The Office

So this week I decided to watch The Office. I know most people are going to think I’m crazy; maybe it was because it was the pilot, but I just didn’t think it was as funny as it is claimed to be. Were there some funny parts that made me laugh? Absolutely. But I just didn’t think the particular episode that I watched was that great. I think that my experience with the show may prove to be better if I did watch more episodes than just one 22 minute episode. It also could be an acquired taste for me, where once I get a better feel for the show and the characters, I would like it more. The interaction between Dwight and Jim definitely seem to have potential to be very entertaining. In this episode, the viewer got a feel for their relationship, where Dwight seems to take everything very seriously, whereas Jim seems to be an instigator and tries to bug Dwight. Steve Carrell is always hilarious in anything I have ever seen him in, so I cant really fault that aspect of the show. I really cant seem to put my finger on why I didn’t really like the show, but I definitely don’t think that I’ll be running to buy more episodes on iTunes. 

As a bonus this week, I was reminded of the following song because it incorporates the theme song from the office. Many of you have probably already heard it, but if you havent, give it a listen. Its a mashup called Office Muzik by Lil Wayne.

Gilmore Girl(ism)

Having read the article on Gilmore Girls by Francesca Gamber before watching the screening, I could not help but pick up on the feminist model that is played out on Gilmore Girls. Having said that, however, I don’t think that the model was overtly feminist where it is clear what the writer is trying to do. I honestly think that if I had watched it prior to this class, I probably would not have even picked up on the feminism. To me it just seemed like a your typical “girly show” that is catered to women more than men; a “chick flick” for TV, if you will.

Gamber positions Lorelei and Rory against the second wave feminist models and suggests that they do not fit the stereotype of the harsh feminist that comes from second wave feminism. Instead, she argues that Lorelei and Rory are examples of third wave feminism. Second wave feminism was characterized by a strong, career driven woman who does not have time for a romantic life. Gamber argues that “Lorelei and Rory clearly owe much to second wave feminism  […]. Yet Gilmore Girls does not simply engage in facile celebration of the strong woman. Much of the tension in the series comes from Lorelei’s and Rory’s efforts to balance their work and their romantic and familial relationships” (128). Watching the show reinforced Gamber’s points for me.  Yes, Lorelei was the boss and she seemed to be a workaholic, but she also always found time to talk with her daughter and made time for men in her life, which seemed to make her very happy. The third wave feminism model presented by Gilmore Girls provides a good example to girls, in my opinion, because it suggests that its not “one or the other”; you can be successful while maintaining a relationship with your family.

One thing I would feel remiss if I didn’t comment on was the dynamic of the single mother household. Most teen television shows have a familial structure of a mother, a father and children. I think that is why this change was so noticeable to me because it is not common for that dynamic to be played out on television. I really think that the single mother family model makes this show work. If the traditional family model was used in the show and there was a father, the dynamic would change dramatically. Family meals wouldn’t be the same, the relationship between Rory and Lorelei would be different, among many other things that make this show resonate.

Gilmore Girls presents many feminist aspects and models, which Gamber argues, serves the purpose of “presenting a vital feminism whose only requirement of young women in order to remain vital is not that they parrot a single feminist model but rather they make a feminism of their own” (129). Its their very own "Gilmore Girlism."

Pretty Little Liars

So my test show of the week was…. Pretty Little Liars. Encouraged my many of my friends, I decided to take the plunge. I have to say that it was not quite what I was expecting. I, for whatever reason, always thought that it involved older characters. I didn’t even realize that it was an ABC family show until I looked it up. Once I learned that, I couldn’t help but draw connections to our readings that discuss ABC Family’s “new family.”

In the pilot, there is an unsolved murder, underage drinking, use of pot, shoplifting, single parent households, affairs, and teacher-student relationships, among many other things. In my opinion, all of theses things are certainly controversial. In addition, they display that ABC Family recognizes that everything is not as perfect in real life and they try to bring up real issues. This “new family” motto provides an interesting storyline and definitely gives a much realer portrayal of real family issues than shows like the Lizzie McGuire and Even Stevens used to.

The topics of the show definitely are much more mature than I am used to for a teen show. To me, it was surprising to hear that this show was on ABC Family because it doesn’t seem appropriate for some viewers who may watch other shows on ABC Family. I pictured it more as a CW show, which seems more explicitly geared towards teens.

