English 1102: Television and Feminism

Dr. Casey Alane Wilson • Georgia Institute of Technology

Category: Review Topic 6 (Page 2 of 5)

The Power of Music in Relationships

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

Throughout Fresh Off the Boat, music serves as an important component in building relationships. The show tries to communicate that music preference plays a central role in friendship formation. One of Eddie’s primary distinctions is his interest in rap. Not only does it provide a conversation starter, but provides a sort of emotional connection through shared interests. Without actually saying anything, it demonstrates that the emotions strongly felt are shared between two individuals. This is extremely important in the context of building a relationship. Eddie utilizes music as a means to build friendships. One of the most significant occasions of this is in episode 11 of season 3, wherein Eddie struggles to connect with his cousin until they realize that they both share a passion for free styling. Not only does this provide a shared activity for them, but it also seems that Eddie has a newfound appreciation for him. After free styling, Eddie’s tone completely changes around him. This demonstrates the power that music has to be used to create a connection.

In episode 13 of season 2, Eddie makes a mix tape for a girl he likes. They initially started talking because of their shared taste in rap, so Eddie thought that creating a mix tape would help strengthen their relationship. Eddie fears talking to her on the phone, so he decides making a mix tape would, “do the talking for [him].” Eddie feels as if music can communicate his emotions. Music serves as insight into Eddie’s thoughts. It is a huge portion of his identity. In fact, in the episode, this girl becomes mad at him and she says, “Nothing you say is gonna…” and Eddie cuts her off with his mix tape. The music calms her down and she begins to understand him and eventually they make up.

Eddie making a mix tape

Overall, the show demonstrates how powerful music is as a means of connection. It easily communicates one’s emotions to another, regardless of any held beliefs.

Grey’s Anatomy is Much More Interesting Than You Think

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

For the last blog post I’d like to talk about the format that makes Grey’s Anatomy stand out from many other television shows.

Let’s start with the overall tone of the show. Episode five of season one starts with Dr. Meredith Grey holding a woman’s heart after being awake for forty-eight hours. Soon after she releases the heart into the woman’s chest, the heart stops beating. Luckily, Dr. Burke is able to revive the heart with a defibrillator. It is later revealed that Meredith’s glove had a puncture in it and she may have punctured the heart as she was dealing with it. What does this have to do with the show? Well, this entire scene was part of the first ten minutes of the episode. The conflict is established and the show is already able to spark the audience’s interest before it even plays the intro sequence. The reason this is so interesting to the viewers is because throughout Grey’s Anatomy, many lives rest upon the hands of the main characters and when lives are at stake, people tend to take things much more seriously.

The episode continues with another patient who undergoes a surgery in which a towel is discovered inside her lungs. The towel is promptly removed but the situation is investigated. It is found that Dr. Burke, a highly ranked surgeon at the hospital was the leading surgeon in the surgery that the same women underwent five years prior. This sparks even more interest in the audience since the situation is somewhat similar to the one that is presented at the beginning of the episode, however, this time the stakes are much higher because a mistake such as leaving a towel inside a patient is something that can get someone fired, and when the audience finds out that the person responsible is one of the main characters of the show, the question that stems from that is “will Dr. Burke get fired?”

This is the towel that was removed from the patient’s body

A Sense of Culture

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

One of the highlights of Sense 8 is its ability to capture the complexities of many different cultures.  In particular is focus on the toxic masculinity of machismo culture. Machismo culture is a way of behaving that coincides with the traditional ideas about men being very strong, aggressive and emotionless. This is a part of many cultures but strongly evident in the show by Lito’s story. Lito is a gay mexican actor who has been hiding in the closet his entire career. The Machismo culture very evident in Latin American and South American Countries has forced him to play the role of a straight man in his everyday life.

 

Lito’s character believes that his entire career will be destroyed if anyone ever finds out his secret. This is evident in the scene where Dani’s ex-lover breaks into Lito’s apartment, steals Dani’s phone, and attempts to blackmail Lito with pornographic photos of Lito and Hernando (Lito’s Boyfriend). In an attempt to right her wrongs, Dani goes to her ex-lover and arranges to marry him in order to save Lito’s career. Lito lets his friend return into an abusive relationship so as to save his career. The Mexican machismo culture has forced Lito to make arguably toxic decisions.

