was very clear that people involved actually had experienced mental health issues firsthand, because it was so very well done.
+ Complicated relationships. Not one relationship in this show is straightforward, really. Everyone hurts everyone else, everyone loves everyone else, everyone misunderstands everyone else. It's very organic and realistic.
+ The fact that every one of the characters look like a real person (and by real-person I mean 'hasn't been made-over by professional makeup artists/stylists). Even the characters who are 'hot'--Chloe, Archie, Finn the doctor, (and Karim!)--are all believably hot in a way that people in a small town are hot. Not perfectly polished and styled, but attractive. That's amazing--you NEVER see that, not even on Friday Night Lights where the main cast is all stunning. (Forever and ever in love with Finn's crooked teeth.)
+ Kester. I just really love Kester--especially the actor's voice. I would actually listen to audiobooks if he was going to read them.
Things I wasn't so crazy about:
+ I felt that it needed another episode or two to deal with somethings like
+ Also, I felt like the finale
+ The reminder that there really are teenagers out there who party like that (it freaks me out to think about it). And it's probably even more common in small towns in the middle of nowhere like that, because it's not like there's anything else to do.
The realism actually made it quite painful to watch sometimes--I couldn't just sit down and watch an episode, I had to stop the episode to recover after something embarrassing or painful would happen. That's a testament to how realistic the show is, I think (other than that, it really reminds me of Skins at its best, though Skins was never realistic about anything except human emotions).
I'm not madly in love with it in a flail and be involved in fandom sort of way, but I thought it was very well-done and I was really impressed. Though I will say that it needs warnings for triggers for things like self-harm and eating/body issues.
no subject
The fact that every one of the characters look like a real person
YES. i credit british tv, maybe? i tend to get this feel from it in general.
Kester.
forever sad i don't have a kester in my life. also, did you know the actor played quirrell in harry potter? MAYBE IT'S OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE BUT ME but i was like, OMG, when i found out.
I felt that it needed another episode or two to deal with somethings like
it worked for me (or maybe my love for the show makes me willfully neglect my critical voice), but in this case i BLAME british tv. i understand arguments for shorter, tighter seasons but i'm convinced skilled writers can pull off any length. AT LEAST GIVE ME 12 OR 10 EPISODES OR SMTH. it pains me with comedy shows that already have a short running time, like miranda. (though i still haven't finished s3 because i'm watching with my family, and they're impossible to gather for watching purposes despite living at the same house, ugh.)
I felt like the finale
yeah, i get why it wouldn't work for you. i liked it personally, even if i'm not sure how realistic it is to go from the bridge scene to the reception scene so quickly (though in that regard i loved the final bit - you're not better, you're ready to start therapy), but i guess my emotional state needed a happy ending of sorts exactly because of the bridge scene? hmm.
no subject
I did love how organic and not-polished it felt. This is my main complaint with teen shows these days - too fancy, too damn polished. Real it up a bit.