As Told By Ginger - General Discussion

[MagnusHex]

"As Told by Ginger is an American animated comedy-drama television series aimed at preteens, produced by Klasky Csupo, (which also produced Rugrats), and aired on Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a junior high school (later high school) girl named Ginger Foutley who, with her friends, tries to become more than a social geek."

Had a sudden urge to rewatch some of my childhood cartoons recently, and this series made it among the top of my list. Rewatching the first episode, I only had smiles and laughter coming out (much more than I expected) due to how clever and even mature most of the dialogue here was. This isn't surprising once you learn the fact that the creator Emily Kapnek was part of Simpsons season 1 as well. Plus the fact that Emily has said that it's based on her own personal experiences in high school, and you'd understand where the show's sense of realism comes from, because holy cow, compared to other Nickelodeon cartoons or even Disney preteen drama like "Lizzie Maguire", As Told by Ginger feels a lot more grounded than the rest of them (possibly only topped by "Hey Arnold", but that's a special breed of awesome that's tough to match).

Also, the characters are all pretty well-designed as well, each having a distinct and interesting personality that surpasses their surface archetypes. For example, Miranda Killgallen might seem like the typical mean girl bully, but that girl seems wiser than she acts. Of course, Courtney Gripling is a fascinating case study on her own, being the popular and beautiful girl of the school, and yet she isn't technically a malicious or mean-spirited girl like Miranda either. There was even a subplot back then for Courtney to have a crush on Ginger Foutley, but it was cut because... well, it's Nickelodeon and it's the early 2000s. And that's just two characters, because I feel like Ginger and her friends, her single-parent mum, her brother and Hoodsey, not to mention Darren Patterson, all seem to possess a far more complex character arc than a kids show normally would have. It's no wonder I was so drawn to it in my youth over shows like CatDog or I Am Weasel.

Anyway, I'll be checking out the first season every now and then since I have a packed schedule, but I'll post here every now and then my thoughts on the series. Feel free to join me. 🙂

[blueray]

I loved this show when it was on. I was not popular, and it was nice to have a show reflect the real struggles. I liked that Courtney was actually a nice person who happened to be popular.

I watched a random episode a few years ago. It was weirder then I remembered but still held up for the most part.

[MagnusHex]

2 hours ago, blueray said:

I watched a random episode a few years ago. It was weirder then I remembered but still held up for the most part.

Yeah, it was definitely a weird show. It wasn't like Ren & Stimpy bizarro world weird, but it had that charming quirkiness that balanced realism and surrealism at the same time. Ginger's school life felt relatable, and yet, you have Carl collecting eyeballs and dentures. lol So much fun watching this show.

[MagnusHex]

As Told By Ginger (Season 1 Episode 7): Hello Stranger

Oof. I knew this was gonna be one of my favorite episodes from the moment I read the plot summary, but damn. "Thanks for the flowers." Right in the feels. And that poem reading is just heartbreaking. Kinda glad that Ginger's strong enough to finish that last line though. I would've either ran off the stage or changed the line to something more befitting.

I'm kinda glad they didn't bother to show Ginger's dad even though I was really hoping there would be some emotional confrontation, especially one that's coming from Lois in calling him out. This is fine too, if not better because it's probably more depressing than an otherwise easy (and unrealistic) resolution.

What's more depressing is the fact that, I was thinking how people with mummy or daddy issues (such as me) would probably be able to relate to these kinds of plot-lines more personally. The absentee father isn't very original, but it's all too often (unfortunately) relatable.

Edited March 13, 2021 by MagnusHex