The Baby-Sitters Club - General Discussion

[JAYJAY1979]

So I'm a guy that kind of read the books as a kid.  I like that the show has combined the original elements with a 2020 sensibility. 

I knew Dawn would be the one to be changed from caucasian...and I always thought as a kid that Mary Ann was mixed..and I figured maybe her father and mother faced discrimination as a couple..and he became over protective of Mary Ann because he wanted to keep her safe.

And Alicia Silverstone is totally at home as Elizabeth..who knew.

[starri]

The fact that they made Karen less bratty and more like Wednesday Addams was a good call.

Also, goodness gracious is Mr. Kishi hot.

[Ms Blue Jay]

The music seems cute too.

6 minutes ago, starri said:

Also, goodness gracious is Mr. Kishi hot.

That's right.

[starri]

Whoa, Charlotte Johanssen has two moms?  

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 minutes ago, starri said:

Whoa, Charlotte Johanssen has two moms?  

Yeah, one is a doctor.

[starri]

Yeah, she was the town pediatrician in the books.  I was highly confused when Stacey referred to Mrs. Johanssen the art teacher, until I realized the woman she was with was her wife.

I didn't think it was possible to make the Baby-Sitters Agency more loathsome, but the 21st Century provided a method to do that.  I also liked that they updated Stacey's diabetes treatment to something more contemporary.  

And Elizabeth made a Handmaiden's Tale joke.  This show gets me.

[Spencer Hastings]

Can we also appreciate the fact that the show made the Sharon Porter/Mrs. Porter connection AND that Morbidda Destiny is actually a witch?!

ETA: I also love that the parents are taking a bigger role.  They’re still background players but they’re showing us that these girls are kids and need their parents sometimes, which they didn’t do in the earlier show, film, or books really.  They’re not just existing, they’re interacting with and standing up for their kids (Sharon to Mrs. Barrett, Kristy’s mom during the meeting with the parents in episode 3).  Richard Spier actually talks to girls besides Mary Anne!

Edited July 3, 2020 by Spencer Hastings

[Ms Blue Jay]

20 minutes ago, starri said:

Yeah, she was the town pediatrician in the books. 

I think she's a different type of doctor in the show though.  I don't remember what kind.  Endocrinologist?

[starri]

I promise to stop doing episode by episode commentaries, but I loved, loved, LOVED that Mary Anne's way of finding her voice was to tell a doctor and a nurse not to misgender a trans girl.

[Guest]

I’m really impressed how they were able to modernize and stay true to the books. Amazingly seamless job of weaving in things like transgender issues and Japanese internment camps.

The only thing that took me out of the show was Marc Evan Jackson reminding me of his character on the Good Place. That got better once Richard relaxed. 

[Spencer Hastings]

38 minutes ago, Dani said:

The only thing that took me out of the show was Marc Evan Jackson reminding me of his character on the Good Place. That got better once Richard relaxed. 

Same.  I was really amused watching Demon Shawn try to be uptight and rigid Richard but it was easier once Richard loosened up.

[starri]

40 minutes ago, Dani said:

The only thing that took me out of the show was Marc Evan Jackson reminding me of his character on the Good Place. That got better once Richard relaxed. 

"Have you ever heard of Queer Eye?"

"Of course...they're not here, are they?"

[peace355]

Loving this, 6 episodes in. It's great that they've got the essence of each book without including everything. All the main characters are absolutely perfect, and like others say they've mixed the modern and classic smoothly. Like Stacey's embarrassment of a diabetic episode now has more layers with it being put on internet, or Elizabeth Brewer having to get over paywall to get on babysitting website, before Kristy's great idea.

Some favourite parts:

• Each girl getting to narrate there own episode and the writing/credits changing to match them.
• Kristy saying a boy would never have been made to right an essay about decorum
• Stacey's blue sparkly monitor that she shows off after her diabetes has been revealed
• Richard looking at photo of Mary Anne's mother decorating her room
• Dawn's mother sticking up for her daughter with Mrs Barrett (also they made Mr Barrett more reasonable in his taking of Buddy!)
• Mary Anne correcting the doctors about Bailey.
• Claudia's outfits, loved her halloween costume and her Ruth Bader Ginsberg look for her maths test.

