Last week as I was taking the train in to Toronto I overheard a fellow passenger make the following pseudo-biological claim: “It’s natural for girls …
Maturity vs. Sexuality
Reflections
The Catharsis of Honesty
There’s something magnetic about Parenthood. The family drama now in its fourth season is something like an hour-long counterpart to Modern Family. Following three generations …
The Talk
Today as I sat knitting, with the Gilmore Girls as company, I was reminded of a topic I’d meant to write about a few months …
Six degrees of Rory Gilmore
I know I’m not the only one who gets a kick out of recognizing actors from one show when they pop up on a different …
Freaky Friday-ed
It’s a fairly common phenomenon on teen dramas to witness a parent-child relationship that is characterized by some form of role reversal. This can mean …
Oh, Phallic Snake Monster, Symbol of Male Power
In Season 2, Episode 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Title: “Reptile Boy”), Buffy lies to Giles to get out of her Slayer responsibilities and …
High School Continuity
In some ways, teen dramas are pre-loaded, narrative goldmines. High school offers many possibilities for stories, conflict, first experiences, mistakes, etc. Of course all teen …
Maximized Narrative Potential
I frequently and emphatically recommend Veronica Mars to anyone who happens to mention they haven’t had the chance to see it. It’s one of those …
Speaking to my 11 year old heart
April 14th, 1912. Possibly the only historical date I can confidently recite. The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has brought the 1997 …
Boys who are bad for our girls
It occurred to me watching Buffy, and in particular some DVD special feature, as Joss Whedon describes Buffy’s relationship with Spike in season 6—some people …