 

Furthermore, Dani’s ex-lover, Joaquin, is a more traditional example of machismo culture. He admittedly tries to become the overly aggressive and controlling man his father was. Demonstrating how the culture passes down this toxic masculinity through generations. Joaquin even tried to rationalize his use of physical abuse towards Dani by saying ‘this is Mexico’ as if the normalization of domestic abuse makes it morally okay.

 

Toxic masculinity is evident everywhere in this show and is even plot driving.

 

Lito’s decision to let Dani exile herself for his career was a driving factor for Hernando to break up with Lito. This leaves the question…Will Lito come out?? And IF so what are the effects???

Sierra Villarreal

Jessica Jones’ Impact on the World

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

Review of Entire 2 seasons of Jessica Jones:

Jessica Jones is widely known as an unconventional, revolutionary TV show for its lead female character and predominantly female production crew. In addition to these accomplishments, Jessica Jones has also tackled major real-world issues that has left its mark on the world.

One particular issue is rape. After season 1 ended, the #MeToo movement began, and Jessica Jones did not shy away from addressing issues regarding rape head-on. Season 2 asked very important questions. What does sexual assault mean, and what does it do? Why does it leave the wrong person ashamed and everybody silent?”

Interestingly enough, season 1 also deals with these issues even though it was shot before the #MeToo movement began. During this season, Jessica Jones’ main conflict was with a man with mind-controlling powers called Kilgrave. It was this conflict that the show used to define what mind-control really meant which connected to issues such as sexual assault. In one particular example, during a scene where Jessica was accusing Kilgrave of his crimes, Kilgrave defends himself by stating that “Jessica Jones had previously had dinner with the accused…”, and Kilgrave followed the comment with “we used to do a lot more than just touch hands.” Jessica immediately responds to this by saying, “Yeah. It’s called rape”. Kilgrave then responds, “Which part of staying in five-star hotels, eating at all the best places, doing whatever the hell you wanted, is rape?”. Jessica than defiantly replies, “The part where I didn’t want to do any of it! Not only did you physically rape me, but you violated every cell in my body and every thought in my goddamn head.”

Image result for we used to do a lot more than just touch hands jessica jones

Scene where Jessica accuses Kilgrave of his crimes

This scene is one of many examples of Jessica Jones defining the essence of the problem with sexual assault/rape.

The impact of this show is already evident. In one interview with the actress who plays Jessica Jones, Krysten Ritter, she said that women have come up to her in tears in the streets because this was the first time they felt represented by the lead of a show.

Hopefully, Jessica Jones will continue to inspire people and impact the world like it is doing now.

What Fresh Off the Boat Teaches Us

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

As I’ve independently watched and analyzed Fresh Off the Boat, I have learned a lot from this show.  No matter how lighthearted the jokes may be, the show still offers a glimpse into the struggles of a child of foreign-born parents as he grows up feeling out of place.  So, for this last post, I’ll be looking at what makes this show successful according to some of its top names.

To begin, it’s worth mentioning that Fresh Off the Boat is loosely based on the childhood of the REAL-LIFE Eddie Huang.  Yep, that’s right.  He’s real, and he’s a TV chef!  Cool, huh?  As the show was first being developed, his input was taken into very close consideration because, after all, the show is all about him.

One main reason that allowed Fresh Off the Boat to give a different kind of insight into the lives of immigrants is summarized by Nahnatchka Khan, the showrunner.

“It’s told from the inside out, meaning the Huangs are always the ones who are telling the story, not the ones being looked at in a fish bowl and pointed at,” she says.  This element stands out in several aspects of the show.  The family is never portrayed in a way in which they look foolish.  Sure, there are some humorous moments in which the cultural differences come to light (see Jessica and the country club, S1E7), but these are always laid-back, and as confirmed by Khan, this type of joke was intentional.