Have restrained from binging in 1 day but won't last the whole weekend!

[FozzyBear]

I didn’t mean to but I binged the whole show. I loved it! It’s a wonderful children’s show that can be equally enjoyed by adults without being aimed at adults. All kids media should be able to achieve that but few really do. I love that this show thinks the world of teenage girls deserves respect and treats all the characters with such lovely nuance. And it’s funny! I actually laughed out loud at several episodes. Just a great show. I can’t wait for season 2.

[andromeda331]

I watched them all. I loved it. I loved the characters. They each did a great job. It didn't take long to see each actress as Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory and Jessi. I loved each episode starting with the narration and had the matching handwriting. There were a few changes from each book but I liked it for the most part. They made sense. They did move Kristy's Big Day to the episode right before the two part camping ones. But it made sense. I liked Mary Anne correcting the doctors too. Good for her. Kristy's right a boy wouldn't have to write a paper on decorum. Sharon sticking up for Dawn. I liked seeing Sharon and Elizabeth talking. That was nice. I can't believe how quickly I got used to Alicia Silverstone as Elizabeth. That was one that worried me the most. I kept thinking right up until it started that she'd be the perfect Sharon. But she was really great as Elizabeth. 

The only question I have at the moment is does Jeff not exist in the series? At first I thought maybe he stayed in California with Jack but he was never mentioned once. I'm not sure if it makes much difference. 

[Scarlett45]

I am going to start watching tonight. This should be such fun. 

[geauxaway]

Just finished episode 1.  Kristy saying her mom wasn’t “clueless” made me chuckle.  Went right over my sons head tho. 

[Linny]

I sat down this afternoon planning to watch a few episodes of this show and wound up bingeing the whole thing. No regrets; the show pulled off a modern spin on the wholesome heritage of the books in a seriously impressive way. A lot of credit goes to the young cast, who were all likeable and engaging as individuals and full of chemistry as a group. But I think what I appreciated most was that this didn't seem like a reboot standing solely on the legs of nostalgia. The nods to history were nice (Claudia's see-through phone purchased from Etsy was especially cute), but the show has its own voice and perspective for an audience in 2020 and beyond. It blended the memories of the book series with just the right amount of adapted elements to turn this into something unique; a creation where the characters feel comfortingly familiar but still utterly relevant to kids discovering the BSC for the very first time.

[BelleBrit]

I feel like this was better than it had any right to be, and I was impressed with how cleverly it was written and the modernization seemed pretty organic and not forced. It is jarring how young everyone looks, but I agree that it’s probably just because we are so used to seeing older actors and actresses cast as younger. BTW, I learned in that Vulture oral history of the Babysitter’s Club movie that the actress who played Stacey, and was 14 at the time, had her first kiss in the scene where she kissed Luca in the movie, who was 22! I knew that the actor was older, but I really did not know that he was that old. That makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. I hope that the show gets a second season, and do one of the mysteries. Or, at least let us get to see the secret passage in Dawn's house. Here are some of my other random thoughts-

*Periods exist in this BSC universe! I am pretty certain that while bras were mentioned in the books, periods were never discussed.

*There were so many details, like the handwriting, that they got right from the books, they really could not find a boy from Kentucky or who could at least do an accent to play Logan?

*Sea City looked dreadful.

Edited July 4, 2020 by BelleBrit

[KaveDweller]

6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I think she's a different type of doctor in the show though.  I don't remember what kind.  Endocrinologist?

Endocrinologist, yes. I guess because they treat a lot of diabetics and wanted to explain that's how she would recognize the insulin pump and know that Stacey was managing her symptoms well. 

7 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

Can we also appreciate the fact that the show made the Sharon Porter/Mrs. Porter connection AND that Morbidda Destiny is actually a witch?!

Okay, so that's why they did it. I had forgotten Sharon's maiden name and was puzzled by the connection. But I also love they made Morbidda Destiny an actual witch. And that she knew Karen thought she was a witch and didn't seem to mind.

