My So-Called Life - General Discussion

[Bastet]

This forum was purged, rather than just condensed, and such a great entry in television history cannot be left without a thread, so here it is.

I suppose I should re-post some of the substantive analysis from the deleted forum, but for now I'll just note that Buffalo Tom's Late at Night came up on my iPod's shuffle play during a walk this morning, and I immediately burst into a huge grin picturing the Angela and Jordan hallway scene when he takes her hand.  On my death bed, I'll associate that song with that scene.  And romantic relationship scenes in TV/film/books are quite scarce on my list of favorites.  But this show presented that first consuming crush very well, and that scene is the perfect embodiment of it. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Wilson Cruz discusses S2 of Star Trek: Discovery

Short clip where he talks about MSCL

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Edward Zwick discusses Trial by Fire (starring Laura Dern) which he directed:

[DeeDee79]

On 1/19/2019 at 2:33 PM, Bastet said:

This forum was purged, rather than just condensed, and such a great entry in television history cannot be left without a thread, so here it is.

I suppose I should re-post some of the substantive analysis from the deleted forum, but for now I'll just note that Buffalo Tom's Late at Night came up on my iPod's shuffle play during a walk this morning, and I immediately burst into a huge grin picturing the Angela and Jordan hallway scene when he takes her hand.  On my death bed, I'll associate that song with that scene.  And romantic relationship scenes in TV/film/books are quite scarce on my list of favorites.  But this show presented that first consuming crush very well, and that scene is the perfect embodiment of it. 

Chiming in a year later but I agree with how wonderful this scene was. For me a close tie is Angela and Jordan's first kiss in Why Jordan Can't Read just for her euphoric little dance afterwards. I loved that!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

If you had told me that one day Jordan Catalano would be doing a serious actors on actors talk, I probably wouldn't have believed you but here we are.

 

[LemonSoda]

On 2/20/2020 at 8:15 PM, DeeDee79 said:

Chiming in a year later but I agree with how wonderful this scene was. For me a close tie is Angela and Jordan's first kiss in Why Jordan Can't Read just for her euphoric little dance afterwards. I loved that!

This show did such a beautiful job of capturing moments like this. Every time I re-watch, even though it’s been over two decades it still hits and hurts in all the right places. I love this show so much. I used to say I’d never forgive it’s cancellation but every time in the last few years I’ve rewatched I cry at all the moments that stab my soul, then wonder if it’s a good thing it ended when it did. Could they have kept it going at that level?
 

 

[DeeDee79]

17 hours ago, LemonSoda said:

This show did such a beautiful job of capturing moments like this. Every time I re-watch, even though it’s been over two decades it still hits and hurts in all the right places. I love this show so much. I used to say I’d never forgive it’s cancellation but every time in the last few years I’ve rewatched I cry at all the moments that stab my soul, then wonder if it’s a good thing it ended when it did. Could they have kept it going at that level?
 

 

I also wonder if they could have kept the same magic as they had with the 1st season if they had continued. I bought the dvd set and there are a lot of special features with the creators and producers talking about their plans for the 2nd season. Graham was going to leave Patty ( to "find himself" not for Hallie ) and Angela would end up taking control of the household after her mom fell apart from the separation. She was still going to date Jordan and the knowledge of Brian's interest would make her more compassionate towards him but also make their relationship more awkward. Sharon was going to end up pregnant and it would bring her closer to Rayanne. Ricki's mom was going to come back and he would move out of Katimski's home and move in with her. All of it sounds intriguing but I don't know if it would have made the show more interesting or weighted down from the added drama.

Edited February 20, 2021 by DeeDee79

[LemonSoda]

On 2/19/2021 at 6:40 PM, DeeDee79 said:

I also wonder if they could have kept the same magic as they had with the 1st season if they had continued. I bought the dvd set and there are a lot of special features with the creators and producers talking about their plans for the 2nd season. Graham was going to leave Patty ( to "find himself" not for Hallie ) and Angela would end up taking control of the household after her mom fell apart from the separation. She was still going to date Jordan and the knowledge of Brian's interest would make her more compassionate towards him but also make their relationship more awkward. Sharon was going to end up pregnant and it would bring her closer to Rayanne. Ricki's mom was going to come back and he would move out of Katimski's home and move in with her. All of it sounds intriguing but I don't know if it would have made the show more interesting or weighted down from the added drama.

