Identity through Identification

First of all, 90210. I thought parts of last night's episode were really laughable, and am quite relieved to have a reprieve until September. Yet the people on Television Without Pity seemed to like it. I'm guessing that's because most viewers, especially those who are older, bailed long ago, but as an academic doing TV, I am in for the duration. It's work, right? But several scenes made me giggle for about five minutes each. One--after Liam realizes that Naomi's sister lied to him to get him to sleep with her and just looks at her and announces "You are a bitch!" I don't know if it was the delivery or just how very "duh" that line was. It's not shocking anymore, even if it's un-PC. Then Annie screaming "Screw all of you" to the entire sophomore class. When she left the house, I seriously thought she was having an asthma attack and was expecting her to pull an inhaler out of her purse, not her phone she used to narc on the party (which indicated she was supposed to be playing anger). Add to that Lori Loughlin pretty clearly having never been stoned before (and Rob Estes seemingly having a better idea of how to play it, yet still not pulling it off) and Kelly, ex-drug addict with drug-addict mother, brother, and bipolar sister, being so nonchalant about the whole thing, that at least it has the makings of a train wreck, rather than the total bore it's been.

By the way, in the zap2itphotos, everyone on the new CBS shows is white except for LL Cool J of NCIS: Los Angeles, but they don't even have those big cast photos, they only have 1-2 people in each picture, and they've got Medium there which has been canceled, so it's not quite right, anyhow. Blows that theory, but I'll check the CBS site. Oh, wait, it's canceled on NBC, now alive on CBS. I've never seen it, and having it on CBS won't make that any likelier. Anyhow, the CBS site doesn't even have the new shows up. Maybe tomorrow (it was just announced this morning).

But what I'm thinking about/working on today is identity and identification. I am running a workshop for our Women's Studies Residency called "Rhoda Morgenstern Made Me What I am Today: What Television Characters Teach us about Ourselves" next Friday. So I need to plan that, and it seems like a good idea to start with a blog post and then make PowerPoint if need be. I know I'll start off with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyaaSm-3G90&feature=related. Frankly, that's not even close to my story, but Rhoda's deadpan, self-deprecating sense of humor was influential, I think. I felt a huge sense of recognition when I watched the first four seasons of the MTM show again last summer, at least.

Then I'd like to show a scene between Mary and Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, but I can only find one short one I don't like! They've all been pulled from YouTube, I guess. So I either have to get the DVD, or get there early and cue up a Hulu video (which is free but awkward). In fact, nearly any TV show I looked for simply didn't have a short or easily editable clip to go with it, which is a bummer, but it's easier to use photos anyhow. Anyway, I'll start off talking about what characters have influenced me, and what changes in thought or behavior they might (or might not) have given me. Then I'll talk about identity and the process of identification and how it relates to TV and feminism. Then I'll open it up to discussion. I might talk about my smart girl characters, but they really came about too late to have much impact on me as a teen.


I think maybe the first media character that I looked at and said "hey, she's like me" was Quinn Cummings of The Goodbye Girl. We were both 10 in 1977 when the movie came out. She also played Annie on the last two seasons of Family, from 1978-1980. She was a Jewish bookworm, very different from the tomboyish Buddy or the elegant Nancy on that show. These episodes are simply unavailable, and I don't remember if I watched regularly or not. It may have been on too late for me to stay up, which seems weird for a family show. Yup, according to a schedule on Wikipedia, it was on at 10PM, first on Tuesdays, then on Thursdays. So no, given an 8:30 bedtime on weekdays, I wouldn't have actually seen it much (though on school holidays and the summers I could and did stay up much later). And even the Library of Congress only has the first season or two, so unless hulu picks it up, there's not much chance.

I have seen the similar Danielle Brisbois character Stephanie on the latter seasons of All in the Family and spinoff Archie Bunker's Place, and she was annoying, but I suspect I identified back then. I remember she sang and danced a lot, which I also did whenever anyone would listen.