I really liked it. The actresses all felt right for the characters, and I especially loved Claudia and Dawn. They just felt like such refreshing, joyful characters. I also enjoyed all the Mary Anne/Richard interaction.

I also thought that little girl playing Karen was hilarious. She made me laugh every time she broke out with one of her creepy statements.

[starri]

I really disliked the HBO series and not all of the movie really worked for me either.

Rachel Shukert knocked this out of the park.  I have no idea how they managed to take something 35 years old--as beloved as it is--update it for the vastly different world of 2020, and have basically EVERYTHING work. There was a book called Paperback Crush that as published two or three years ago that was a surprisingly deep dive into the history of the roots of YA and middle-grade literature.  Ann M Martin managed to capture lightning in a bottle the way other authors who tried the same formula never could.  The show pulled the same trick off.

3 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

I liked seeing Sharon and Elizabeth talking.

I loved that too.  Especially Elizabeth's spit-take when Sharon was talking about dating Richard.  The thing that I really liked is that even though the focus clearly wasn't on the parents, they all felt lived in and like a group of adults that traveled in the same social circles.

14 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

I also thought that little girl playing Karen was hilarious. She made me laugh every time she broke out with one of her creepy statements.

"It's dark enough in the grave."

[Scarlett45]

Omg I just bought the watermelon earrings from Target that Claudia is wearing in episode 2!!! I feel so cool although I’m old enough to be her damn Mom (eeeekkkk). However I wear them with the slice facing my cheek. 

[Scarlett45]

11 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

and I always thought as a kid that Mary Ann was mixed..and I figured maybe her father and mother faced discrimination as a couple..and he became over protective of Mary Ann because he wanted to keep her safe.

Yeah. And of course a single Dad who’s wife had died when the child was just baby would have lots of “Mom guilt”, and concern he was doing the right thing. Add to that the challenges a white man would face raising a black daughter, Richard’s characterization felt very real. I just finished “Mary- Anne saves the day”. 

[Sarahsmile416]

Watching the Truth About Stacey now - loved this book as a kid because it was so informative about Diabetes.  I appreciated that AMM treated the readers like they deserved to know the unvarnished truth about T1 Diabetes, not some whitewashed version of it.  At 27, I was diagnosed with T1 and I was able to recognize all the signs because of this book.  
 

In other news, the girl who plays Lacy (Liz) Lewis reminds me so much of Amanda Bynes it’s freaking me out lol

[FozzyBear]

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Yeah. And of course a single Dad who’s wife had died when the child was just baby would have lots of “Mom guilt”, and concern he was doing the right thing. Add to that the challenges a white man would face raising a black daughter, Richard’s characterization felt very real. I just finished “Mary- Anne saves the day”. 

I also thought it gave nice nuance to his comment about keeping Mary Anne’s hair in braids because that was the only way her mom taught him to do her hair. I’m pretty sure that’s actually paraphrased from the scene in the book, but it meant so much more in the context of a white man trying to raise a biracial girl and being terrified he’d screw it up. 
I think that’s what this show did so well. It just allowed for the world to become a little bit fuller and then let the plot of the books live in that world. This show is a god damn miracle. I had no idea how badly I was missing a show that respected tween girls until I saw this. Just lovely. 

[meatball77]

This really was perfect.  I'm amazed by how they were able to update it and still make it so close to what I remember. 

[idiotwaltz]

Just watched the first episode and loved it. It’s adorable. I love that the show actually hired 13-year-olds to play themselves. I was 8 or 9 when I first got into the books and 13 seemed so grownup to me. 20-odd years later, these girls look positively like babies to me. Such a refreshing change from watching oversexualised “teens” on TV. 

Edited July 4, 2020 by idiotwaltz

[Annber03]

28 minutes ago, idiotwaltz said:

I was 8 or 9 when I first got into the books and 13 seemed so grownup to me. 20-odd years later, these girls look positively like babies to me.

I thought the exact same thing myself! I feel so protective of these girls!

