Chinook
02-14-2023, 11:01 AM
I apologize if a thread on this already exists. I searched for one, but the search function here has never been perfect.
I watched the entire season. It's fine.
It straddles a line between being absurd in a funny way and absurd in a cringey way. They made some choices I didn't care for, but overall, the story is interesting. Folks who only watched the first episode may not realize the characters are supposed to change over the course of this series to more align with their original portrayals (though without as much stereotyping, I'd imagine). At the end of the season, you can get a sense of how they'll make that pivot.
A lot of people of different political persuasions saw the changes to the cast and assumed the show was going to be taking strong political stances. In reality most of the direct political commentary from the characters is the drivel that comes from kids who know politics and social issues exist but who don't have the life experience or education to really know how they feel about them. You're not supposed to agree or disagree with what they're saying any more than you're supposed to agree or disagree with what any teenager says. Some of the shit they say is right, some of it is wrong, some of it is opinion. The show itself does take some stances but it's mostly in how it normalizes LBGT people existing openly, women holding some positions of authority, interracial relationships and in general minorities existing without having to be ambassadors for their particular group. That's just common sense stuff. It doesn't constantly scream "Diversity is our strength." Fred is often criticized for his "rich, white male"-ness, but I'd say the majority of the characters in the show are white, and maybe only the sheriff gets a similar treatment.
The sexualization of the characters is a much bigger question mark for me. Without getting into spoilers, it's hard to pin down their ages or if they're all supposed to be in the same year. The show started off my suggesting they were high-school seniors, but it's also possible they could be as young as freshman. In any event, it would've been best to just put them in community college or something. It's okay to acknowledge that kids get themselves into all kinds of crazy things. But stuff like in that first episode and some of the commentary hits really differently when talking about potentially 15-year-olds rather than folks in their 20s.
Velma herself is likely one of the things that turns people off the most. I'm going to leave her being of South Asian descent out of this. Just like with the politics in general, a lot of folks seem to be confused into thinking Velma is supposed to be a role-model or at least the audience proxy for the show. If this were intended for kids, that could make sense. But as adults, we shouldn't be looking to kids for moral instruction. Instead, we should be able to see them for the underdeveloped, unreliable bags of emotion and hormones most of us were at that age. Velma says stupid stuff, treats people poorly and makes bad choices. You could imagine that the older version of her character would cringe at seeing her younger self in a way that many of us do when we look back at that time in our lives.
So yeah, it was a fine show. I don't like television, but I'd watch a second season. Supposedly they're already working on another season, though I could totally see the execs pulling the plug. Hopefully if they get another season, they focus on bringing these characters home rather than writing as if they're going to get a third season. It's possible to complete the arcs in 10 episodes, especially with a time-skip. The writers had some long-term vision in mind, so I hope they can stick the landing.
I watched the entire season. It's fine.
It straddles a line between being absurd in a funny way and absurd in a cringey way. They made some choices I didn't care for, but overall, the story is interesting. Folks who only watched the first episode may not realize the characters are supposed to change over the course of this series to more align with their original portrayals (though without as much stereotyping, I'd imagine). At the end of the season, you can get a sense of how they'll make that pivot.
A lot of people of different political persuasions saw the changes to the cast and assumed the show was going to be taking strong political stances. In reality most of the direct political commentary from the characters is the drivel that comes from kids who know politics and social issues exist but who don't have the life experience or education to really know how they feel about them. You're not supposed to agree or disagree with what they're saying any more than you're supposed to agree or disagree with what any teenager says. Some of the shit they say is right, some of it is wrong, some of it is opinion. The show itself does take some stances but it's mostly in how it normalizes LBGT people existing openly, women holding some positions of authority, interracial relationships and in general minorities existing without having to be ambassadors for their particular group. That's just common sense stuff. It doesn't constantly scream "Diversity is our strength." Fred is often criticized for his "rich, white male"-ness, but I'd say the majority of the characters in the show are white, and maybe only the sheriff gets a similar treatment.
The sexualization of the characters is a much bigger question mark for me. Without getting into spoilers, it's hard to pin down their ages or if they're all supposed to be in the same year. The show started off my suggesting they were high-school seniors, but it's also possible they could be as young as freshman. In any event, it would've been best to just put them in community college or something. It's okay to acknowledge that kids get themselves into all kinds of crazy things. But stuff like in that first episode and some of the commentary hits really differently when talking about potentially 15-year-olds rather than folks in their 20s.
Velma herself is likely one of the things that turns people off the most. I'm going to leave her being of South Asian descent out of this. Just like with the politics in general, a lot of folks seem to be confused into thinking Velma is supposed to be a role-model or at least the audience proxy for the show. If this were intended for kids, that could make sense. But as adults, we shouldn't be looking to kids for moral instruction. Instead, we should be able to see them for the underdeveloped, unreliable bags of emotion and hormones most of us were at that age. Velma says stupid stuff, treats people poorly and makes bad choices. You could imagine that the older version of her character would cringe at seeing her younger self in a way that many of us do when we look back at that time in our lives.
So yeah, it was a fine show. I don't like television, but I'd watch a second season. Supposedly they're already working on another season, though I could totally see the execs pulling the plug. Hopefully if they get another season, they focus on bringing these characters home rather than writing as if they're going to get a third season. It's possible to complete the arcs in 10 episodes, especially with a time-skip. The writers had some long-term vision in mind, so I hope they can stick the landing.