All in all, I really enjoyed the show. I thought that the pilot was great as far as pilots go. It left me with more questions than answers, which is a good thing, in my opinion because it left me wondering and wanting to watch more to figure out how “A” was sending all these messages when she was supposedly dead. A definite thumbs up. I have already downloaded the second episode.

Veronica Mars, Degrassi & Kyle XY

Let me start out by saying that I have really begun to enjoy Veronica Mars. I wish that I hadn’t been so quick to judge the name of the show before, because I think that I would have most likely watched it on a weekly basis. It’s niche that it seems to have is as an average teen show with a not so average teen plot. I love how it manages to mix everyday high school life with a crime detective twist.

My feelings on Degrassi are not so similar. While this was the only episode out of the 3 this week that was a half hour show, this one was the hardest to watch. I STRUGGLED to watch the whole thing. Maybe it was because the acting was bad or maybe it was not a great pilot, but regardless, I would definitely never find myself watching it again unless I was forced to. I think that the show, however, is quintessentially millennial. The pilot is littered with images of technology such as cell phones and computers with the Internet. In fact the school seems extremely proud of its new computer lab. The young characters, especially, Emma, seem to support Watkins claim that “young people enthusiastically embraced the technology” (6). Her willingness to break the rules and go on a computer in the computer lab, just to read a message from her crush, Jordan, demonstrate the addictiveness of the internet that Watkins discusses. The ability of the internet to facilitate relationships and connections between people who are not face to face is evident in the budding teen relationship between Emma and Jordan: “time spent in front of a computer screen is rarely, if ever, considered time spent alone” (Watkins xix). I think it could be interesting to follow this series from its start in 2001 to present day to see just how new technology has evolved over the past decade and how it has effected the lives of teens.

Kyle XY is another show that I judged incorrectly based on the previews. When the show was assigned, I wasn’t very excited to watch it, but I ended up liking it a lot. It was actually pretty interesting watching Kyle learn about the world and language as a teen. The idea was very unique and I even found myself laughing at the “Juice me!” scene. Stein makes a solid argument when she explains how ABC family has turned Kyle XY into “more than an aired half-hour or hour text” (131). In fact, ABC family recognized the potentiality of new media to expand the viewer experience to help build brand loyalty and exploited it using the internet. Millennial fans could now discuss their thoughts on online discussion boards, play games to discover clues about the context of the show etc. Paul Lee “presents viewer social networking as key to establishing a dependable viewer base. He describes the website as a “full scale online community that will allow our viewers to not only constantly connect with our shows and games but also with each other [and suggests that] such community building [is] a route to brand loyalty” (Stein 133). More and more, television shows seem to be going beyond just being a one-hour part of their viewers’ week. One would be hard-pressed to find a show that did not have a website. This expansion displays how the Internet has changed how Americans choose to spend their leisure time. The interactive nature of the internet that allows people to contribute and produce, rather than the television experience where the viewer can only consume, is more entertaining and appealing for many which somewhat explains why networks such as ABC Family are turning to the internet to build brand loyalty. 

Modern Family

So today was my first venture in my plan of watching a new TV show every week for the rest of the semester. My friends are always recommending certain shows, or talking about them and it always makes me curious. Until now, though, most of the time I never got around to watching them and just watched "my own shows" which (somewhat embarrassingly) include the likes of: The Bachelor, Gossip Girl, Law and Order SVU and The Jersey Shore, to name a few. Now, however, I plan to start watching new TV shows that haven't been in my repertoire. Im going to watch the pilots, and discuss a little about the show premise and give my take on it. While this is certainly going to be a fun experience, it also proves to be quite dangerous, because with the semester just beginning and the amount of work beginning to pile up already, I cant afford to get addicted to too many new shows, which I know will undoubtedly happen throughout this process.

Some shows that I already know will be apart of this experiment will be, Modern Family (which my mom has desperately been trying to get me to watch), The Office, Pretty Little Liars, 30 Rock, Vampire Diaries, Mad Men and Parks and Recreation.

This week I decided to start out with Modern Family.  The show is based 3 different immediate families that make up one large family. Jay, and older, conservative, close minded man is currently married a vibrant native columbian who has a son named Manny from a previous marriage. In Jays first marriage he fathered 2 children, Mitchell and Claire. Mitchell and his partner Cameron have adopted a Vietnamese daughter name Lily. Claire has married Phil with whom she has three children, Haley, Alex and Luke. The show follows these three families and highlights funny interactions between them.