I just binged the entire season as well, and THIS IS PERFECT. Oh, my god, the nostalgia, the memories... I loved all the little details, like the flashlights and Mary Anne's fascination with New York and the fact the girls' handwriting looked as it did in the books. And Louie! Ohhhh, I was both really happy and kinda sad to see Louie, 'cause, well...anyone who's read the books knows why. 

Spoiler

Same with Mimi. I love Mimi and I would be perfectly okay if, should this show get another season, they skipped the book where she dies.

And yet they handled the transition to the current day so perfectly, too. I loved the way they brought in social media, I loved the nods to current pop culture (the "Queer Eye" line made me laugh, too-poor confused Richard :p), and I really liked how they handled a lot of the big issues and topics that are out there nowadays. Everything with Mary Anne and Bailey was so well done, and I hope if there's another season we get to meet Dawn's dads, 'cause from what little we saw of them they seem lovely. I also love what they did with Charlotte's family. 

14 hours ago, peace355 said:

Stacey's embarrassment of a diabetic episode now has more layers with it being put on internet

That whole storyline actually got me a bit choked up. I really like how they handled that, too-not just Stacey's embarrassment of it, but the fallout in terms of how it affected the club and the parents' concerns, and then later Stacey and Laine having to address all that went down with that video, too. Seeing the girls stand up for Stacey when the parents were unsure was really touching and sweet. 

I also got emotional in the episode where Kristy lashed out in hurt after seeing all these other kids' dads wanting to spend time with them while she hasn't seen hers in years. They did really well with her hesitations and issues over her mom remarrying, and all the changes they had to adjust to (especially in regards to money). I fully agree with everyone about Alicia Silverstone, she's fantastic in this, her scenes with Kristy are so good. It's great to see her on screen again. 

Quote

Claudia's outfits, loved her halloween costume and her Ruth Bader Ginsberg look for her maths test.

Her Ginsberg look was freaking adorable. Also adorable? The whole thing with her and Trevor. Go for it, Claudia!

I also liked how they introduced Mallory and Jessi into the story and how they became part of the club. 

16 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

Can we also appreciate the fact that the show made the Sharon Porter/Mrs. Porter connection AND that Morbidda Destiny is actually a witch?!

Esme is great. I love how she was just like, "Yeah, I'm a witch, what of it?" :p. And Karen is a trip. The stuff with her doll was hilarious.

18 hours ago, starri said:

Also, goodness gracious is Mr. Kishi hot.

Yes. 

Also, wow, Janine looks like she could be related to the girl who played that character in the HBO series (which I also personally loved, along with the movie). 

Yeah. This was absolutely lovely and sweet and fun and I really hope there's more seasons of this coming because there's so many more great stories and books they can delve into and explore. Kudos to all involved for pulling this off so well. 

[idiotwaltz]

Quote

the fact the girls' handwriting looked as it did in the books

This! Stacey’s handwriting stuck with me most, with the little hearts over the i’s and the typeface lower-case A’s. I tried to write my A’s like that for two weeks when I was 10, it was too damn inconvenient. I love that each girl got a chance to narrate her own episode but appreciate not having to go through the standard recap of how the club is run and who does what, which took up at least half a chapter in each book.

I’ve just finished episode 4 and oh, my heart. Claud and her phantom caller. Stacey’s entire storyline. Mary Anne and Dawn’s first encounter brought back memories of meeting my high school best friend for the first time. The actors nailed the naked desperation of an introverted middle-school girl wanting to make a new friend but not really knowing how, and the palpable relief when somebody else doesn’t think you’re totally uncool. 
 

Quote

I also thought that little girl playing Karen was hilarious. She made me laugh every time she broke out with one of her creepy statements.

“Krakatoa was an atheist.” I love this Karen. Book Karen was annoying, at least in the two Little Sister books I read. 

[Annber03]

12 minutes ago, idiotwaltz said:

This! Stacey’s handwriting stuck with me most, with the little hearts over the i’s and the typeface lower-case A’s. I tried to write my A’s like that for two weeks when I was 10, it was too damn inconvenient.

LOL, same here :D. 

