My So-Called Life
So, of late, I have been watching Felicity, which is a coming-of-age drama that graced its presence on the WB during the late 90's. I often watched reruns on the WE channel in middle school, but never watched the episodes or seasons in order. It is interesting to see how college life was depicted during that time. Of course, as most shows have the habit of this, the actors are much older than the ages their characters are supposed to play. Once Felicity (and her short do') and Ben hit sophomore year, they seem more like 25-year-old newlyweds than college kids.
As I watched an episode last night, I was really intrigued by the introduction and ending narrations. These are voiced by Felicity and her French tutor Sally, who are active pen pals. Listening to Sally's response, via tape, always moves me. Her choice of words along with her mature and sagacious-sounding voice gets to me. For some reason, I feel like writing a novel whenever I hear her speech. Sounds silly, but the combination of phrases is so poetic and reminds me just how beautiful language can be.
The instrumental music that plays during every episode is so similar to that of My So-Called Life, which is undoubtedly the best show on earth. If you have Netflix or are a frequent visitor to your library's dvd section, I would highly suggest watching this show. Claire Danes made her debut at age 13 in this truthful story of a high-school girl's triumphs and tribulations. It doesn't hurt that Jared Leto was also in the series. He is pretty easy on the eyes! I also oddly had a crush on the dad. I think it was the fact that he cooked that got to me.
Last summer, I spent my breaks from studying watching this series. I was first exposed to this gem of a television series in my teen drama class. The way my professor explained the birth of the show and the hopes and dreams of the writer truly captivated me. I had to see how the show would progress and what would happen to the jaded and confused young girl that was Angela Chase (Dane's character).
Unfortunately, the show only lasted a season. This devastated me, as the last episode presents a total cliffhanger. I mean, I go crazy thinking,"Who does Angela end up with?!"
There was something about tapping into the world of the early 90's that excited me. I was pretty young when this show first aired. I find the early 90's to represent a gap in my memory. This makes sense as we all have childhood amnesia (something I learned in cognitive psychology). So watching the show was kind of like a cultural lesson, full of flannel and long hair. The music of Smashing Pumpkins was definitely my cup of tea.
Angela reminded me of myself at times. Her proclivity to pine after someone who was probably out of her league is so similar to my unrealistic crushes (yes, you will never marry a celebrity). However, the fact that she gets the guy in the end, kind of provides some inspiration. There's hope for the rest of us.
So, of late, I have been watching Felicity, which is a coming-of-age drama that graced its presence on the WB during the late 90's. I often watched reruns on the WE channel in middle school, but never watched the episodes or seasons in order. It is interesting to see how college life was depicted during that time. Of course, as most shows have the habit of this, the actors are much older than the ages their characters are supposed to play. Once Felicity (and her short do') and Ben hit sophomore year, they seem more like 25-year-old newlyweds than college kids.
As I watched an episode last night, I was really intrigued by the introduction and ending narrations. These are voiced by Felicity and her French tutor Sally, who are active pen pals. Listening to Sally's response, via tape, always moves me. Her choice of words along with her mature and sagacious-sounding voice gets to me. For some reason, I feel like writing a novel whenever I hear her speech. Sounds silly, but the combination of phrases is so poetic and reminds me just how beautiful language can be.
The instrumental music that plays during every episode is so similar to that of My So-Called Life, which is undoubtedly the best show on earth. If you have Netflix or are a frequent visitor to your library's dvd section, I would highly suggest watching this show. Claire Danes made her debut at age 13 in this truthful story of a high-school girl's triumphs and tribulations. It doesn't hurt that Jared Leto was also in the series. He is pretty easy on the eyes! I also oddly had a crush on the dad. I think it was the fact that he cooked that got to me.
Last summer, I spent my breaks from studying watching this series. I was first exposed to this gem of a television series in my teen drama class. The way my professor explained the birth of the show and the hopes and dreams of the writer truly captivated me. I had to see how the show would progress and what would happen to the jaded and confused young girl that was Angela Chase (Dane's character).
Unfortunately, the show only lasted a season. This devastated me, as the last episode presents a total cliffhanger. I mean, I go crazy thinking,"Who does Angela end up with?!"
There was something about tapping into the world of the early 90's that excited me. I was pretty young when this show first aired. I find the early 90's to represent a gap in my memory. This makes sense as we all have childhood amnesia (something I learned in cognitive psychology). So watching the show was kind of like a cultural lesson, full of flannel and long hair. The music of Smashing Pumpkins was definitely my cup of tea.
Angela reminded me of myself at times. Her proclivity to pine after someone who was probably out of her league is so similar to my unrealistic crushes (yes, you will never marry a celebrity). However, the fact that she gets the guy in the end, kind of provides some inspiration. There's hope for the rest of us.
A unique aspect of My So-Called Life is that they provide voiceover narration.
Voiceover
narration gives viewers a chance to hear Angela’s inner thoughts.
To the
viewer’s knowledge, Angela defines her climate through thought, conversation
and actions.
Audience members can understand Angela’s
use of language with greater depth; this depth is attributed to the function of
voiceover narration.Teens across the nation relished every episode because they got a glimpse of what Angela was really thinking. This novelty was refreshing and honest.
Anyways, as I fastforward to 2012, I wonder what a TV show would be like if I was the main character and the series chronicled my life. I don't think it would be such a success, because I feel like I experience waves of excitement. These are amalgamated with quite boring times. Even I would fall asleep!
Here's to hoping that there is a little more drama (the positive, exciting kind!) embedded in my last two years at Drexel!
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