The Role Of Love

Buffy and Angel. The definition of complicated.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Romantic love is an integral part of scripted television. And not just in the traditional rom-com genre. Even in procedurals there are couples to ship: two people kneel beside a murder victim, their eyes meeting over the corpse, and they banter while discussing lividity (a term in every cop show scriptwriter’s lexicon).

Odd Couple Maximus.
Castle

What’s interesting is how little interest audiences have in the actual relationship. Sexual tension is where the party’s at. Will they, won’t they, why haven’t they, when will they…. These not-quite-physical relationships are a cornerstone of television writing.

Final season, finally almost a couple...
Teen Wolf

When it comes to sex onscreen, networks have learnt it’s gratifying yet no true substitute for well-written relationships. You can flash skinship, but in the end it’s still mostly softcore porn. Without a complex connection between characters, audience interest fades fast.

Seth, Summer, and the wonders of Chrismukkah.
The O.C.

Why are we hooked on eros? 

These guys: too cute for words.
Lovesick The Series

Or more accurately, in the context of a scripted television series, the evolution of eros?

When your lover turns out to be a manga character.
W Two Worlds

Perhaps it’s because we live in a world where physical intimacy is easier to obtain than emotional intimacy—or where a true celebration of both is rare. People rely on their friends for personal connection as much as, or sometimes more, than they do their partner.

When they don't match, but they really do.
Friends

Television love is convoluted, a push and pull scenario whereby our leads edge closer together. The not-yet-lovers OTP (one true pairing) on TV is usually written into a scenario where the characters are forced to see each other and interact, rather than drift apart when one of them becomes uncomfortable with the evolving intimacy.

Murdered friend Lily took these
two from antagonists to lovers.
Veronica Mars

Discovery—maybe that’s the key? We’re obsessed with the moment our experience of the world can spin and realign, adding another person to our orbit. Tragedy or life changes (such as relocating, new job) have a similar effect, but a deep, honest love is a transition audiences view as akin to winning an emotional lottery.

The tragedy of lost love.
Pretty Little Liars

In real life, lots of things get in the way of love, occasionally a love that could have been epic. On television, every element is controlled to ensure the intended couple reaches that chance at a relationship. Could that be why this element of visual storytelling is so popular? Because connection is an accident most people are hoping will happen?

Chuck, Blair, and that limo scene.
Gossip Girl

Not to say all romances on television are a great idea, from an outside perspective. A lot of them are problematic tropes (i.e. My OTP Is A Supernatural Psycho; This Lover Is Rich And Mean; We’re The Ultimate Odd Couple).

The ship that never got to sail.
The Vampire Diaries

Thing is, healthy, functioning relationships generally go out the window because an element of wish fulfillment is in play. The most popular TV love is the stuff of fantasy: grand, dramatic, fiery, and most of all, fun to watch.

When your lover turns you to the dark side.
Like, Queen of the Underworld dark.
Charmed

Reading The Vampire Diaries As A Metaphor For Entitlement

Watching an episode of supernatural drama The Vampire Diaries, it suddenly occurred to me: while bloodsuckers are often discussed as representations of sexuality, aggression, and passion, in a modern setting they’re also a prime metaphor for entitlement.

To clarify, I enjoy this show. Some seasons are (a lot) better than others, but overall the drama offers moments of great visual storytelling. But this idea really got its hooks in, as if I’d put on glasses showing another interpretation, and now I can’t unsee the view.

Instead of Googling to find out if others had noticed, I decided not to tangle my perspective, and follow the seed of thought, however it blooms.

The vamp crew that we the audience run with, tend to lean toward the hypocritical: our leads have killed sooo many people, but nearly always receive a chance at redemption. On the other hand, people/creatures who kill our loved ones generally deserve to die—fatalities matter more if we’re emotionally engaged. Likewise, our town matters more 'cause it’s OUR town.

When your entitled boyfriend has a wall listing his murder victims
but you understand this was from like a really bad time for him.

For the first few years after a vampire turns, an epic lust for blood inspires acts of predatory violence. But our precious flowers aren’t really responsible because they haven’t learnt “control” yet—a bit like when teens go to college, the date rape scene peaks, and sexual responsibility becomes a dirty term.

Thing is, the deeper you delve, the more obvious it becomes we’re identifying with the vamps, accepting them as relevant, important, and viewing their foes as “Other”.

Our vamps live longer, are strong, beautiful/handsome, and control the minds of “lesser” beings i.e. humans. Here it's via a super power, not cold hard cash and propaganda, but you get the gist.

