AJLT: All Episodes/Season 1 Talk

[Ms Blue Jay]

I wasn't sure where to post my thoughts, so I hope it's okay that I started this topic?

I am watching the reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.  It's called "Bel-Air".  I had no idea what to expect from this, because TFPoBA has such a .... innocent, goofy, sweet, fun quality whereas the previews for Bel-Air made it look dark and gritty.  But, I'm on episode 5 and the show quickly won me over.  I'm enjoying it.

Anyway, I bring this up because Ashley Banks was straight in the original show but Ashley Banks, version 2.0 is kind of questioning things.  Not only that, but she's sitting at this glamourous dinner that her (very wealthy) family is holding with a bunch of influencers, one who is a non-binary person named Michelle who uses the pronouns them/they.  Michelle is some big influencer.  Ashley is sitting beside Michelle and is asking Michelle questions about gender and Michelle is answering by talking about what they think future generations may think and do when it comes to gender.  This is five episodes in, so this all feels organic and natural.

It's funny because I posted that I envisioned the exact same kind of scene for Rock and Che when picturing how Sara Ramirez could have been used on this show instead of as some plot device to give Cynthia Nixon wish fulfilment and to torpedo Miranda/Steve and humiliate the latter.

Bel-Air is a great example of a reboot done right.  (So far, anyway).

Also, Saved by the Bell and The Babysitters Club (the new versions) also handled these gender dynamics with aplomb.  SBTB is an absolute genius show and one of the main characters is trans.  My point:  Rebooting older shows from the 80s/90s/2000s to the 2020s can absolutely be done.  And it can be received very well, even by people like me who watched the original SBTB and TFPoBA and absolutely adored them.

Now, there is an obvious difference between the examples I provide here and AJLT.  AJLT is using the exact same characters and actors.  NOT rebooting them, but keeping them and simply bringing them to current day.  That being said....... these shows really do show how the writing could have been a lot more thoughtful and respectful while modernizing the main idea behind the show.  

Also, some of us think Carlton 2.0 has been ruined on Bel-Air.  They made him into an asshole, like a Miranda-lite.  But I kiiiiiiiiiiinda think the writers are going to give him an arc?  I don't know.  Maybe I'm wrong!

Edited 

Edited March 4, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[RealHousewife]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

My point:  Rebooting older shows from the 80s/90s/2000s to the 2020s can absolutely be done.  And it can be received very well, even by people like me who watched the original SBTB and TFPoBA and absolutely adored them.

I enjoyed reading your post, and totally agree with your point. I haven't seen all the reboots you mentioned, but I did see the SBTB one and have to agree with you. It was done really well, and the original was one of my favorite shows growing up, along with Fresh Prince. They did a good job making it more modern and inclusive, but keeping the same cute, fun vibe of the original series. 

[bluegirl147]

I think a big difference is the writers of the new Saved By the Bell and Bel Air weren't trying to right what they perceived to be the wrongs of the original the way the writers of AJLT were.   

[RealHousewife]

9 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I think a big difference is the writers of the new Saved By the Bell and Bel Air weren't trying to right what they perceived to be the wrongs of the original the way the writers of AJLT were.   

I don't recall racism on Fresh Prince, but despite the diverse SBTB cast, there was the odd racist line on that show. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, I think the SBTB Version 2.0 ARE trying to right some of the wrongs.  Now that Mark Paul Gosselaar is grown up, he feels bad that he portrayed being part Native American on the show, for instance.  There was definitely some cringey humour and ignorance of the time.

Bel-Air isn't trying to right wrongs, I agree.  It's deliberately trying to be its own entity, and while the difference in tone was shocking and hilarious when we saw the previews, it makes sense when you actually watch the show.  I'm incredibly impressed that they managed to pull it off.

[heatherchandler]

On 3/1/2022 at 1:07 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

 

It's funny because I posted that I envisioned the exact same kind of scene for Rocky and Che when picturing how Sara Ramirez could have been used on this show instead of as some plot device to give Cynthia Nixon wish fulfilment and to torpedo Miranda/Steve and humiliate the latter.

  

Also, some of us think Carlton 2.0 has been ruined on Bel-Air.  They made him into an asshole, like a Miranda-lite.  But I kiiiiiiiiiiinda think the writers are going to give him an arc?  I don't know.  Maybe I'm wrong!

 

Do you mean RAMBO?  🤣  I know they are both 80s tough guys.

 

Oh I saw the trailer for FPoBA and was like, NO, that is not Carlton.  The best part of Carlton was just everything Alfonso Ribeiro brought to that character.  The dance!  