Another main reason that Fresh Off the Boat has been successful and widely praised is its lack of stereotyping.  Yes, Jessica did homeschool her kids with her own version of “Chinese Learning Center,” but this was not presented in a demeaning way.  Rather, Eddie presented this whole ordeal (in his eyes) as something Chinese parents do.  It was neither harmful nor degrading; in fact, it was presented as beneficial to kids’ roundedness.  Constance Wu, who played Jessica, speaks to this aspect in an interview.  She says, “Stereotypes are only dangerous when they are used as the butt of the joke, and our writers have taken great care to never write a single joke that is based upon a stereotype.”  As a Taiwanese American and a lead actress in the show, her praise of this writing technique speaks volumes.

In a world in which many are quick to judge and stereotype others simply based on appearance, Fresh Off the Boat’s depth in legitimizing Chinese-American culture is extremely refreshing.  Here’s hoping this is a trend that sticks.

 

Sources: http://time.com/3696111/fresh-off-the-boat-constance-wu/

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/nov/18/how-fresh-off-the-boat-reshaped-sitcom-convention

Jessica said what we were all thinking when we showed up at Tech. Happy almost-end-of-the-semester, everyone!

New Girl, Old Family Ties

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

The episode “San Diego” in New Girl’s sixth season deals with a lot of family relations and how they shape character.

Image result for schmidt saying his name new girl

Schmidt telling Winston about his first name

The episode begins with Schmidt upset because he can not name his charity after his nickname, “Schmidt,” which also happens to be his last name. He must start using the first name that his parents gave him, “Winston”. This is an relevant dilemma because it represents him leaving his family ties and naming something after himself. It is a transition into him becoming an individual- he reveals his true identity at the same time he creates something for himself. However, it creates a conflict because his best friend’s name is also Winston. At the end, friendship and normalcy prevails, and Schmidt goes back to being called “Schmidt”. However, the main deciding factor is that his wife, Cece, feels weird calling him “Winston,” and that is what is most important to him- the new family he will create with her.

Image result for schmidt and cece new girl

Schmidt realizes what matters most

Jess has also entered an interesting family situation when she moves back in with her father for a few days to avoid seeing Nick. She somewhat sinks back into to her childhood role- she is bickering with her father, not listening, and saying she doesn’t want ice cream. However, by the end of the episode, Jess and her father stop bickering because they form a new mature adult family relationship. Jess helps her father get out of his lonely single life by getting him a date, and he does the same for her. He still fills his father role, though, by asking Nick a question to test his character before he gives his approval.

Image result for jess dad new girl

Jess’ dad- full of good advice

Winston is also facing a new family dilemma. Ally has found his father, who isn’t in his life. She has his phone number and encourages Winston to call him. Initially, he does not, but with time and bravery, he finds the courage to call his father in attempt to form a new family relationship. He tells his father about his upcoming marriage, so Winston is, in fact, getting two new family members.

 

Blue and Yellow: Wynonna Earp

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

This post I’d like to focus in on the color choices the show uses. Wynonna Earp primarily uses two colors for lighting: blue and yellow. Contrary to my previous reviews, Wynonna Earp actually makes successful use of these lighting choices, even if they are rudimentary. The different lighting makes the scenes feel different and adds a slight accent so the show does not constantly look the same. In addition, the two colors do not have a constant meaning, which I think is good. Instead, each scene is colored in a way that complements the scene. In addition to lighting, Wynonna Earp frequently uses to color as symbolism.

In Episode 10 we can see examples of Wynonna Earp successfully using color to match the scene. Early in the episode Wynonna tracks Dolls to find where he keeps going. This scene is outdoors during the night, and it is cast in a yellow glow. Yellow matches well because it makes the scene darker than a blue hue would. Also, streetlights typically have a yellow glow, which matches the kind of lighting a city during the night would have. Another prominent example of color use is when Wynonna first arrives in Lou’s convent. This scene is cast in a blue glow, which makes it seems as if Wynonna has entered a spiritual world. She even remarks that she thinks she has died. Overall the lighting of the show is limited in color, but effective.

