The Paper S01E01
“The Race for Editor-in-Chief”
This is a show that I didn’t see coming. Not being a regular viewer of MTV, apart from the occasional True Life or Made, I had no idea that this show had premiered until a friend told me about it. I had never really seen Laguna Beach, or its insidious offspring The Hills, because I generally felt that the insignificant problems of beautiful wealthy people, living in large houses with ocean views, and a carefully selected, non-threatening, “indie-pop” playlist was better done scripted (see: Any teen drama ever made). But now, to my delight, MTV was tackling the insignificant problems of the slightly less beautiful people, located in a sub-culture all its own: high school journalism.
The show opens by introducing us to the four juniors vying to be the next editor-in-chief (or in-chief, as the kids refer to it on the show). They are:
Amanda
Oh, Amanda. Was there any doubt that you would be named crowned editor-in-chief? You are going to be the reason to tune into this show every week. You had me at: “Journalists are the most important part of the world.” Within the first twenty seconds, I knew that she was going to be my favorite. Her desire to fix her classmates and her complete obliviousness to their contempt will certainly provide enough fuel for the season. The only fear, and given this is MTV, it will likely be realized, is that she is going to become a caricature of a villain. She is going to become the Anna Wintour of The Circuit. What will be needed to keep her grounded are more scenes of her being taunted by her classmates; which occurred when they all went out to dinner and she was at home sick, an awkward speaker phone call ensued. As the conversation went on, you could see her thinking that they were mocking her, but just as she could come to grips with it, her self-importance stepped in and prevented her from becoming fully self-aware. If she could only walk this fine line for an entire season, it would be perfect. The only strike against her in this first episode was the fact that she actually used WordArt for the header of her in-chief essay.
Alex
Alex is going to have a difficult road to walk as the new managing editor. He can either rally the people in order rise up against Amanda and impeach her, as was suggested in this episode, or he can help to create Amanda’s vision of the paper over an unhelpful and antagonistic staff. Guess which one is probably going to happen?
Adam
The fiesty business manager really never had a shot at being given the top slot. Apart from some well-thrown hissy fits, Adam was a non-factor in this episode. Hopefully we’ll get to see some more of him in the future, I predict he will play a big role in the eventual coup. The way he stormed off after losing in-chief and the fact that he has the same job means he’ll be looking to knock heads more than anyone else.
Giana
Giana also was never going to be the editor-in-chief, but the more people they have going for it, the more dramatic it becomes. I hope that she becomes more than just the other half to Trevor. I have to admit I was quite shocked with the amount that MTV was showing at the party that Giana and her boyfriend were at, I thought they’d be a little more careful about underage drinking. Plus the scene where they follow Giana and Trevor upstairs had me fearing we were about to get some underage (and very likely illegal) sex. By far the best scene of the episode was Giana and Amanda talking after Amanda was named in-chief. Giana has the ability to maybe bridge the gap and make Amanda more human, but, on second thought, who really wants that?
There was no doubt from the first moment who the new in-chief was going to be. But by showing their hand on that, the producers allowed us to get a better feel for the characters and their dynamic. Hopefully, the rest of the season will develop a little more gracefully than this episode. Though, as long as Amanda’s in it, I’ll be tuning in either way.
Miscellaneous Quotes
“Ugly is not a noun.” — Amanda
“‘We gonna tear them apart.’ Sick.” — Alex
“She’s doing stuff now, but she normally doesn’t do anything. At all.” — Amanda
“My mom wants me to be Barbara Walters.” — Giana
“I love the gray-scale, personally.” — Amanda
“How the hell can you sum up your passion for journalism in 500 words?” — Adam
