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yendiSo there's a new show called Selfie. And it stars Karen Gillan (of Doctor Who fame), John Cho (of a zillion things, including Star Trek, the much-missed Go On, and some movies about stoners and NPH). And it's created by Emily Kapnek, who gave us Suburgatory (and likes to cast twentysomething redheads as her leads, I guess)!
Sounds great, right?
Jesus fuck, is the pilot a hot mess. It's available early on demand, but really, you'll want that time back. It's some of the worst writing I've ever encountered, and I've read multiple books from DC's New 52 as well as a Piers Anthony novel called The Color of Her Panties.
Look, Kapnek's always written "unrealistic" characters. That's part of Suburgatory's charm. But Gillan's Eliza Dooley (yes, the show's that unsubtle) is so fucking over the top, she's existing in a completely different world from the rest of the cast. She tosses around hashtags and acronyms like she's in a rejected Fallon skit, but associates with no one else speaking her "language," in spite of her success (which, we're told, is owed entirely to her short skirts and sexual availability; this is a classy show, folks). Kapnek seems to understand that social media is a thing that exists, and has clearly read Wikipedia articles about the various big platforms, but doesn't have a clue about how it actually works, or the type of engagement someone would have to commit to actually become Internet Famous. She also seems to completely misgrasp how an embarrassing video would affect someone's life (in this day and age, it abets celebrity, instead of hindering it).
The show is pretty much entirely about shaming people who use social media as narcissists (and specifically women; men in this show don't seem to have any online presence), and is the more ridiculous because it is both literally and creatively impossible for Eliza to have gotten where she is today with the personality or lack of knowledge she has.
There's one good scene -- an over-the-top wedding vow recital that strikes the right balance (so much so that I wouldn't doubt it was cut from a Suburgatory script). There are about three good lines in the rest of the episode, and only one (a dig at Gwyneth Paltrow) goes to either of the leads.
If you want to watch Cho and Gillan, just wait until someone on YouTube mashes up Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy; the result, no matter how amateurish, will be better than this mess.
Sounds great, right?
Jesus fuck, is the pilot a hot mess. It's available early on demand, but really, you'll want that time back. It's some of the worst writing I've ever encountered, and I've read multiple books from DC's New 52 as well as a Piers Anthony novel called The Color of Her Panties.
Look, Kapnek's always written "unrealistic" characters. That's part of Suburgatory's charm. But Gillan's Eliza Dooley (yes, the show's that unsubtle) is so fucking over the top, she's existing in a completely different world from the rest of the cast. She tosses around hashtags and acronyms like she's in a rejected Fallon skit, but associates with no one else speaking her "language," in spite of her success (which, we're told, is owed entirely to her short skirts and sexual availability; this is a classy show, folks). Kapnek seems to understand that social media is a thing that exists, and has clearly read Wikipedia articles about the various big platforms, but doesn't have a clue about how it actually works, or the type of engagement someone would have to commit to actually become Internet Famous. She also seems to completely misgrasp how an embarrassing video would affect someone's life (in this day and age, it abets celebrity, instead of hindering it).
The show is pretty much entirely about shaming people who use social media as narcissists (and specifically women; men in this show don't seem to have any online presence), and is the more ridiculous because it is both literally and creatively impossible for Eliza to have gotten where she is today with the personality or lack of knowledge she has.
There's one good scene -- an over-the-top wedding vow recital that strikes the right balance (so much so that I wouldn't doubt it was cut from a Suburgatory script). There are about three good lines in the rest of the episode, and only one (a dig at Gwyneth Paltrow) goes to either of the leads.
If you want to watch Cho and Gillan, just wait until someone on YouTube mashes up Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy; the result, no matter how amateurish, will be better than this mess.
(no subject)
Date: 2014-08-28 04:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2014-08-31 01:13 pm (UTC)And no, they actually seemed to embrace the worst parts of MFL, while missing so much of what makes it (and Pygmalion) work.