The night scene is cast in yellow to add realistic context to the scene.

The scene following Wynonna’s entrance into the convent is also an excellent example of color usage. So far, everyone in the convent has been wearing white, but here Wynonna wears black. This color choice is simple, but it reinforces the fact that Wynonna does not belong and that she is there to kill Lou. This black color for Wynonna is a constant motif through the show and often serves to emphasize her rebellious attitude. Overall, although its color choices are basic Wynonna Earp uses them effectively to convey meaning or add context to a scene.

Wynonna is shown in black to separate her from the rest of the women at the convent

All Great Things Must Come to an End

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

ABC’s The Middle aired its last episode on May 22nd of this year.  However, according to recent news, ABC will pilot a spin off of The Middle featuring Sue Heck as the main character.  This post will dive further into the depiction of Sue Heck on the original show and how this portrayal relates to the typical teenage girl.

News of the spin off appeared just recently.

 

Sue Heck contrasts with much of the show.  She is incredibly enthusiastic and cheery despite the bland environment surrounding her.  Unfortunately for Sue, she is also very awkward goes largely unnoticed with everything she does.  Much of her storyline consists of her struggles trying to fit in and find any talent through persistent rejection of clubs and activities.  She’s not concerned with, or aware of, what’s cool among her peers.  Often Sue gets very set on her goals and aspirations but goes to the wrong places for success and acceptance.

If there’s any message reminding us that it’s okay to fail, it surely lies within Sue’s story.  It seems as though Sue will never figure out life during her teenage adventures.  She still has her whole life ahead of her, though, and nothing will stop her from trying something and learning from it.  Although the number of failures may be a little bit of a stretch, Sue’s condition isn’t uncommon.  It’s unfair to act as if most teenagers don’t face challenges learning who they are and how life works.  The Middle really nails the parenting situation too, as it’s not easy to be the parents of kids that age.  The important thing to note is that Sue, like most kids her age, has her whole life ahead of her with every option to choose who she wants to be.

Sue always seemed to be on an emotional roller coaster but still somehow kept an upbeat personality.

I am looking forward to learning more of this new Sue Heck spinoff.  Many of today’s popular TV shows fail to capture a teenage girl’s life quite like The Middle does.  The new show will present Sue at an older age.  We know there will be struggles in her future life…how could the show go on without classic Sue screwups?  However, I am excited to see how ABC will illustrate the working life and adult successes of a grown-up Sue Heck, one who never really had life mastered as a teenager.

All great things must come to an end, but the legacy lives on.  Just as Sue will continue the legacy for The Middle, my experiences from this project will carry with me through life.  I’ve truly enjoyed analyzing the various aspects of The Middle.  Although I doubt I will write future blog posts, the way in which I evaluate shows is forever changed from this assignment.

Crazy Ex Girlfriend and the Jewish Problem

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

When I started watching Crazy Ex Girlfriend, I was extremely excited to see Rebecca Bunch’s character, not only because of the way the show was lauded for portraying her mental illness, and her hilarious musical numbers, but also because of the simple fact that she was Jewish. I was excited to see a single Jewish woman at the helm of a show, and I assumed her Judaism would be a real part of her character, not just played for laughs. I was expecting another Mrs. Maisel, who fabulously combined the humor of Jewish life with actual insights as to what it means to be a Jew. I thought that with Rachel Bloom writing and portraying the character, who once wrote a whole Chanukah album entitled “Suck it, Christmas!!” that Judaism would be an integral part of Rebecca. But unfortunately, I was wrong.

Rebecca’s Judaism is exactly the kind of Judaism I see in sitcom characters everywhere: Full of family stereotypes, only relevant as a joke, and, don’t you worry, she still celebrates Christmas. Her Judaism really only comes out when she’s dealing with her obsessive and controlling mother (read: Jewish Mother stereotype to a T), waging a legal battle against her New York nemesis (read: Jewish American Princess stereotypes), or talking about all the bagels she eats (which, to be fair, bagels are pretty great). Other than that, Judaism has absolutely no meaning in Rebecca’s life. She observes no holidays, takes part in a “California Christmas” with seasonal cheer, and has no connection to a Jewish community beyond her mother. In a word, it’s disappointing. 