I’ve never watched the bonus features, not sure why but remember reading some of this over the years from the writers, especially Sharon’s pregnancy. I also remember an unofficial book with some continuity that I didn’t like. 
The one season we were given was perfection. I need to get my DVD’s out. 

[malibu]

It's now on Hulu.  I spent the last two days with Angela, Jordan, Rayanne, Ricky, Patty, Graham, Brian Krakow, Sharon Chursky and the invisible Tino!!!  It's still a truly amazing show and I'm so crushed there was never a second season.  Jared Leto was just such a dreamboat, my heart still went aflutter watching him.  I'm sure I will binge again soon!!!

[JAYJAY1979]

I was a year younger than the main character...and everyone in my high school watched this.

My mom joked it was a 30 something for teens.  Little did she know it was by some of the same people.

I think season 2 would have been good...but not like the magic of season 1.

[snarts]

Just re-watched on Hulu as well.  I'm on a big nostalgia kick and most of the shows I've tried to revisit have not held up to father time.  This one does.  It's been at least 10+ years since I've watched (although I do own the DVD box set). 

While I still adore Claire as Angela, this time I was so impressed by AJ as Rayanne.  I know she married a prince or something. Too bad, I would've loved to see her in other roles. 

 

[Hiyo]

She married an earl, thus making her a countess.

She acted on and off till the early 2010s, with the last major thing she did was a recurring role on Private Practice.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

7 hours ago, snarts said:

While I still adore Claire as Angela, this time I was so impressed by AJ as Rayanne.  I know she married a prince or something. Too bad, I would've loved to see her in other roles. 

 

 

6 hours ago, Hiyo said:

She married an earl, thus making her a countess.

She's done a few tours of the castle she lives in for British tv shows!

[azshadowwalker]

Never watched this when it was first on. I had just turned 23 in 1994 and had a two-year-old. Watching high school dramas wasn't really my thing. Finally caught it on Hulu. It's okay. Not saying I relate to it. It definitely has that 30-something vibe of middle class suburbanites and their FWP, which wasn't my world as a kid or a young adult. But I guess there were much worse things on at the time. If it had come out a few years earlier, I might have gotten into it and have the nostalgia thing. As it is, it just feels like something I watched to say I had seen it.

Most of these people drive me a little crazy. The parents are incredible pushovers. Angela is far more angsty than she has any reason to be. Rayanne is exhausting. I think Rickie is the only one I could stand to be around for long. 

[Conotocarious]

Bingeing this again now. I will always be so angry I never got to see what happened. I do remember reading a few recaps of this show on television without pity and they always dumped heavily on Patty. But on my rewatch, yeah,  I can see it sometimes but most of the time I felt Graham was picking fights by being so damn sensitive all the time. He got so offended when she didn’t react exactly how he wanted her to. He just seemed so high maintenance while she had to do all the crappy adult things no one else wanted to do. Team Patty.

The best thing about this show is I relate to it differently in every stage of life. I used to think the parent parts were so boring and now with a 15 year old of my own, it’s like EXACTLY what I need.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

Team Patty.

Lifetime membership here.

Yes, Patty could make me cringe sometimes, but that's because she was real (and bless Bess Armstrong for not being afraid of the dreaded "unlikeable" [funny how that is so much more often thrown at women] and playing it honestly) -- her father and her husband's actions often effectively forced Patty's hand, but then she comes off looking like the bad guy when she does what needs to be done.  Someone needed to be a responsible adult in that family, and she got elected without ever even running, but then they all got mad at her for the way she fulfilled that responsibility. 

That's why I think the most interesting thing they had planned for season two was Angela having to step up after Graham walked out and Patty shut down.  She needed her eyes opened (which was also incredibly realistic -- no teenager gets it unless they're forced to).

[txhorns79]

On 4/16/2022 at 12:34 PM, Conotocarious said:

Team Patty.