 

Quote

Mary Anne and Dawn’s first encounter brought back memories of meeting my high school best friend for the first time. The actors nailed the naked desperation of an introverted middle-school girl wanting to make a new friend but not really knowing how, and the palpable relief when somebody else doesn’t think you’re totally uncool. 

This series just really reinforced how much I identify with Mary Anne. I was the quiet, shy girl, too, and her whole struggle to stand up for herself more...yeah, I know that feeling. And yet I also appreciated Dawn's interest in social causes, 'cause, same and Claudia's love for art. 

Quote

“Krakatoa was an atheist.” I love this Karen. Book Karen was annoying, at least in the two Little Sister books I read. 

I wonder if this series will still have her doing the whole thing of having two different sets of things, one for when she's at her mom's house and one for when she's at her dad's. 

[starri]

47 minutes ago, idiotwaltz said:

Book Karen was annoying,

Yes.  I wanted to applaud when Watson told Kristy "I know Karen is a lot."  

56 minutes ago, idiotwaltz said:

Stacey’s entire storyline

So much this.  

[Scarlett45]

I love the way they are styling Mary Anne’s hair. I had a gazillion of those clips as a 13year old. And she tied her hair up for the beach. YASSS. 
 

Jeanne and Claudia are a different as night and day, but Claudia learned a lot from her big sister after Mimi’s stroke. I am surprised that Claudia didn’t know Mimi was interned as a child- of course I understand why Mimi wouldn’t want to talk about it, but their Mom didn’t tell her?
 

They have Kristy styled in a very 80s/early 90s way- I also wore turtlenecks under sweatshirts as a little kid. 

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Jeanne and Claudia are a different as night and day, but Claudia learned a lot from her big sister after Mimi’s stroke. I am surprised that Claudia didn’t know Mimi was interned as a child- of course I understand why Mimi wouldn’t want to talk about it, but their Mom didn’t tell her?

That doesn’t surprise me at all. Trying to get information about the Japanese side of my family is an exercise in futility. I have no clue what it was like for my grandparents in Hawaii during WWII.  

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Dani said:

That doesn’t surprise me at all. Trying to get information about the Japanese side of my family is an exercise in futility. I have no clue what it was like for my grandparents in Hawaii during WWII.  

Thank you for sharing. 
 

If finished the season. I want it to get a second season it’s so cute! The young ladies are great actors, and the subjects are relevant yet age appropriate. I find a lot of tv writers can’t do “tween” well. Cute 5/6 year old with a good vocabulary and 16+ are always written for, but many kids 8-15 are written like babies. 
 

This show is something people can watch with their young kids and smile. 

[geauxaway]

What’s the word on a season 2?  I hope they do it like they did Fuller House and The Ranch, where it was about every 6 months for a new season, not a whole dang year.

[Scarlett45]

4 minutes ago, geauxaway said:

What’s the word on a season 2?  I hope they do it like they did Fuller House and The Ranch, where it was about every 6 months for a new season, not a whole dang year.

With all filming being delayed due to Covid19 it could be a while. The Handmaid’s Tale was mid production and won’t be back until 2021. 

[geauxaway]

2 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

With all filming being delayed due to Covid19 it could be a while. The Handmaid’s Tale was mid production and won’t be back until 2021. 

Oh yah, duh!  For a minute I honestly forgot about all that.  🤦🏻‍♀️

[PRgal]

On 7/3/2020 at 12:45 PM, JAYJAY1979 said:

So I'm a guy that kind of read the books as a kid.  I like that the show has combined the original elements with a 2020 sensibility. 

I knew Dawn would be the one to be changed from caucasian...and I always thought as a kid that Mary Ann was mixed..and I figured maybe her father and mother faced discrimination as a couple..and he became over protective of Mary Ann because he wanted to keep her safe.

And Alicia Silverstone is totally at home as Elizabeth..who knew.

I never assumed that about Mary Anne - probably because the covers always depicted her as Caucasian (but the whole hair comment totally makes sense...Mary Anne's mom never taught her husband how to do "Black hair").  I was hoping that another sitter - Stacey, perhaps - would be "changed" - Dawn is supposed to be a stereotypically blonde California girl.  And I like how Mimi no longer has that "soft, rolling accent" because she's not an immigrant!  Janine still looks like...Janine.  Ugh.  

