I’ll be a monkey’s uncle if that wasn’t one of the worst hours of television I’ve ever suffered through. It might have been wiser for them to actually wait for this Valentine’s Day to air last night’s episode — our national sentimental mindset would have served them better. That, or we would have gotten another two weeks of enjoyment before they sucked it up.
And I actually don’t think it was necessarily the theme as much as the specifics of love on Make It or Break It as things stand right now. Kaylie and Nicky, Kaylie and Carter, Lauren and Carter, Emily and Razor, Emily and Not-Razor, Chloe and Steve, Payson and Nicky, Payson and Ike, Summer and Sasha … crying for mercy yet? Not a one screams interesting to me.
My Payson bubble has been seriously deflated over the last two weeks. Her landing in high school was a lot softer than you’d expect for a longtime home-schooler who showed up one day with a visible back brace. Granted we’re told she’s miserable, which always stands in well for actually seeing something for ourselves, but Payson’s romance with Ike — and what he represents — never quite made any sense.
Nor does it make any sense for the story, and Ike, to be gone so quickly. If Payson were the only character on this show, two weeks might have been a bit fast for her transformation. But as one of about six or so that the show focuses on, two episodes amounts to little more than 10 or 20 minutes with her and her new school chum … way too high-speed for meaningful growth. I’m glad it’s over, but did it make any sense in the first place? I’m still trying to figure it out.
Was it just me, or did Lauren seem to be pushing for Steve and Summer to rekindle things at the beginning of the episode? I know that’s supposedly where she still is mentally, but she doesn’t actually interact with Summer at all, so it’s weird to think that she’d like her back for her dad. Though I can certainly guess that she’d prefer Summer to Chloe for Steve — not that anyone’s asking.
In fact, that’s about the only reason I’d like to see the two of them together … the sheer joy I’d experience watching Lauren thrown into a family with Emily. I think the former would have a mental breakdown, which might actually make her a character of interest on the show. Something to think about for the writers?
But the reason for Chloe and Steve as a couple seemed only to be as juxtaposed to Summer’s abstinence speech — if “A” gets you “B,” Steve and Summer weren’t sleeping together while they were dating and then engaged. What’s a guy to do when it’s been too long? Buy a box of wine and take Chloe to a secluded part of your house. And don’t forget the condoms.
Speaking of abstinence, I could spend a long time on the trajectory that Summer appears to be taking, but I won’t. All I’ll say is, if this is what she’s been kept around for, someone made a huge mistake. Whether or not she’s trying to bring God to the girls, or just being established as Sasha’s opposite to create friction before the two get together, this whole thing is not only dumb, but it also makes Candace Cameron Bure into a typecast actress who can only play characters closely resembling herself (based on the little I know about her). That’s not only a disservice to her, but also to the Summer we saw last half-season. And to us.
A topic I care to get into even less is the Razor/Emily/Not-Razor love triangle. It’s even dumber than the fake one that Lauren tried to create between Kaylie, Nicky, and Payson. Although, if you have any idea what Not-Razor was talking about when Razor visited him in jail, why he was there in the first place, or how Emily saw herself as betrayed when a boy simply hadn’t called for a few days, let me know. For curiosity’s sake.
I hope getting the love bug out of the way early means we won’t have to suffer through this in the future, but I fear this is just the beginning. What did you think of last night’s new focus?
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Feb 02, 2010 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
Aryeh nails it again!
Could not agree more. This show is turning more and more into some sappy love soap opera. And it’s the actual interesting parts that tend to suffer: the gymnastics and everything around it.
As for Payson, who still is and always has been my favorite character on the show, I agree the whole way they handled her ‘high school experience’ was poorly done. Ofcourse now we know her high school stint was always meant to be temporary, so it makes more sense for the writers to water it down. Still, it’s a shame, she has so much promise as an actress.
I’m afraid Make It or Break It will never get back to the level of the first half of the season and we can only hope some smart execs at another network take notice of the potential that is there and develops a show that actually takes the good parts of Make It or Break It and makes it better.
PS: The whole Summer – Abstinence Speech storyline made me throw up in my mouth, especially when Sasha just gives in to it. Bleh…
*POST AUTHOR*
I definitely agree, but I don’t think we’re quite lost yet. It all depends on whether they intend for Payson to come back to competition or not. With another letdown behind her, and this first experience in high school, she may become a teen we’d enjoy watching.
And Summer … yeah. I do not get what that’s all about.
i am so sick of payson. she has always been my least favorite, next to kaylie.
but i am definately pro-chole and steve. i can’t wait to see how lauren would reacts to emily as a step-sister.
i am a huge lauren fan and i want her to be friends with emily so she can have someone on her side for once.
I was really annoyed with the whole “abstinence” and “God” thing. i know that abc family is a huge christian channel, but do they really have to shove god in there any way they can? and i just wanted to say, that when not-razor was in jail, he was sitting in like, a comfortable office space and wearing a fancy sweater. kinda lame. he is really hott though. :)
I think you can guess my opinion on the matter.
You did miss the Payson/Heather love. The way she spoke as she handed Payson the rose, her visit to the Keeler household, heck, even the picture that appears at the top of this post. I’d find that one much more interesting than Nicky or Slacker-Stoner-Dropout.
The last time we saw Lauren and Summer interact in more than passing was at Nationals, when they were completely supportive of each other. Since we haven’t seen that relationship break up, it’s safe to say that it still exists and Lauren wouldn’t mind her dad becoming re-engaged to Summer. It’s just with all the romance, there’s no time left to actually show us these family relationships, which, as everyone has pointed out, was the strongest part of the first season.
It wasn’t simply that Damon hadn’t bothered to call, but that he was ducking/not returning her many messages, leading her to believe that he was trying to break up with her without having the courage to actually tell her. Her “betrayal” was due to the naive promise she had extracted from him in L.A. that they would be totally honest with one another from then on.
The one part I did like was Razor finally not being a massive tool for once this season, and trying to protect both Emily and Damon. Oh, and Kim knowing Payson wasn’t drinking on school grounds because she can’t even handle her liquor in holiday foods.
*POST AUTHOR*
Yes, I did miss that. The thought never even occurred to me. I guess we’ll see where that goes? Thanks for pointing it out.
Maybe; I got a strong over-reaction vibe from Emily, like she was over-selling the story. I just didn’t see it, too much forced drama. But you could be right … maybe I’m just really not liking her right now (which is true).
I’d like to see more of Heather either way due to her welcome lack of drama, but I’m afraid they might drop the high school characters entirely if Payson ends up back at The Rock.
I’m not criticizing you about Emily; heck, I couldn’t stand her for much of the first season.
*POST AUTHOR*
“I’m not criticizing you about Emily”
You’re the last person I’d imagine was. ;)