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Whoops.

Charlotte's kid is called Rock, but I called them "Rocky" by mistake.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[kristen111]

Sorry ..Mistake.

Edited December 15, 2022 by kristen111

[Ms Blue Jay]

I don't know if anyone has been watching "The Best Man: The Final Chapters".  It is yet another rebooted series based on characters that we first saw in the 1990s.  I'm sorry to do this yet again - but yet again, it is a rebooted series brought to current day involving a non-binary character where I feel like the show is doing a great job with this depiction.  The character does not take over the entire show (a la Che) and yet the character is depicted respectfully and has a full character and growth arc.  (Of course, I would love to hear thoughts from anyone else if I am wrong here).  It's just frustrating that there are writers out there that can handle this, while AJLT handled this so oddly and then had the gall to insult all of the audience that didn't get it as if we were the ones entirely to blame.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Scarlett45]

16 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I don't know if anyone has been watching "The Best Man: The Final Chapters".  It is yet another rebooted series based on characters that we first saw in the 1990s.  I'm sorry to do this yet again - but yet again, it is a rebooted series brought to current day involving a non-binary character where I feel like the show is doing a great job with this depiction.  The character does not take over the entire show (a la Che) and yet the character is depicted respectfully and has a full character and growth arc.  (Of course, I would love to hear thoughts from anyone else if I am wrong here).  It's just frustrating that there are writers out there that can handle this, while AJLT handled this so oddly and then had the gall to insult all of the audience that didn't get it as if we were the ones entirely to blame.

Once I watch The Best Man: Final Chapters I will report back. It’s on my list. We all know that the problem isn’t non binary characters, the problem is these writers!!!

[Asp Burger]

Last month, I watched all of And Just Like That... season 1 after watching the six seasons of Sex and the City and the two movies. 

I feel it's...a mixed bag. I do think it's better than the movies, which IMHO are the nadir of the franchise so far. The second one is flat-out terrible (Samantha's demeaning storyline, "Abu Dhabi Doo!", Aidan's uncharacteristic disregard for his wife, the Islamic women with designer outfits under their burkas...everything), but the first one is not good either. MPK showed no ability to shape the show's format into feature films, so both movies were like five subpar episodes of Sex and the City slapped together. Or, together, a season 7 that would make you wish the show had stopped at six.  

Things I dislike about AJLT: 

• Glum tone. Right off the bat, we learn that Samantha has distanced herself from not only Carrie but the whole group, for an implausible reason. Then Big dies in a badly directed scene. Then Stanford leaves Anthony and all of his New York friends, and announces it in notes that Berger would have thought better of. Obviously, they had to find some way to extricate Samantha and Stanford, because the actors were unwilling or (in Willie's case) unable to participate, but it's a lot of downer effect early. Oh, and Steve is far along in hearing loss, and Miranda doesn't love him anymore and maybe never did (despite the story we all spent years watching). And their son and his girlfriend are one-dimensional assholes. 
• The new characters added to bring diversity are not well conceived; they're too often just consciousness-raising foils for the main three and, presumably, for the audience. Che goes beyond being a character who needs work: they are cringe-inducing. A line like "What can I, as a straight cis male, personally do to eradicate the harmful patriarchal system of the gender binary and compulsory heterosexuality?" sounds like something AI would post to social media after being fed transcripts of faculty lounge talk.  
• SATC's message seemed to be that women could lead fabulous and exciting lives through all their ups and downs in their thirties and forties. AJLT's seems to be that your fifties are about flailing around and trying to keep up when younger generations leave you behind. I just didn't believe Miranda Hobbes would turn into the character we see in AJLT, making a fool of herself on the first day in class because her professor has braids. And every scene involving that podcast, with its cutesy "woke moment!" and "trigger warning!" sound effects, is a low point. 

Things I like about AJLT: 

• The new actors, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, and Karen Pittman, do an excellent job with what they are given, and they have good chemistry with the three stars. The same might be true of Sara Ramirez, but no actor could get the boulder of Che uphill. Seema is my favorite of the new characters. She isn't "the new Samantha," but she's similarly confident and brings a special quality of her own. The scene in which she and Carrie discuss the ways they offended each other (Seema for not being contrite enough about damaging Carrie's picture frame, Carrie for her "still putting yourself out there" remark) was one of the best of the season. I also like Katerina Tannenbaum as Carrie's young neighbor, Lisette, and hope she returns. The new men were good too. Casting in general gets an "A."  
• SJP does a really good job portraying Carrie's grieving process, Cynthia Nixon is still a great actress, and Kristin Davis is still endearing (even though the effect of her cosmetic work on her speech is regrettable). 
• The bond between Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte is still strong. I was moved when Carrie told Miranda, who was walking away after an argument with Charlotte, that you can disagree, but you can't just leave. And I loved Charlotte wailing "Why can't people just stay who they were?" because she's the character who is closest to who she always was, and that constancy makes sense for her. Sometimes AJLT does use the history of SATC well.  
• Visually, it has a different, more subdued and mellow look than SATC's. The music is good, such as "Hello, It's Me" woven into the orchestral score when Carrie has a wistful Big moment.  