The pilot episode did a great job of introducing the characters and letting the viewer get a feel for them. Here's my quick take on the families:

Claire and Phil:
Claire definitely wears the pants in the family, while Phil is concerned with acting like a "cool dad" and "being hip" (which he thinks means knowing how to use the internet and text, especially using sayings like lol, talking like he would imagine people talk in the ghetto, and dancing and singing to high school musical). Haley, the oldest daughter is mortified of her parents, especially when she invites a boy over. The younger two siblings didn't really get much face time but the younger daughter seems more like an enforcer of rules, who acts much more mature than her age and the younger brother seems to get in all sorts a trouble.

Gloria and Jay:
Gloria is a loving colombian woman who is passionate about everything. Her husband, Jay is much older than she and he is nowhere near as expressive. The difference in their personalities and ages is highlighted throughout the episode. Manny, Gloria's son, seems to exude the same love and passion that his mother has and Jay outwardly disapproves.

Mitchell and Cameron:
Mitchell is fairly sensitive to the way that others view his relationship with his partner Cameron, especially his father, Jay. He recognizes how gays are often viewed in society and resents it. At one point he even suggests getting something "a little less gay." He is not embarrassed about his sexuality, he just doesn't seem as comfortable and flamboyant as his partner Cameron, who makes everything a dramatic spectacle. Lily, an adopted Vietnamese baby is their new daughter and they seem extremely excited.

Overall, I loved this show. I found myself laughing at several points and even had a hard time picking a favorite part because there were so many, which is always a good sign. I think this show addresses real issues, while at the same time makes light of many of them by joking and I found it hilarious. I can definitely see myself trying to catch up to the most recent season. Luckily the episodes are only about 22 minutes which makes it the perfect study break that will put me in a good mood.

Veronica Mars & Freaks and Geeks

It is interesting to think about teen TV after reading Eric Hoover's article, "The Millennial Muddle." Hoover lays out different viewpoints relating to the millennial generation. Neil Howe and William Strauss characterized the millennial generation very generally and assigned them traits, which included "special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving" (Hoover 2). Later in the article, however, Arthur Levine rejects the labeling of a generation, saying, "Generational images are stereotypes" (Hoover 3) Palmer Muntz takes it a step further when he argues that Howe and Strauss have neglected to view all teens when they constructed their millennial label; instead mainly adapting it from white suburban good kid stereotype. Teen TV, I'm sure takes these generalizations into account because they are trying to get the biggest fan base, but I think its important to remember that Teen TV is not always directed solely at teens: "While Teen TV may be associated popularly with teen audience, and while networks and advertisers certainly desire teen viewers as a market, this does not exclude the possibility that Teen TV programs may also address, court, and successfully draw in both pre-teen and older viewers" (Ross & Stein 5). In fact, this verifies Palmer Muntz's problem with accepting generational thinking because he suggests that there are 2 large assumptions that often are made: 1) That people of different generations are fundamentally different than each other and 2) that people in each generation are similar to each other in meaningful ways. 

When we watched Freaks and Geeks, I could not help but notice that Howe and Stein's core traits were fairly present in many of the main characters depictions. When the moms wrote notes to their children in their lunches telling them they were special and that they love them, the special quality was highlighted. The young boys also appeared very sheltered, fairly conventional and felt pressured. In addition, I think that this show is a great example of teen television that probably strived to attain a larger audience than just teens.

Similarly, Veronica Mars appears to have been a show that may have drawn a more varied audience. Veronica Mars, however, does not really seem to fit in the millennial label that Howe and Strauss assigned. Instead, she and her family have been seemingly shunned from their town and are complete outsiders. Veronica is definitely not your typical teenage girl; in fact, Andrea Braithwaite has described her as a “chick dick”. She "argues that Veronica's dual position as a teenage girl and private eye--combined with the program's double architecture as detective genre and teen genre--enables a critique of the social viability post-feminism” (Ross & Stein 21).

My take so far on this is that Teen TV is certainly catered to a teen market, but it also may find appeal in other age groups. Also, as evidenced by our screening, there is no mold for teen television; some shows simply follow teens through day-to-day high school, while others, like Veronica Mars have a more intricate plotline. Whatever the case, Teen TV is definitely an area that has taken the millennial generation by storm and I can certainly say that I am captivated by it.