Being an actor was no doubt why I loved Gilda Radner





and Carol Burnett so much.





Other characters that I can say were influential in some way include Mallory Keaton of Family Ties--who is only influential because we were the same age, and looked a tiny bit alike (and she even had one of my sweaters). I know she's considered by some to be the anti-smart girl, and indeed she is, but I always watched.





Too bad Square Pegs couldn't have a. been better and b. stayed on.




Not all my influences have been TV related.



One thing that was really influential in 1980, when I was about 12, was a movie, not a TV show, Fame. Since I wanted to be an actor, and wanted to live in New York, and would have killed to go to the High School of Performing Arts, Fame looked just great to me, despite the trials and tribulations. There was a television show, but I guess I didn't care for it, because I didn't watch it much. Anyhow, Doris was probably the character I identified with most, as she was an actress (not a dancer or musician like most of the others), and Jewish to boot. I cannot explain by process of identification why I also saw Grease four times in the theater.


Barbie was important. I'm a feminist, and I love Barbie. I don't think any part of my body image comes from Barbie (though I could cite various other influences), and all of mine (I had 11, though a few were technically Skipper, PJ, or Kelley) were in hugely successful careers, went to a lot of balls, and had tons of cool clothes. I only had one Ken, though. He mostly wore a white tuxedo everywhere since his only other garment, a brown checked sports jacket was u-gly. I had at least two of these "Quick Curl" ones, but they rarely wore their gingham dresses as my grandmother made me ball gowns. I went to one formal, but I've still never been to a ball, and don't see it on the horizon. But I now have the original Barbie and box that lived at my grandmother's house through my whole childhood. They're in my office at work. Sometimes I get bored, you know.

Amy March of Little Women. Yes Amy. I know we're all supposed to want to be Jo, but I wanted to be Amy--successful artistically and gets the cute, rich guy. I've seen at least four versions of the movie and none of the actors cast look anything like the Laurie in my head (a very young Robert Downey Jr., before the drugs). I looked and looked for the cover of the copy I checked out of the library in second grade and wasn't quite ready for, and then again a year or two later when I was, but can't find that. This is one of the two copies I have now. I've read it at least ten times.

Later influences included Audrey Hepburn and Andy Warhol, but I was pretty old before I identified them. I'll also introduce my smart girl characters as part of the presentation, and show pictures of at least some of them, but this has literally taken hours (every time I put a photo in, the whole layout moves), and I've got photos of them in presentations already, so I can do some cutting and pasting there.

Something is Not Right

Ah, I've always looked better in black.

90210 was . . . itself last night, which was to say not at all very good and not even laughably bad, just sort of dull and pointless. Brenda and Kelly still look weird, though when I thought Brenda might be dying I'll admit to a pang (she wasn't), and announced to the cats that they couldn't kill off Brenda, of all people. Somehow that would ruin the canon of the original show. I've been having a lot of the reruns lately on in the background while I work at home, and it's funny how it just doesn't matter what season it is, I know what's happened and what's about to happen within minutes. But the weekday shows are in the 7th or 8th season when the show got really dark and sort of dull and Donna with the mocha colored hair and Kelly spent a lot of time bleating, so it's not as big a contrast between the original and the new as it could be. Anyhow on the new show Annie is still incredibly annoying and should probably switch places with the younger sister on Secret Life of the American Teenager, the only one on that show I actually like.

Annie had INTUITION, which they learned about in school (who needs to learn that in school?), and squinted, as Daniel Drennan, the original BH90210 recapper would have written, real hard, while figuring out ,and then letting her folks in on the fact that, "something is not right" (as Madeline's headmistress, Miss Clavel, would have said) with the mysterious new son her dad never knew he had who took off with $200,000 of Naomi's mom's money, which she can ill afford now that she's getting divorced. Adrianna might have gotten AIDS while she was using, but was given a clean bill of health--do they no longer tell you about the ten year incubation period, and retesting and all that? But she is pregnant--and Brenda can't have children and wants to adopt . . . gee, I wonder what will happen. And the worst part is that Grandma Bluth said she wanted to go back to work, which I fear means we'll have a lot less Jessica Walter, who I know has been domoted and is one of the few things that makes this show tolerable.