But the whole series makes me feel really ancient.  A series based on iconic books from my childhood featuring an actress playing the mother of one of the characters who was an icon when I was a teen.  I guess I know how my mom felt when she saw Hayley Mills on the first season of Saved by the Bell (well, it was repackaged as Saved by the Bell...it was Good Morning, Miss Bliss before it was part of NBC's Saturday mornings.  I didn't know that until I was much older.  I live in Canada and we didn't have the Disney Channel).

[KaveDweller]

2 hours ago, PRgal said:

I never assumed that about Mary Anne - probably because the covers always depicted her as Caucasian (but the whole hair comment totally makes sense...Mary Anne's mom never taught her husband how to do "Black hair").  I was hoping that another sitter - Stacey, perhaps - would be "changed" - Dawn is supposed to be a stereotypically blonde California girl.  And I like how Mimi no longer has that "soft, rolling accent" because she's not an immigrant!  Janine still looks like...Janine.  Ugh.  

In the book where they sit for the racist family, the racist family had a problem with Jessi and Claudia, but liked Mary Anne. So I don't think book Mary Anne was supposed to biracial. But I liked the change for the show and the hair comment did have much more meaning from it.

[pigs-in-space]

I binged the entire series today and loved it. I’m another mid-30s woman who grew up first reading the Little Sister books, then the BSC books. They did a great job updating it for a modern audience, and I honestly loved the changes they did make. All 5 girls were really charming and relatable.

Karen had me laughing out loud multiple times, and they had me crying during the episode where Mimi had a stroke. The parents were also great. Here’s hoping for another season!

If they do another super special I hope it’s the blizzard one.

Edited July 5, 2020 by pigs-in-space

[PRgal]

21 minutes ago, pigs-in-space said:

I binged the entire series today and loved it. I’m another mid-30s woman who grew up first reading the Little Sister books, then the BSC books. They did a great job updating it for a modern audience, and I honestly loved the changes they did make. All 5 girls were really charming and relatable.

Karen had me laughing out loud multiple times, and they had me crying during the episode where Mimi had a stroke. The parents were also great. Here’s hoping for another season!

If they do another super special I hope it’s the blizzard one.

The ski trip one?  

[Jenniferbug]

Shut. Up. Marc Evan Jackson as Richard Spier?! Best casting ever. 

Cher/Alicia Silverstone as a mother of teenagers was a nice reminder of how old I am and how long it's been since I read these books!

I'm only halfway through the second episode but I love this so much. It is charming and adorable, and these are the characters that I grew up with ❤

[Unraveled]

This is definitely the most accurate adaptation of the book series. Most TV/movie adaptations don't quite measure up, but I think this is a perfect balance. I loved the updates they have chosen to make while not really straying far off the books. Everyone's already brought up the diversity, but I like the others. I found myself liking Dawn more in the series vs the books. TV Dawn wasn't as "CA crunchy stereotype," and I like the updates to her as a modern social justice warrior.

The structure of how the baby-sitters club works doesn't really make sense in modern times. Why is a landline phone needed? Why are there only limited times that parents call for babysitting? Why would anyone trust 11-13 year old children to babysit slightly younger children?

The camp episodes were great and was a book end to the season. It's interesting how they brought Laine Cummings into the fold.

Even though I enjoyed Marc Evan Jackson in "The Good Place," he has a special place in my heart as Raymond Holt's husband, Kevin, in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

Edited July 5, 2020 by Unraveled

[Ms Blue Jay]

7 hours ago, PRgal said:

I never assumed that about Mary Anne - probably because the covers always depicted her as Caucasian (but the whole hair comment totally makes sense...Mary Anne's mom never taught her husband how to do "Black hair").  I was hoping that another sitter - Stacey, perhaps - would be "changed" - Dawn is supposed to be a stereotypically blonde California girl.  And I like how Mimi no longer has that "soft, rolling accent" because she's not an immigrant!  Janine still looks like...Janine.  Ugh.  