Rebecca isn’t even an accurate depiction of most Jewish millennials. While many don’t attend synagogue on the regular, or ever, there is still a strong sense of community that drives young Jewish adults together and causes them to seek each other’s company. I know many Jews who were brought up with no religion, and yet strongly identify as Jewish and regularly attend non religious Jewish events. What makes Rebecca’s character truly sad to me is that she’s not accurate- she’s palatable.

When I say palatable, I mean specifically to Gentile audiences that have no idea of Judaism beyond Chanukah, the Holocaust, and a few odd jokes and stereotypes. Rebecca makes no jokes about being Jewish that run any danger of being incomprehensible to Gentiles. Her ethno-religious background is simply a font of jokes, as significant as any other small quirk.

I don’t know why, but it seems that Jewish writers, the ones that rightfully should be creating a diversity of Jewish characters, can only seem to write us in generalities calculated to appeal to anyone but us. 

“Do you mean to tell me you’re trading 8 nights of presents for just one? What the hell is wrong with you??”

Friends: To Change Them or not to Change Them?

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

     Over all of my past blog posts, I’ve mentioned the way in which a given element of New Girl, whether it be cinematography, writing, or thematic explorations, change the way in which the main characters of the show are developed. For this last post, I’d like to dive deeper into how Jess, the focus of the show, is portrayed and how her relationship with the other characters is vital in bridging the gap between the absurd hi-jinks in which they find themselves and the grounded, relatable reality of their friendships.

     In the episode “Control” (S1E16), Jess compromises the very structure of the friends’ dynamics when she attempts to, and successfully convinces, Schmidt to stop his borderline germaphobe habits just so he stops nagging her over the cleanliness of the loft. However, by bringing Schmidt’s personality into question, Jess throw both the apartment itself and her friend group into disarray, and she has to spend the rest of the episode undoing her mistake.

 

Schmidt trades in his business casuals for a drug rug. What has Jess done…

 

     Beyond just creating an entertaining plot, this episode demonstrates the significance each characters’ personality has on the functionality of the show. By directly questioning a core trait of Schmidt’s personality, “Control” acts as a nod to the way in which writers craft a character to fill a particular niche in the show: though pretentious and arrogant, Schmidt’s cleanliness and housekeeping rules balance out the much looser habits and general dispositions of Winston and Nick while also grounding the optimism and spontaneity of Jess. The show works because each character fills a particular archetype, and the interaction between these archetypes contributes to the appeal of the show. Thus, when Jess tries to change the personality of her friend, she is also affecting the very fabric of her friend group and the fundamental appeal each character has to the show’s viewers.

     While there are many facets to New Girl that can be analyzed to explain how the show functions, it is ultimately the relationships between the unique and carefully planned characters which lends a special charm to the series.

 

Netflix. “New Girl S1:E16 ‘Control’.” Online Video Clip. Netflix. Netflix, 2018. Web.                

13 Nov. 2018.

Grey’s Anatomy: More than just a show

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

One thing that has really stuck out about Grey’s Anatomy and Shonda Rhimes’s plot line for this show is that there is no fear in touching upon social issues or common stereotypes. These stereotypes include mass shootings, lgbqt, death penalty, working with people of different backgrounds, the morality of turning life support off, undocumented immigrants healthcare, interracial families, morality of having babies who you know will have mental or physical disabilities, alcoholism, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals/DREAM , honoring DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) requests if there is hope of recovery, etc. I even watched an interview of Ellen Pompeo (who plays the main character Meredith Grey) on the Ellen show where she starts tearing up in terms of how powerful this show is not only in terms of the free medical education they give but how it brings society together. There is one scene where an intern who wears a religious head scarf, takes of her scarf to patch up a bleeding patient and then she goes on to explain to her curious supervisor how her religion is all in favor of helping people. At that time all the viewers probably empathized and felt connected to her breaking the cultural stereotypes held and showing that all people are similar on the insides. In another scene, Derek has an African American child and gets stares from other parents. The viewers who have seen Derek from the beginning and how they adopted this child who needed someone and, in that moment, looked down upon those staring parents. However, perhaps those viewers were those very same parents who stared on. Greys Anatomy has a way of showing us how the stereotypes we hold seem so funny, unnecessary, and immature. I can say without a doubt that this show has helped me grow as an individual not only in terms of character but also in terms of medically. I make smarter choices for my own health and am more educated talking to others. For example, my friend is getting a pacemaker, and I was able to follow his doctor’s language and diagnosis and able to participate in a two way conversation. And as my last post, I want to say how grateful I was that this project helped me discover Grey’s.