I don't love Scrubs, and from all accounts Zach Braff is a big ass, but the critic I read was right and they really did seem to have a new vitality on the two episodes last night on their new network ABC. The caustic new intern "Jo" is fun, and it was very sweet to see JD and Turk usher Glynn Turman's character into death. Even if it meant they missed steak night, which sounded pretty fun. Courteney Cox, however, looks way to skinny, her hair is stringy, and she wasn't very funny. I don't think she's permanent though, as Ken Jenkins is still on the show.

I've also been watching, from Netflix, original SNLs. I still love Gilda Radner, but the shows vary a lot based on the hosts. Candice Bergen--funny. Lily Tomlin--funny. Robert Klein, not so much. They're getting into a groove, but are still trying things like having the hosts interact a bunch with the musical guests which I'm glad they haven't done since. ABBA lipsyncing on the deck of the Titanic was mildly funny. Loudon Wainright lookedawfully young and I've seen the first two "Land Shark" sketches, which hold up well, and the first appearance of Emily Littella. Of course, I don't think it really gets good until they get rid of Chevy Chase, who Jane Curtin once said was "probably out kicking a puppy or something," and bring in coolest man on the planet Bill Murray, but that will take a lot more disks and I have lots of other stuff to see first.

SNL: That's so gay

Friday was Degrassi, Saturday was SNL, Sunday was The Simpsons, Desperate Housewives, and Skins. Degrassi did something interesting, what with having the double standard for Indian girls and boys, but the newbies are still boring and Emma/Manny/Liberty is so far very silly and dull what with them all wanting to go out with their non-cute roommate. I know there's an article in Flow this month about Canadian teen shows, but I haven't read it yet.

I love Paul Rudd, who was the host on SNL but it really bugs me that every sketch had a silly homoerotic slant. I don't know if that's just the show these days, or the Apatowness of current humor, or what Paul Rudd thinks is funny but it really bugs me. Given that only Kristen Wiig had anything to do of the women, and that only in one sketch, and that only one of the new women seemed to have lines, and those were just as a waitress, it may be that Paul Rudd was the impetus for all the sketches. Even the Beyonce sketch was about male dancers with the central conceit being "isn't it funny that these guys are gay?" and included Justin Timberlake who also brings on that kind of behavior in his appearances. Why is this necessary? Why is it funny? The sketch where the family was all kissing each other was funny only for the discomfort it brought on, and the idea that all the actors, who I guess we are supposed to assume are all very straight, would go for it.

I couldn't not watch a Simpsons episode in which Lisa enters a crossword puzzle tournament, given that I do about 8 crossword puzzles a week, and loved the use of "Word Up," and the cool graphics, but overall a lame attempt. I tried to imagine how much cooler the episode might have been 5 or so years ago. Desperate Housewives has gotten into a nice groove, and Steven Weber is always a nice addition to any cast, but can they keep up the Dave mystery all season? It might be smarter to solve that one by the end of November sweeps and then start up something else in January. Anyhow, I don't really care about it. I also checked out the new Summer Heights High on HBO. That isn't going to save them, it has the same "that's so gay" problem, and the mean girl is not interesting. The Polynesian bully is slightly interesting and I'll check it out again, but am not very intrigued and it should be totally up my alley. I do need to find some Australian teen shows to watch.

I'll be very sorry when Skins is done as it only has two more episodes for the season, I think. I feel bad for Sid though. And Cassie. Though I guess they'll ultimately get together. And it does bother me that Jal, the smart girl and the only girl of color, didn't get an episode of her own this season, and her only storyline was being with Chris, my least favorite character, and while I don't care about Anwar, the fact that he's the other character of color and his only storyline is being with the crazy girl with no dedicated episode makes this show no better than the average teen show in terms of multicultural representation. One of them could have the final episode, but I don't think so although from what I've read I guess come to think of it she will be very affected. Since only Effie will be in the next season there's not much time.