Yeah, it's kind of tough.  Claudia and Dawn were always my favourites growing up.  So now, no more Dawn the way we "knew" her.  But, watching the series I didn't miss the "old" Dawn.  It would have been cool to change Stacey's race because she's the sophisticated New Yorker!  One blonde would have been more than enough. So I like your idea.

[pigs-in-space]

3 hours ago, PRgal said:

The ski trip one?  

Nope! This one! Although I was also a big fan of this crazy one where parents let two 13 year olds take their kids sailing, only to then get stranded on a desert island.

ETA: I also forgot to mention that even though Watson was described as rich in the books, I don’t think I realized that he was $800 dress rich. Also, the Pikes must be loaded too, they just have more kids. 

Edited July 5, 2020 by pigs-in-space

[Spencer Hastings]

The tv series does a great job showcasing how rich Watson must be. I always figured he must’ve been pretty loaded.  Most of the girls seemed well off, even the single moms.  The girls all live in a quaint suburb outside of Stamford CT(the real estate prices are insane), their fathers all seemed to be bankers or lawyers, and Stacey came from a 2-3 bedroom apartment with a doorman in the most exclusive part of Manhattan and still got nervous going to rich Watson’s mansion. Karen was in private school, he bankrolled at least one of their vacations....Watson wasn’t just rich, he was old money rich. 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Spencer Hastings

[ruby24]

I think one change that should have been made was that now, isn't it more likely that Elizabeth and Watson would have lived together before getting married? Her kids had never even been to his house?

Kristy is really well cast. Almost exactly how I always pictured her. Man, it's weird how this show is giving me bizarre flashbacks to my childhood and adolescence. I started with Little Sister and then moved on to BSC, and I owned and read ALL of the books and I kind of knew them by heart.

And what's even crazier is that I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 13 and I remember telling my brother to bring me my copies of The Truth About Stacey and Stacey's Emergency while I was in the hospital, just so I could re-read again how T1 worked (when I first started getting symptoms, I felt like I knew what this was BECAUSE of the BSC books!). So these books were very close to my heart in more ways than one, especially Stacey. 

[idiotwaltz]

Quote

Although I was also a big fan of this crazy one where parents let two 13 year olds take their kids sailing, only to then get stranded on a desert island.

I remember that one. Wasn’t one of the girls sailing with a 4-year-old who got sick while they were stranded? 

Finished the series, absolutely loved it. Social activist Dawn cracked my shit up. Marc Evan Jackson as Mary Anne’s Dad is perfect. The young actresses were each perfect in her role but I thought the girl who played Kristy was especially good. 

 

[pigs-in-space]

7 minutes ago, idiotwaltz said:

I remember that one. Wasn’t one of the girls sailing with a 4-year-old who got sick while they were stranded? 

Finished the series, absolutely loved it. Social activist Dawn cracked my shit up. Marc Evan Jackson as Mary Anne’s Dad is perfect. The young actresses were each perfect in her role but I thought the girl who played Kristy was especially good. 

 

Lol yes! This review covers it pretty well.

Kristy was always my least favorite character but they made me like her so kudos for that!

[ruby24]

Okay, I'm five eps in. So this is a different Dawn, huh? I'm guessing they felt okay to change her the most because, well, I'm not sure she was ever the most popular (so much so that they actually ship her back to CA eventually- and I always WAY preferred her replacement, Abby). And Jeff doesn't even exist? I do like this Sharon (she always annoyed me in the books). The actress who plays Dawn is really good though- I'm thinking she might be the best next to Kristy.

And now there's a desire in me to see Kristy be a lesbian in this new version, now that they can acknowledge things like that. I know she had that boyfriend Bart at one point, but if they ever get to that storyline it might be the perfect catalyst for her to make that realization, since she always eventually backed off from the boys who liked her, even if she considered it. It would make perfect sense, honestly (plus, with Ann Martin being gay herself, to my mind that just really confirms Kristy's identity and probably why she never genuinely wanted to have a real boyfriend in the books- it has to be the case, as the alter ego).

Edited July 5, 2020 by ruby24