Image result for dr dahlia qadri grey's anatomy

Dr. Dahlia Qadri removing her Hijab(Headwear) to help her patient.

Final thoughts

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

As a free choice of theme for my final blog post, I decided to talk about what makes a TV Show good and popular.

Different subjects are discussed in different TV shows, but how can this differences achieve the same goal and the same popularity? Besides popularity and views, I believe that TV shows are trying to ‘criticize’ society and show us a different way of thinking. I would say that gender equality is one of the main subject that has been used often to make people reflect about the society we live in.

Stereotypes related to gender equality represent a conflicted but at the same time interesting subject to watch, episodes are trying to get in our heads and make us think more about equality and how it affects our society.

Ever since the 1980s and 1990s when women took a huge spot on television, this activity has been growing since then and more often we see women representing top positions in TV shows. All this different approaches make TV shows more interesting and people actually get into it.

When I watch a TV show and for no reason I start talking with someone about what happened or why this person was doing that, I realized that I am already criticizing the point of the author and at the same time I am reflecting and comparing the character based on our society.

Besides that, when TV shows invert roles based on our society, people get more ‘addicted’ and they have more thoughts to talk to each other. That is the way that authors criticize society, they switch a predefined role and intentionally make us reflect about it.

The audience on the other hand, gets to think and reflect about this unfamiliar situation involuntarily and keeps watching just to see how the story is going to end up like.

Part Of The Resistance: How Broad City Tackles The Current Political Climate

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

Broad City is a show known for its absurd sense of humor that plays well with its demographic of millennial viewers. But with this off-brand sense of humor, the show tends to not cover critical current events that happen around us. That changed when the fifth episode of Season 3, titled “2016,” aired in early 2016.

While Broad City is not usually known as a deep show that tackles current issues on a large scale, the creators Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer decided to chime in by creating an episode based on the 2016 election. This episode is pivotal for the show, not only for its cameo appearance of Hillary Clinton herself, but also because it signifies a tremendous shift of the tone and mood from what the show initially conveyed.

Hillary Clinton’s cameo appearance on Broad City

In “2016,” Ilana stumbles upon the HRC headquarters in New York when she picks up a job being a bike messenger. Ilana adores powerful feminist icons, and she holds Hillary Clinton to an almost deity-like stature, so she decides to quit and volunteer for the campaign. At the end of the episode, Hillary Clinton walks into the room to meet the girls, and Abbi and Ilana, for the lack of better words, lose their shit.

After this episode aired, there were speculations as to why Hillary chose this show to cameo on, but it does bring up a point that relates to Broad City’s unique demographic of young, female viewers. Maybe her cameo was to boost her exposure and likability among young voters, but maybe this appearance was a way for the creators to show their support for her campaign in the upcoming election. Besides the speculation, “2016” was a pivotal episode for the show, but it was not entirely intentional.

Many did not see Hillary losing the election, especially Abbi and Ilana, so when the show came back for a fourth season, Abbi’s and Ilana’s characters surprisingly matured from their pasts of being absurd yet optimistic about the future. This maturity and part-of-the-resistance tone is evident throughout the fourth season, especially in the second and eighth episodes. The second episode of Season 4 opens with Abbi and Ilana wearing the pink Women’s March hats as they guide women through protests to the Planned Parenthood clinic. The eighth episode has Ilana seeing a sex therapist because she cannot have sex ever since Trump became president.