Patty is the best.  Sometimes it feels like she is the only real adult on that show outside of the English teacher who takes Ricky in.  She is a freaking hero during Other People's Mothers.   

[Conotocarious]

5 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

Patty is the best.  Sometimes it feels like she is the only real adult on that show outside of the English teacher who takes Ricky in.  She is a freaking hero during Other People's Mothers.   

Yeah, and note who Angelia wanted when she called home for help. Not Graham. Patty. The most competent, capable adult on the show. 

[txhorns79]

2 hours ago, Conotocarious said:

The most competent, capable adult on the show. 

Seriously.  I'm also glad she saw what a disaster Rayanne's mother actually was, and realized how lucky she was to have Patty.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

I'm also glad she saw what a disaster Rayanne's mother actually was, and realized how lucky she was to have Patty.

That was really well done, the realization the Cool Parent is a lot of fun for the kid's friend, but not actually much of a parent to the kid when she's just complaining "You are way too drunk, young lady" as she gets ready to go out, and, as annoying as they are, kids need an actual parent.

The evolving relationship between Patty and Rayanne after that was great, too, with Rayanne having the same realization that "Okay, yeah, Graham is really cool to me, but the cranky lady is the one who saved my life" but it not being this sudden, 180-degree turnaround.

And, holy shit, that scene in the car back home at the end of that disastrous night, when Patty explains to Angela why Rayanne scares the shit out of her, and then breaks down when she's alone?  Fantastic.

[JAYJAY1979]

I think Patty was a major part for Bess Armstrong to play.  Most of her roles pre Patty were usually the confident career woman with a hint of sarcasm or the free spirited younger woman.

Patty was a fully 3 D character at a cross roads in her life.  Her husband and oldest daughter is distancing themselves from her, her other daughter is lost in the cross fire, and she has a complicated relationship with her own parent, along with her own peers (Sharon and Rayanne's mothers).

 

[LemonSoda]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:55 AM, JAYJAY1979 said:

I think Patty was a major part for Bess Armstrong to play.  Most of her roles pre Patty were usually the confident career woman with a hint of sarcasm or the free spirited younger woman.

Patty was a fully 3 D character at a cross roads in her life.  Her husband and oldest daughter is distancing themselves from her, her other daughter is lost in the cross fire, and she has a complicated relationship with her own parent, along with her own peers (Sharon and Rayanne's mothers).

Very beautifully said! 

[BetterButter]

 

[Palimelon]

‘Genuinely groundbreaking’: My So-Called Life is still utterly lovable TV, 30 years on.

[Bastet]

The end of that article:

Quote

But, with just 19 meandering, perfectly imperfect episodes, I’m telling you, we had a time. Didn’t we? We did. We had a time.

I haven't watched in years, but this gave me such a smile I will pull out the DVDs tonight and commence a re-watch.

[BetterButter]

Nothing on TV Felt Like My So-Called Life

Quote

Winnie Holzman reflects on the 30-year-old pilot: “Every character was trying to figure out who they were.”

 

[Bastet]

That's a great interview, and I particularly liked this, because I - a founding member of Team Patty - have always credited Bess Armstrong with not being afraid of being labeled "unlikable", which, as a woman, she inevitably would be, and instead playing Patty honestly:

Quote

... And Bess was amazing opposite him, as Patty. Did you know that a lot of people disliked her character?

No, why is that?
Bess was so good at playing a real mother, having uptight moments, having anger, and willing to be angry. You know, an angry woman is very upsetting to the American public. Americans can hardly handle that, even to this day. Bess was willing to be feisty, to be difficult, to be in a bad mood, to be. She was a real person! That was the one bit of feedback I was hearing from the network.

How did you respond? 
I just ignored it. They kept saying to me, “She’s so unlikable.”

 

[heatherchandler]

Funny how I thought the mom was the worst when I watched this as a teenager.  Watching this as a mom, she’s the hero of the show.

[Palimelon]

I think it's not uncommon to change your views as you get older. Your perception on a story and characters changes because you're no longer viewing it as a kid. See 90210's "Donna Martin Graduates!" as an example.