Gilmore Girls<\/i> is my favorite show of all time<\/i>, and when I heard that Amy Sherman-Palladino was writing another show, I had <\/i>to watch it. Bunheads<\/i>\u00a0(ABC Family) did not disappoint! Although the story line is different, it made me realize why I like Gilmore Girls<\/i>\u00a0and Sherman-Palladino\u2019s work so so much. Bunheads has the same clever and fast-paced dialogue that I love and missed (and A S-P apparently can\u2019t get enough of Waiting for Godot <\/i>jokes). Like the citizens of Stars Hollow, the kooky residents of Paradise, CA, remind us that we are all a little bit crazy. It was even fun to see a few familiar faces, like Liza Weil, Kelly Bishop, Sean Gunn and Rose Abdoo, in new and equally wonderful roles.<\/p>\n
Needless to say I am extremely sad <\/i>that the show has been cancelled. I am sad because I think more shows should be like this one. I am sad because if I had a daughter or a little sister, this is the kind of show I would want her to be watching.<\/p>\n
The girls (Sasha, Ginny, Boo, and Melanie) are good role models. They are passionate and dedicated young ladies who spend hours everyday practicing the thing they love until they get it right. At the same time, they are still normal teenage girls who enjoy sleepovers and going to the movies. No one is without flaws, yet they are intelligent, talented and motivated, and these qualities help them navigate the drama that friends, family, and romance bring to their lives.<\/p>\n
Example: at the end of the season, Sasha decides that she wants to have sex. But she wants to make sure she is ready, she wants to be informed! So she rounds up Boo, Ginny, and Melanie…and they read about it. They go to the library. <\/i>She seeks the advice of a trusted adult.<\/em> This plot development, where Sasha and Boo consider taking their relationships to the next level, was handled in such a refreshing (and adorable!) way. Sex wasn\u2019t made \u201cunsexy\u201d but it was treated like the real and very major decision that it is, and I think more people need to see that kind of behavior on television.<\/p>\n The ballet itself also makes the show special.\u00a0The girls aren\u2019t just attending class–performances add another artistic dimension to the episodes that is really beautiful. I’m not a dancer (and I imagine that people who do dance will have a different response to this aspect of the show) but I really came to see dancing as the form of expression that it is. The moments when Michelle and the girls are dancing were an essential part of the storytelling, like dialogue and music.<\/p>\n For example, this scene<\/a>\u00a0which\u00a0expresses Sasha’s emotional turmoil, or the final scene<\/a> of the show, a dance to “Makin’ Whoopee”–a fitting musical choice in light of the episode.<\/p>\n James Poniewozik wrote a great article<\/a>\u00a0for TIME about the show. The importance of the show, he says, is \u201cto prove that there are different kinds of stories worth telling outside the usual genres.\u201d He also writes, (and I\u2019m quoting him because I literally cannot say it better): \u201cBut death is not the only thing that makes your life worthy of your attention. There\u2019s growing up, finding your limitations, learning who you are. There\u2019s being grown up, being forced to reassess your life, figuring out who you still can be. There\u2019s wanting things and pursuing a calling\u2013which does not always have to be building the largest meth operation in the Southwest.\u201d\u00a0 Bunheads <\/i>is not Breaking Bad*<\/i>–it doesn\u2019t have that kind of suspenseful, high-stakes, high-adrenaline feel, but that might make it all the more worth watching. And like Poniewozik also points out–between Fanny, Michelle, and the girls–this show speaks to multiple generations<\/p>\n I am disappointed, but I’m not the only one. I hope to see more from Amy Sherman-Palladino in the future, and some more creative and intelligent shows like Bunheads\u00a0<\/em>on television.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Poniewozik, James. “On the Importance of Bunheads”.\u00a0TIME.\u00a0<\/em>26 Feb. 2013 Web. 4 Aug 2013\u00a0http:\/\/entertainment.time.com\/2013\/02\/26\/on-the-importance-of-bunheads\/<\/p>\n *I am not hating on Breaking Bad.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gilmore Girls is my favorite show of all time, and when I heard that Amy Sherman-Palladino was writing another show, I had to watch it. Bunheads\u00a0(ABC Family) did not disappoint! Although the story line is different, it made me realize … Continue reading