I could have had you.

Last night was the season finale of Mad Men. It felt very discombulating to have the commercial breaks there, but only one break. I felt like the Joan story got really short shrift, but the Don/Betty, Peggy/Pete, Peggy/Colin Hanks, and the story of the ad agency and a whole bunch of people who work there got covered, so I think I'm happy. Or at least I'm happy as long as Jon Hamm and Matthew Weiner get re-signed. John Slattery is very good but he would lift right out if need be but Jon Hamm wouldn't.

Anyhow it was a little surprising that Pete told Peggy he loves her, as I'm not sure the storyline bore that out all season. Certainly he's been impressed in the last few episodes, but only since she got her haircut, and before that he seemed to stare a lot so we knew he was intrigued, but I'm not sure selfish, closed-in Pete is even capable of love. And Peggy deserves better so I'm glad she burst his bubble. On the other hand, she got to confess and sleep the sleep of the just. Maybe she'll take the baby back from her sister? I have an interesting feeling, though, that when the show comes back, she'll be at least associate creative director if not creative director while Pete is head of accounts. Although it doesn't seem like Duck made much of a hit and if he isn't president then Pete is staying right at his same level. I don't even think he's 30 and just on that basis seems a poor choice for an executive position but there's that whole youth movement going on. I'm not sure if they'll get together or not but I'm sure that will be an ongoing story. Someone mentioned if he ever found out he might try to get the baby for Trudy and I suppose that's possible in which case I see an awful lot of crying in store for Peggy's sister.

Did they really bring on "the Smiths" just so the gay one could cut Peggy's hair? They weren't even in evidence last night, so it sort of seems like it. Anyhow I'm glad the show is coming back because Salvatore needs a lot more attention, and I suspect there will be something there. That's the problem with these giant-cast shows, there are always characters that we don't hear nearly enough about. Then again, it would be totally weird if only three people ever talked at the ad agency.

Anyhow, a whole lot of people are definitely going to feel stupid when the world doesn't end. I really don't understand the whole Cuban Missile Crisis thing--I tended to zone out in history class when it came up, which was mostly in the last few days of school when we covered everything from WWII on at breakneck pace. But I do know none of those people died or even were injured in it. Betty in particular is going to hate herself for her infidelity, as fair as it was and as good looking as that guy was. And I just realized that was Captain Awesome from Chuck! If I hadn't noticed the name I never would have guessed that, as it's a totally different character. Given that he doesn't have a contract, I guess Don won't feel really dumb for basically quitting, but I'm sure he'll be back. He'd better--otherwise there would be no show.

Speaking of Don, Jon Hamm was OK on SNL, but some of those sketches were clearly written by six year olds, and read "not even first draft." I was really glad they did not one but two Mad Men oriented sketches. They used to always do a sketch about whatever show or movie the guest is in, but in the last few years they rarely do so I hope they go back to it. It was so strange to see him really smiling, as Don almost never does. "Weekend Update" worked much better with only Seth Meyers. I've had about enough of Amy Poehler.

Desperate Housewives is still on TiVo as I was out last night. I'll get to it eventually.

"Fast Car" is my favorite Springsteen song, too.

Last night was Wednesday's episode of Stylista, then the normal Thursday Ugly Betty, The Office, The SNL Thursday Night thing and Life on Mars.

I forgot to do this first and just read that Lindsay Lohan's time on Ugly Betty has been shortened by two episodes. Good. I really hate this storyline. I know Betty is supposed to be a lovable loser, but I thought we were going to see some growth. I'd like to see her get an Assistant Editor spot or something like that. I did like that Justin got a real storyline and a new friend--maybe a boyfriend? We don't know that yet but I like that character and it's nice that both teen boy characters on prime time shows (Erik on Gossip Girl being the other) seem to have found some acceptance.