The enemies are usually other vampires or creatures, and more powerful, thereby openly perceiving themselves as more entitled—meaning they recklessly kill humans while our vamps at least feel bad about it (most of the time).

Yes, this is how super-entitled baddies live.
Complete with accents.

The point is these aliens/foreigners are too entitled and therefore evil, what with thinking they’re better than “us”. And not only do they threaten our crew, but they often threaten the humans in OUR town, and by God if anyone is killing those people it’s gonna be us (wait, what?). So mostly we’re at war, but with good reason. Sort of.

Possibly worth mentioning: The baddies are generally motivated by revenge, i.e. one of our vamps having hurt their loved ones. Or they need something from a member of our crew to change their circumstances. Is it just me or do these motivations sound familiar?

Violence at our town event? IT'S ON.

Remember when one of the humans in our clique joined another supes movement, the werewolves? Although this was revealed to be hereditary, so maybe he shouldn’t be blamed. Poor guy got confused, and turned on our vamps for acting entitled (btw his loyalties are still messed up so he's pretty much out of the crew).

Next up is our token human Matt, who is weak both physically, not being immortal and super-strong, and emotionally, what with the constant annoying empathy. As the boy next door he has no mystery or power from the get go.

Give it up already Matt, humans aren't end game.

Matt’s complaining annoys us, the audience, as much as the vamps, especially the way he gets “judgy” about the constant killing of innocents. Get on board the Entitlement train, buddy! In recent times he’s strayed from the path, giving in to a dislike of vampires. (Tough life being better than others; haters gonna hate.)

For those wondering, there were heaps more humans but they died, caught in the line of fire. Our vampires are always in the middle of a drama—usually because they’re being persecuted, mostly from not being understood or not being given a pass for their crimes.

One of these is the moral compass, the other an entitled vampire.
Go on, take a guess.

Side note: At this point if we created a flow chart of corpses left by our leads over seven years it would be epic, but hey they were mostly accidents and it’s not like a lot were people important to the vampires slash audience. If you can’t name them, they only count as half points.

See, that’s the whole premise of the show: our entitled are trying to be good peeps, even if lots of the time they’re not. Hating on the entitled is wrong. They deserve a chance to redeem themselves, and suggesting they be imprisoned for capricious murder sprees, well, that’s just crazy talk. They feel bad, okay? They’re not heartless monsters. They’re SPECIAL.

10 Ways To Make A Teen TV Show Hella Awesome

Just like the Colonel's secret recipe, it takes a special mix of herbs and spices aka storylines and plot devices, to create a memorable teen show.

Before you ask, yes I watched a lot of teen shows to write this blog—all in the name of research. How's that for dedication?

10. Budget for Buckley.

Got a great cast, and great script? Next step: hire Norman Buckley to direct. 

Buckley's been busy working on upcoming
anticipated series starring Bella Thorne.

He makes the kind of television episodes where you press pause to go get a drink, and end up pausing yourself and thinking wow, this shot is art and could be printed as a still and framed.

To see this guy's resume of teen TV, check out episodes of The O.C., Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars for starters. Such a great eye. #UneedNorm

9. Understand The Allure Of The Talkative Dork.

WORD. It’s all about the banter. An awkward character who says the wrong things at the worst time is #adorkable

Chrismukkah anyone?

While first place goes to Seth Cohen from The O.C. for making his own holiday, Willow Rosenberg from Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Stiles Stilinski from Teen Wolf almost took the title.

(This type of character often proves more popular than the legit star. I know the leads are supposed to be relatable, but the girl next-door/boy next-door tropes are dulllllllll af. #quirkyisbest)

8. Be Intense, Teenagers Are Complex Creatures.

Run the gambit of emotions. Get melodramatic: tormented teens are misunderstood by THE WORLD. Humiliation, heartbreak, screaming, and sobbing are only Step One. 

Prime examples? My So-Called Life (even the title is emo), Degrassi (any version), Switched At Birth, and Dawson’s Creek. Although Pretty Little Liars with its conveyor belt of murders and follow-up funerals definitely takes it to the edge.

7. Going Superhero Or Supernatural? Whatever. Be Sure To Super-Run With It.

Teen shows love unnatural creatures (idk maybe a metaphor thing?) If you’re going there, revel in the Supe World. Work that weirdness!

Scream Lydia. Scream!

