And that’s just a “surprised” exclamation, not necessarily a disappointed one. Although, I am a little dissatisfied with Make It or Break It’s decision to go so heavy on sex and sexy. Why fall back on defaults when you don’t need it?
Even so, the fashion show provided us with a nice glimpse into some of the mother/daughter dynamics on the show. Payson (Ayla Kell) and Kim (Peri Gilpin), Emily (Chelsea Hobbs) and Chloe (Susan Ward), Lauren (Cassie Scerbo) and Dad’s girlfriend Summer (Candace Cameron Bure). But, by the way; where was everyone else? Realizing that the show focuses on a core group, why was there virtually no other mothers present in the initial fundraising meeting, or at the fashion show itself? Is the budget too tight at ABC Family for a large ensemble of extras?
Before I forget; I should apologize to Frannie (Tiffany Dupont) from Greek….
A few weeks ago, I compared Lauren to you … she is the devil to your Gabriel. My bad, because, oh, how bad is she? That is one nasty snake-in-the-grass. Actually, I was expecting her to march right over to daddy, and tell him all about Summer’s dirty little secret. My guess at this point is that she plans to do just that, at a time and place to be announced. No way did her little chat with Summer change her personality.
And what’s up with Lauren looking to sabotage Emily, again? I got it in the qualifying competition, but taking her dress? Speaking of, I thought, before and after she wore it, that it was a shirt, but that’s besides the point; why does Lauren have it in for Emily? Just because she’s different? I feel as if there needs to be a bit more for Lauren, and the show, to have ground to stand on with that.
The change in Payson was a bit too radical for the course of only one hour. From locking horns with Sasha (Neil Jackson) over wasting her time, to dancing down the catwalk with her mom, there had to be a little more effort put into her growth. At least for me to see it this week, and in any sustaining form going forward.
The Bro Code has, unfortunately, not made it to Colorado. Razor (Nico Tortorella) specifically told Not-Razor, or Damon (Johnny Pacar), that Emily was hands-off; so, not only did the latter kiss her, but he also showed up at the fashion show, and bought her jacket/dress. He’s also pretty skeevy (the character), and a 28 year-old playing a teen (the actor). I like Not-Razor.
The truth is that I don’t outright mind any of these things, and the show could go on just fine with (or without) said themes. It’s just … for my money, an older audience needs more than the girly-girls, the love triangles, the teen-angst, the emotional blech. I enjoyed this week’s episode, but what’s been attracting me to the show overall is the equal balance of sport, competition, young athletic pressure, and the politics of Olympic sports.
The risk that Make It or Break It may be running is devolving into another gooey teen show, instead of one that can also bring in the (somewhat) older crowd. Now, I’ve found enough good in the story, and in the characters, to not be chased off so quickly, but I probably wouldn’t still be around were this to become another “insert pet-peeve teen show here.” (I refuse to do so, for fear of alienating many of you yet again).
Definitely give us more of the parents, and more of spiteful Lauren, if you must. Not-Razor and Razor will inevitably duke it out, which I can maybe do without, but I think that Emily could evolve well in that environment, particularly with Leo (Marcus Coloma) getting thrown into the mix.
Maybe try, for me and the older crew, to keep the show in some sort of relatable territory; after all, now that we’re paired off and married, we no longer have to sneak lovers through our bedroom windows … that’s what motel rooms are for.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jul 23, 2009 @ 18:00 EST5EDT
I found this episode to be a little too pandering and definitely too on the nose. After the second mother-daughter emotionally bonding speech, I conjured up a mental checklist and, sure enough, they covered all four of the pairs by the end of the show. It felt like the writers were beating me over the head with the theme of the week, even if the actors excelled at the delivery.
I would have enjoyed the fashion show a lot more if it had seemed more amateurish. I know Ronnie’s a former pop star, so it’s not incongruous, but I prefer watching the gymnasts struggling toward their goal, and a little panicking over the preparations would have gone a long way in that regard.
As to Lauren, she looked genuinely affected by Summer’s confession. Of course, she’ll spill the beans to her father at some point, but I don’t believe she’s already planning to do so now. And my impression was that she took the sexiest dress she could find mainly to embarrass Summer and to flirt with Carter. Lauren doesn’t like Emily, but sabotaging her was a bonus rather than the primary intention.
It’s ironic that of their peer groups Payson and Sasha are the most talented, most dedicated and driven, and alike in so many ways yet from their first meeting could not manage to work together harmoniously. I suppose it’s her youth and relative lack of experience.
Razor was charming and respectful. Unfortunately, I believe the actor has been cast on a CW show. Damon is creepily forward, with stalkerish tendencies, but that appeals to some women, and he’s probably here to stay. Nothing I enjoy watching though.
Hopefully next week they’ll get back to actual practice and competition.
*POST AUTHOR*
I think it was a lack of creativity on the part of the writers. They decided they wanted to build those relationships for us, and at the same time, the trajectory of the story had the Rock needing money. I guess they figured “fashion show” is today’s “bake sale.” And, yes, not everyone necessarily needs to have an emotional moment at the same time. Remember, though: this is an ABC Family series, so certain things come with the territory.
God, how crazy was that? Like, Payson’s awkward one minute, and strutting down the catwalk the next? There definitely needed to be a lot more amateur in the mix, like you say.
I think Lauren’s too two-faced to call her genuinely affected by Summer’s story. I’m judging the situation solely on the merits of what she could potentially do with the information she’s obtained. Looking at things from that angle….
Oh, I definitely didn’t mean to suggest that Lauren was intentionally looking to sabotage Emily; that was just my way of writing the reaction that I had when seeing it (“Come on! Again?”)
Not-Razor is definitely creepy, and yet I can’t look away. I don’t know.
As for getting back to the good stuff: it’s my impression that we may be getting a lot of it tonight. Meet you on the far side!
This is the kind of genre that can be endured for a fun summer movie, but takes excellent writing to keep me captivated week after week. It might be my own fault for not being 13 years old any more.
As I said, you’re absolutely right that Lauren will end up betraying Summer’s trust, but “character is what you are in the dark.” After Summer left, I was surprised that Lauren both continued to cry and did not break out into a smirk.
I think Emily will be Lauren’s punching bag for a while yet to come. It’s slightly gratifying, as Emily can be a bit too perfect and good for me right now.
As to the actresses, from what I understand, Lauren and Kaylie were gymnasts, Payson did ballet, and Emily did track, which completely fits with my impressions of their body types.
The show’s creator/executive producer, on Watch with Kristin:
And Ayla Kell (who plays Payson Keeler) is like a full-fledged ballerina. She can do some stuff on the floor that even the gymnasts can’t do. At the end of the day, we really lucked out…
That part [Emily Kmetko] was so hard to cast. I was just getting more and more nervous. We had three weeks before we went into production. Chelsea Hobbs has a track background. The problem with her is that she did not have a gymnast body. But she was so the character and was so interesting on screen. So we shot her in the pilot and then since the second we were done, she has been in gymnastics training. She’s turning into an animal.
*POST AUTHOR*
Wait; you’re not 13 years-old any longer? How about a girl? What were you thinking tuning in, then? ;)
I’ll save the Lauren thread for my next post, now that we’ve seen a bit more of her….
Thanks for the awesome quote from the creator! I actually see Ayla Kell’s (Payson) body-type as an athlete, because she seems more muscular, but I can definitely see the rest. Very cool.