On the other hand, I really wish we could have more of Holly on The Office. She's just perfect for Michael, and as absurd as that whole storyline is, the idea that every pot has a lid is a really nice one. Looks like whassisname from corporate is going to make trouble for them, though, which is weird as practically everyone in the office (or at least the complex, if you count Phyllis) is sleeping with or has slept with someone else there. It's nice Phyllis is getting a storyline, but I wish it wasn't at the expense of Kelly, who I don't think had a line last night. I can't say I really got the whole Crime Aid thing, but it's nice how they're using some different sets, and I have to say "Fast Car" is my favorite Bruce Springsteen song, too. "Rosalita" can suck it.

Between this show and Chuck, I'm sure I've heard more Huey Lewis in the past two weeks than in the last 10 years, although he did walk past the bookstore I was working at in San Francisco. I was talking to the young skate punk from the Peet's Coffee next door when I looked up and there he was and I said "Hey, It's Huey Lewis!" Of course the skate punk thought it was funny but actually ran into the coffee shop to ask them what HL's big song was to yell after him, instead of asking me, which is weird. Anyhow he yelled "It's hip to be square" down the street. I don't know if Huey turned around.

Anyhow, I'm glad those SNL specials are over, though I guess they're doing something on election eve, but I want Tina Fey in her proper spot, which is 30 Rock, which starts again next week. I miss that show. At the conference I went to a few weeks ago there was a panel about women comedians on TV and Fey was brought up, and I argued she was a Rhoda, not a Mary. I love Rhoda and in a meeting yesterday a co-worker, one of those who claims never to watch TV except for news, was all excited about Rhoda, so I really think there's a paper about the influence of Rhoda Morgenstern on a whole generation of women (no one else better write it either). Would there have been a Daria, or a Janeane Garofalo, or an Elaine on Seinfeld, or Phoebe on Friends (or is it Janice) without her? I don't think so. There definitely wouldn't be a Cathy from the comic strips. As Tracy Jordan would say, to quote Liz Lemmon, "Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate, Ack!" Do Rhodas have to be brunette, or ethnic? What's the fundamental difference between a Mary and a Rhoda? I don't think Ugly Betty is a Rhoda really, nor is Pam on The Office. What does it mean to be a Rhoda? There's an underresearched archtype there I'm sure, but I guess I'll have to see what those panelists are saying--one told me she tried to find Rhoda the show on DVD and it doesn't exist, and at this point neither to seasons 5-7 of MTM, which is a bummer. Hopefully they show up on www.Hulu.com sometime soon, at least.

As for Life on Mars, as I suspected the music is getting more and more obscure, and there's less of it. The music supervisors do have a talent, however, for finding catchy earworms. I haven't had Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Get Down" out of my head for over a week, and now there's some crazy song about King Kamehamehamea and the King Macadamia Nuts that I don't remember ever hearing before but I'm sure is going to pop up for days. I went ahead and set a season pass because the mystery interests me, but man I hate procedurals.

I forgot to write yesterday but I think this week's prize for best episode goes to Wednesday's Pushing Daisies, if only because of the use of Debra Mooney for Emerson Cod's gumshoe mom. I was especially impressed that in the alternate universe of this show that they just simply never even attempted to explain or question how white Mooney was the mother of pretty darn dark Chi McBride. Other than their color, they really did seem an awful lot alike. The setup was an agency that rented out friends to lonely people and my favorite line by far was said by Emerson who wondered why people needed that and couldn't just say, "My name is blah blah. Do you like blooby bloo? Me too! Let's be friends" if only because there's no chance whatsoever that that character would ever say that.

Stylista was a little interesting, but a whiner group of spoiled brats I have never seen. They put the groups of model wannabes to shame. I don't know if I'll actually learn any more about making a fashion magazine than I have from Ugly Betty, but I'll give it another chance.