Teen Wolf wins this category for creative modern takes on wild myths. (I like the look of The Wild Hunt in the upcoming final season. They make people forget you ever existed... metaphor for a teen life crisis or what?)

Misfits is a gritty and powerful paranormal series. Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an obvious classic. On the alien front (super-space?) Roswell is standout for the Ultimate Outsider.  #starcrossedlovers4real

6. Find Your Chuck and Blair So We Can Ship It

Aw, the mismatched couple that hate each other a little yet end up an OTP as the show progresses… Good times.

Who didn't want to have sex in the back of a limo after this?

Snappy dialogue, sexual tension, power struggles, and a complicated, ever-shifting couple dynamic are key. Note: Sizzling onscreen chemistry a MUST.

Popular ships that spring to mind include:

-The wasted ship of Caroline and Klaus in The Vampire Diaries (God damn spin-off). 

-The rediscovered ship of Alison+Emily on Pretty Little Liars.

-The will they/won't they ship of Lydia+Stiles in Teen Wolf.

-The lost ship of Clarke+Lexa on The 100 (RIP).

5. Address Bullying

Most teen shows do mention bullying at some point, but longer, more complicated plots are better; look past the “baddie” portrayal of a bully and try to unravel the motivations while also following the victims as they deal with the consequences.

 

Best buds/bromance goals.

Korean teen drama Cheer Up! aka Sassy Go Go follows academic and non-academic students forced to become a cheerleading squad. This brilliant series seamlessly blends humor and intensity while tackling bullying, abuse by parents, cutting, and teen suicide.* 

Glee was another show that approached bullying head on and tried to make audiences understand both sides of the equation. 

 *For more great Asian tv shows, I review them on Instagram @watchawatching 

4. Offer Complex Villains We End Up Loving.

Who could compare to Mona Vanderwaal from Pretty Little Liars? A nerd made over into a glam mean girl, revealed to be the first “A” blackmailing/threatening the leads. (Let's not talk about the show fake-killing this gloriously layered character for a short time. #winteriscoming )

Glamping for Mona's bday, where she snuck off to run over her bff
with a car. (Mona's mind=a complicated place.)

You admire the intelligent, dastardly ways of these charming evildoers while being appalled by their choices. Other standout villains that evoked empathy over the years include Lex Luthor from Smallville, and Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries.

3. Create A Sexy Rebel.

Never forget to include a misunderstood character with a chip on their shoulder.

My subconscious blocked out Brandon's nickname for Dylan.
Apparently Google is having the same problem.

The winner here is Dylan McKay from the original Beverley Hills 90210. Only supposed to be in an ep or 2, he won over audiences and kept the part because, hello, textbook rich kid rebel. #showusthemoney

Second place is a tie between James Franco’s Daniel Desario in Freaks and Geeks, and Eliza Dushku’s legendary slayer-without-a-surname Faith in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel.

2. Write Female Characters That Don’t Suck.

Here’s looking at you, Veronica Mars. My girl V is the obvious choice when it comes to resourceful, clever, and kindhearted teen female characters who also make mistakes. #represent

A teen tv hero has to be flawed in some ways to be relatable,
so Veronica has a few chinks in her armor. 

Clarke Griffin from The 100 is created in a similar vein, and of course Buffy Summers from Buffy The Vampire Slayer is an iconic example. What’s interesting is how all three shows brim with multifaceted female characters; it's not just the leads who rock.

1. Keep It Quippy

A show that has sass is a winner. In high school you wish you could be witty 24/7. When you did think of a comeback it was rarely as funny as you imagined. Standout teen TV dialogue has a touch of could-have-been wish fulfillment happening. 

 

A wild night of braiding and Bollywood movies. #teenlyf

The best scripts brim with pop culture praphrasing. Joss Whedon set a new standard in the nineties with Buffy The Vampire Slayer while Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls wins the random references award. 

Recent sitcoms Suburgatory and Awkward are a little hit and miss, but occasionally make a person LOL with their acronym-saturated sarcastic teenspeak.

Bonus Point: I Gotcha Back. Life Is A Friend Fest.

Remember, every lead needs back-up: if not a whole crew, then at least an awesome best friend. Teen shows thrive on INTENZ friendships.

For Buffy Summers it was the Scooby Gang, Scott McCall has his pack, Veronica Mars will always have Wallace Fennel, Dawson Leery had Joey Potter, and Lane Kim will forever be the bff of Rory Gilmore.

Even Dan Humphrey had, um, his cabbage patch doll Cedric. O_o

XOXO