Abbi and Ilana escorting women to Planned Parenthood

Ilana going to sex therapy

These examples highlight the hysteria around the 2016 election, and the results have created a polarized atmosphere where the young people are increasingly resisting and opposing the current administration. Therefore, it is key to note that Broad City has taken a step back from their comedic absurdity in order to shed light on the atmosphere of the country after the election, especially for their demographic of millennial viewers. The show as a result has become a beacon for the millennial psyche of resistance, which makes Abbi’s and Ilana’s characters much more relatable, real, and funnier than before.

Talk the talk

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

Let me start by saying I can’t believe this is my last blog post.  This semester has flown by quicker than I could have ever imagined.

In today’s blog I’m going to discuss something that always interests me in television (and all types of writing): the manipulation of dialogue/dialect.  I’m going to look at the different ways the characters on the show talk and how that impacts what the writers are trying to say about each character.  Let’s start with Schmidt.

One thing I have noticed about Schmidt’s dialogue is that when he talks to talks continuously.  In the most recent episode, when he is running from the shower to his room he stammers “Nobody look.  Nobody look, yo.  Nobody look.  Seriously, no body is looking?”  This line makes it very obvious that Schmidt is super needy and always looking for attention.  I believe that’s why the authors always have him talking and yelling, ALOT, they’re making his (attention hungry) personality evident.

Nick is actually very different from Schmidt in this regard.  When Nick talks he somewhat rambles and trails off in his sentences.  What he says is usually pretty witty but it happens just fast enough for the audience to recognize it as funny but not long enough to gain attention.  For example, when Julia wants to go to his room he quickly says “Julia is about to be very disappointed.”  This line is witty and funny but the other characters brush it off and so does the audience.  I think this is done by the authors to shape Nick’s persona, funny but unnoticed.

Finally, let’s talk about Jess.  Anyone who has watched the show for more than 5 minutes will know that Jess speaks in a very high pitched voice and often does her own weird sing songy voices.  For example, when sitting in court Jess starts saying random lawyer jargon in her sophisticated voice.  I think the reason the author sets Jess up with this high pitched soft voice is because Jess really is a nice person but also because her voice can sound child like and a lot of the time in the show she comes across and innocent and naive, like a child.  The reason she uses so many impersonations is because most of the time she has a hard time expressing her emotions, like the awkward courtroom scene, so she resorts to her own humor.

I love how these different dialogues all fit together so seamlessly to create a well flowing show but they also have specific purposes to guide the audience to a specific idea.

Clever writing and great characters, ingredients for an amazing show.

 

 

A Crazy-Emotional Character Rollercoaster

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On November 13, 2018

In Review Topic 6

As the semester winds down, so does my analysis of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It has been very interesting seeing the strategies that the creators and writers of the show use to convey themes and develop the characters’ personalities. Character development is a significant part of the show Crazy-Ex Girlfriend and is something that I have kept a close eye-on while watching the first season. In this last post I’d like to analyze the character development of various characters in the show throughout the first season. Rebecca Bunch and Greg Serrano are some of the most amusing characters in the show and their character development is notable.

Rebecca Bunch starts the season making irrational decisions. She quits her job at a high-profile law firm in New York City to be with her former summer camp boyfriend, Josh Chan, in West Covina, California. Bunch tries to rationalize this as normal behavior and denies the reason for her moving to California being because of Chan for most of the season. However, later in the season she begins to admit her love for him and he also admits that he has feelings for her. This shows that she becomes less in-denial throughout the season and becomes more in-tune with her feelings.

Greg Serrano starts the season being extremely sarcastic and keeps his feelings inside. He is reserved and does not like to seem like he feels emotions. He is insecure because he got into Emory University and is quite intelligent, but his friends outshine him socially. Throughout the season he struggles with his insecurities and has problems with keeping his feelings inside. Towards the end of the season he admits he has feeling for Rebecca, which shows development because at the beginning of the season he would not have admitted something that significant. Despite this development he goes to Emory University at the end of the season and does not pursue a relationship with Rebecca.

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