“I bet they have huge cups.”

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The Paper S01E03

“Friday Night Fights”

The student body has sport on the brain, and Amanda is somewhat displeased by it. “It’s not called a sports-paper,” she casually reminds the viewer. Yet, it is sports that is the catalyst for the episode. I have to say, even though this show is likely edited to within an inch of its life, I do love the thematic unity of the episodes. In this short period of time, it is incredibly easy to get to know and understand these characters.

Tonight, the new character was Dan, who is in the opening credits but we’ve yet to really meet, other than the occasional word or two. Dan is part of Alex’s plan to practice with the football team for a day. From the physical that they took together to the way that Dan laid out Alex on the field, it is clear that their is quite a bit of homo-erotic tension simmering in the background.

While I normally love the reality of this show, I have to say that the scene in the doctor’s office was so forced it wasn’t funny. I’m pretty sure that it’s slightly inappropriate for the doctor to perform the two physicals together, I understand that they’re on TV but they are still entitled to a little bit of privacy. And I’m not even going to get started on the hot female doctor who made them drop their pants. Though, I did love Dan saying thank you after the exam. Classy.

Furthermore, it was Dan’s birthday and the kids decide to throw him a surprise party in order to celebrate. Only one small problem, Amanda wasn’t invited. We are treated to split-screens of Amanda singing “The House of the Rising Sun” and the “Best Party Ever.” It’s at times like this that you feel bad for Amanda, because she has been trying to get people to like her and her newspaper work has been suffering as a result. Yet, the other kids still won’t let her into their circle. At one point, Amanda and Cassia were deciding whether or not to crash the party and I was anticipating the awkwardness that would ensue.

Following last week’s Amanda and Alex moments, it appeared only a matter of time before they hooked up. I’m not ready to rescind my prediction but it appears much less likely following his accusation of her laughing at him during the football practice.  It is clear that Alex is very hurt by this, because he is secretly in love with Amanda. Though we learn he also has the hots for Alix. The fight with Amanda is enough to send him texting into the arms of Alix at a Dave Matthews concert. We know that this is going to hurt Amanda when she finds out, why else the melancholy montage, but it is clear that Dan was hurt the most by Alex’s new lady friend.

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