Joan of Arcadia. This show drives me nuts. Completely. Before I started watching, I heard rumours that it was a bit similar to My So-Called Life, and it sure is. Don't get me wrong, My So-Called Life is way better as a TV show, and still one of my all time favourites, while this one is hardly on the top 10 list – but, they do drive me equally nuts.
There is nothing that bugs me as much – on TV shows – as when parents get mad at their kids for something they were not in control of. Parents yelling at their kids; kids yelling at their parents; kids in the end giving up, saying they're sorry – and actually being sorry – even though they had every reason to do what they did, and couldn't possibly have done anything differently. What's up with punishing your kids? What's up with "grounding" teenagers? Who grounds adults, who punishes them when they mess up? Everybody messes up dammit, and everybody feels bad enough about it without having other people making them feel twice as bad. It just kills when kids/teenagers/whatever don't stand up to their parents even though they're right! I would never – not when I lived at home either – agreed that I had done something wrong if I hadn't. Some things are just not in your control, some things just happen without it being anyone's fault.
Now, Joan's parents are ok. Her dad does drive me nuts, I really can't stand him, to be honest – but he's got nothing on Angela's mom. Angela's mom (on My So-Called Life), is probably one of the most awful fictional characters every created. She isn't evil, she isn't even mean, she actually tries to do – and believes she is doing – the right thing. She thinks she is a good mother when she tries to control every little thing that goes on in her daughter's life – and that is what makes me sick. That makes her disgusting and Angela a chicken/a hero for not standing up to her, for still letting her into her life.
The creepy thing is that this woman is a realistic character. There are probably thousands of mothers just like her, and they all believe they are good parents – hell there are probably teenages who think that those mothers are good parents!
This makes me think of 7th Heaven. And I won't get started on that show – cause I honestly don't think I need to – but I know people (Swedes god damn it!) who are of the opinion that this is a perfect family. And I honestly could not imagine a more creepy family than the 7th Heaven one. For real. I'd like to see the episode where Lucy tells her oh so sweet parents that she's a girl-loving lesbian, and how awesomely perfect they'd react to something like that. (Whatever, never mind me.)
Now. Joan of Arcadia and My So-Called Life. Both endearing shows. Both with semi-alternative (yet not annoyingly clich̩-alternative) characters and drive-me-nuts-y (err) yet oddly adorable families... But give me abreak. Joan of Arcadia is ok, but it sure as hell ain't no My So-Called Life. The cool thing about MSCL is that it feels real. Angela, Rayanne and Rickie feel real. Claire Danes is an actress who really lets us experience her character's thoughts, feelings and ideas. Both JoA's Joan and MSCL's Angela do stupid shit, they mess up badly from time to time Рbut with Angela, it feels real. I don't blame her for the things she does, it doesn't make me like her the least bit less, because I'm allowed to Рwith the help of Claire Рsee right in to her soul. So to speak.
I've seen 22 episodes of JoA, and I still don't know Joan. She still doesn't manage to touch me. Unfortunately. But for one reason or another – Angela, Claire and My So-Called Life always have, and still really do.
3 comments:
i've never seen JoA, but i am so with you on my so called life and 7th heaven. the parents are so iritating. i recorded all of the episodes of my so called life and would fast forward through all of the parts that the mom was in. what a bitch!
Mm, haven't watched enough Joan to really know but I really agree about MSCL, I was always eh disgousted by her mom in that way you describe.. But I could never really say exactly what was so bad about her, and yeah, I remember that some of my friends thought she was a good mom, around the time it first aired in sweden or something..
Hmm.. i dont agree about Angela's mum in MSCL. on the odd occasion she was restriictive of what ANgela did, and pryed a little too much, but i found that normal. especially since angela is 15 yrs old. i liked the contrast between angela's mum and rayanne's mum. they were both trying their best, i suppose, but i think rayanne's mum was treating her daughter more like she was 19/20 than 15, and that was a problem. i found Rayanne's mum to be annoying and horrid, not angela's. i think sometimes angela was silly and should have listened to her mum, but of course, the whole thing with ricky showed Angela's mum to be a bit silly, but she always had angela's best interests at heart. i never disliekd her, but i also never disliked angela. god, that show was so great and i connected with it sooo much.
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