I will try season 2 and hope for the best. SATC didn't find its ideal form until season 3, IMO, when they got rid of Carrie talking directly to the camera and those person-on-the-street interviews. Here, the fixes I would like to see go deeper.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Asp Burger

[txhorns79]

On 1/4/2023 at 5:32 AM, Asp Burger said:

Seema is my favorite of the new characters. She isn't "the new Samantha," but she's similarly confident and brings a special quality of her own.

I really liked her character.  She wasn't a Samantha-clone.  She felt like a real person.  I hope she returns because I can see her being the "fourth" in that group in a way that Charlotte's friend doesn't really work.  

[luna1122again]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:14 PM, txhorns79 said:

I really liked her character.  She wasn't a Samantha-clone.  She felt like a real person.  I hope she returns because I can see her being the "fourth" in that group in a way that Charlotte's friend doesn't really work.  

I've seen photos of her on set, so she's definitely back for the next season. 

[heatherchandler]

On 1/4/2023 at 4:32 AM, Asp Burger said:

A line like "What can I, as a straight cis male, personally do to eradicate the harmful patriarchal system of the gender binary and compulsory heterosexuality?" sounds like something AI would post to social media after being fed transcripts of faculty lounge talk.

 

Dear god!  That does sound AI generated!  Who said that on the show??

 

On 1/4/2023 at 4:32 AM, Asp Burger said:

SATC's message seemed to be that women could lead fabulous and exciting lives through all their ups and downs in their thirties and forties. AJLT's seems to be that your fifties are about flailing around and trying to keep up when younger generations leave you behind. I just didn't believe Miranda Hobbes would turn into the character we see in AJLT, making a fool of herself on the first day in class because her professor has braids. And every scene involving that podcast, with its cutesy "woke moment!" and "trigger warning!" sound effects, is a low point. 

Yes the original message of SATC was just so good, and real.  It wasn't my favorite show ever but it was true to life and funny and sweet.  This show is like a parody of what a progression of SATC should be.  

Edited January 10, 2023 by heatherchandler

[Asp Burger]

11 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Dear god!  That does sound AI generated!  Who said that on the show??

Che, on the X, Y and Me podcast. The "I" (the straight cis male she was pretending to speak for) was the Bobby Lee character.

[heatherchandler]

20 hours ago, Asp Burger said:

Che, on the X, Y and Me podcast. The "I" (the straight cis male she was pretending to speak for) was the Bobby Lee character.

Ohhh yeah I remember now!  

[topanga]

On 1/10/2023 at 2:47 PM, heatherchandler said:

Yes the original message of SATC was just so good, and real.  It wasn't my favorite show ever but it was true to life and funny and sweet.  This show is like a parody of what a progression of SATC should be.  

I thought it was flawed, but I still enjoyed it. And I'm hoping the writing and character growth improve in Season 2

[RedHawk]

 

On 1/4/2023 at 5:32 AM, Asp Burger said:

Last month, I watched all of And Just Like That... season 1 after watching the six seasons of Sex and the City and the two movies. 

I feel it's...a mixed bag. I do think it's better than the movies, which IMHO are the nadir of the franchise so far. The second one is flat-out terrible (Samantha's demeaning storyline, "Abu Dhabi Doo!", Aidan's uncharacteristic disregard for his wife, the Islamic women with designer outfits under their burkas...everything), but the first one is not good either. MPK showed no ability to shape the show's format into feature films, so both movies were like five subpar episodes of Sex and the City slapped together. Or, together, a season 7 that would make you wish the show had stopped at six.  

 

I like everything you wrote, summed it up so well. I did enjoy most of the new characters (though not Che) and will watch hoping for more and better storylines from them. The positives you wrote about did keep me watching. 

Regarding the bolded part above, my aunt lived with her Iranian husband in Tehran for a few years and it's true that under the burkas many women dress very fashionably.