“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.

Thoughts or comments?

“The New School Year Begins”

Let the reign of Amanda commence. I was worried that, after the pitch-perfect set-up of last week’s episode, we were in for a letdown. Thankfully, I was proven wrong and The Paper is still as trash-tastic as I remember. The kids are returning from their summer breaks rested, relaxed, and, in one case, remodeled. From the first episode, I don’t particularly remember Amanda having a large nose, but the difference between the opening credits and tonight’s action is unmistakable. Though, I can’t say I’m surprised that it was Adam telling everyone about the nose-job. He is turning out be quite the catty gossip, which can only mean one thing: more drama!

I’m glad to see that Amanda is trying to take the advice that Giana gave her last spring, about treating people with respect. Her attempts at kindness only make it all the more hilarious when she slips up. Such as tonight, when she was insulting the clothes that Giana just “throws on.” I loved Cassia, a character we’ve barely met, trying to step up when she sees Amanda shying away from confrontation. I hope she has as much chutzpah (following what we’ve learned about Alex and Amanda’s shared history, I felt it only appropriate to thrown in a little yiddish) as this brief glimpse of her makes her seem, because if so things are only bound to get more interesting. These first couple episodes are going to be Amanda walking a fine line, before she ultimately learns to accept her inner-bitch, because as Tina Fey says, “Bitches get results.”

I would like to now, officially, start the Giana-Trevor Break-Up Clock. The shrug of her shoulders when he asked whether they would be together at the end of the year, absolutely priceless. Not only that she said that “it depended on circumstances.” The rough translation being, “If I can find someone better than you, I will cling to him like a Elian Gonzalez to a life raft.”

The last, and obviously most important, development of the night was the groundwork laid for a future hook-up. Amanda and Alex will be hooking up within five three episode, I guarantee it. At first, I thought Alex was just a mopey bastard, but it’s clear all that pissing and moaning was because he knows he has feelings for Amanda and he will be mocked ceaselessly for it (see: Adam reacting to news of Alex’s three-year-old crush). The scene following the ice cream social was priceless, from the caressing of Alex’s hand, to the mentioning of Hebrew school (see: Quotes below), and finally the Facebook stalking. I promise you, those two will be shtupping before the season is over.

Miscellaneous Quotes

“In third grade, when we were in Hebrew school, I was pretty much in love with you.” — Amanda

“We put the paper in newspaper.” — Adam

“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