There was a phrase in my thesis that got snipped by my editors. Of all the cuts and changes that I had to make, this …
Dawson’s Angst in Moody Creek
TV teen drama
Aurevoir, l’Amerique du Nord!
American Teen Drama seems to have a thing with France… Brenda and Donna go there for a summer class (BH90210), Arthur spends the summer there …
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 …
On Grief
For a remarkably sad, depressing season, the sixth series of Skins ends on a surprisingly uplifting tone. Too uplifting, a little voice in the back …
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 …
Babies in America
Teen pregnancy is by far the most warned about consequence of sexual activity on teen drama television. Here’s the latest thought that has been rolling …
Huge Gaps in Teenage Sexuality
Coming across this post on Jezebel reminded me of one of my favourite moments of teen television that I have discovered relatively recently. The summer …
‘Tis the Season
Christmas-time has always been a magical season for me. Not the baby Jesus miracle kind of magic, but the walking in a winter wonderland kind …