Thursday night TV

Last night I watched Ugly Betty, followed by The Office, the SNL Thursday Night edition and Life on Mars.

Ugly Betty seems to me to be spinning its wheels. We've seen Willamina get power and lose it over and over, and Betty doesn't seem to get much of anywhere, despite her spandy-new-much-too-big-and-expensive-for-her apartment. I have noticed though that she doesn't fall down before the credits happen anymore, which seems to be progress. How they dress her doesn't make a lot of sense to me as they are actually often nice and expensive-looking garments--they just don't match at all. It seems as if in real life even if someone was color blind, or as in Betty's case, pattern blind, they'd learn the glories of a predominantly black wardrobe. She doesn't even have a white cat like I do to make that problematic!

I also wonder how they could have a teenage kid on for four episodes, and never let him interact with Justin. Seems like they missed a great opportunity for some character development for Justin there, or at least some humor, but in these shows with giant casts, there always seems to be someone shortchanged. In this case it was Justin and Amanda, though Christina never gets much to do either. Anyhow, the posters at Television Without Pity seemed to love this episode, mostly because of Gio, who doesn't interest me much, especially as we know he isn't staying.

I enjoyed The Office "Baby Shower" even if it wasn't my favorite episode. Somehow when Michael dropped the watermelon I laughed for about 10 minutes. I think these days that's so valuable that I kept up my good mood just based on that. Oddly, that part was the part that TWOP folks seemed to hate. It was very gross and dumb, which on any other show would be a real turnoff but for some reason or other doesn't bother me on The Office. I did notice Phyllis was wearing orange while party planning, the color that former head of the party planning committee Angela said was "whorey," which made me giggle too.

I kind of missed having Pam there, but at the conference I attended last week, there was a panel on female comedians on television, specifically Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Sara Silverman. I really enjoyed that panel but started thinking about Mindy Kaling who plays the very funny Kelly on The Office. She's also a writer/producer and I wonder how much influence she has over storylines and if that's part of the reason I enjoy a show so much that might skew very "guy" otherwise. I've read her blog (which sadly doesn't seem to have been updated since April or I'd link) and she's very girly--the blog is all about things she's bought like cute shoes and candy. Candy doesn't impress me much, so I don't know.

There's really no one to identify with on the show--Pam's too unambitious--though maybe her recent education will change some of that, Kelly's too silly, Meredith too drunk, Jan too certifiably insane and Phyllis is too--Phyllis. Angela's cat obsession and occasional inexplicable bitchiness make her the closest but obviously I can't imagine dating either Dwight or Andy. And Holly won't be there much longer, but I don't recognize her in me either. Maybe that isn't necessary--I like the show for the "surprise" that makes up most of the humor, and the funny and sometimes touching romances, and even for the discomfort that often makes me want to hide my face but there's no one in particular I feel for.

The SNL special was OK--better than the actual shows seems to be. I realized while seeing the movie Hamlet II that I really am not too crazy about Amy Poehler. She just seems very smug to me, and not all that funny. It bugs me that she's taken the Office team that was working on the spinoff for her own show that I'll probably feel compelled to watch but won't like very much. But maybe she'll surprise me. I've been know to change my mind.

Life on Mars was OK, but as I said in my previous post, awfully violent and full of that guy thing where men bond by literally punching each other in the face and then become best friends. This is mystifying to me. My concern with the first episode was that these period pieces often draw you in with wall to wall music and then they can't afford to keep that up. There was somewhat less music this time, but fun enough choices though the Gilbert O'Sullivan song was simply not as evocative as "Little Willie" from last time. Ditto the Kinks song v. the Who song from the first episode, which is weird because I like The Kinks better, but it just wasn't as exciting. (Edited later to say apparently it was Mott the Hoople, not The Kinks, which might explain that). Anyhow, I'm not sure what to make of this one yet, but will probably watch next week too. Thursday night has been a huge TV night for me since the days of Hill Street Blues and at times I've tried to cut down on my watching, that's always a spot where I need a show.