I cannot keep silent about this anymore. Enough is enough! I must speak my mind, before I start to go stir-crazy.
*Ahem*
My name is Sarahbeth (no middle name) Caplin, and I am the only person I know who hates the popular show, "New Girl." Or, is the only person brave enough to admit it.
Even more confusing, some of my friends, whose judgment I wholly trust, have claimed to love this show. So that just begs the question, what is the matter with me??
I finally took my dilemma to Facebook: "Does this show get any better? Because I'm halfway through the first season, and I find it horrible." Man, some people were truly shocked that I could find any fault with this show. I admit, some episodes (or rather, a few lines per every other episode) are hilarious. But ultimately they aren't enough to hook me.
For whatever my not-so-humble opinion is worth, shock-value sex ruins good TV. What's truly upsetting about this show in particular is how great a premise it had. Talk about a show that I should, by description alone, fall instantly in love with: a twenty-something woman figuring out who she is, with a quirky set of roommates. But that hopeful premise fell flat when a date told Zooey's character Jess "I don't care about you, you don't have to care about me. We can still tear each other UP." And she...accepts?
I am a budding feminist and I cannot see this as entertaining.
This is far from the only show I've watched that doesn't line up with my values, and that alone is not enough reason for me to quit watching. What is it about this show in particular that bothers me so much? I guess I have a hard time appreciating it because I disagree with the idea that sex is something casual. I really think these shows are lying to me if they don't present the whole truth. They tell me I can jump from bed to bed as easily as switching brands of Kleenex. I've never heard of a real-life relationship starting with casual sex and leading to love...or ending without the slightest twinge of disappointment.
I honestly don't think I'm that much of a prude when it comes to entertainment. Curse words and sex scenes don't automatically ruin TV shows for me. The difference, I think, is context. If it's relevant to the story, or a character's development, then I can watch it. If there are other jokes and plot devices to round things out, then I consider it a decent show. I don't feel any compulsion to replicate the choices of characters I like. But if a show falls apart when you take the sex stuff out, then there's a problem.
My fellow author friend Kaitlyn and I have had an ongoing discussion about the placement of sex scenes in YA novels, and the same reasoning applies to TV shows too: a cleverly-written love scene can enhance the plot, but shock value is always going to be shock value, and ultimately it's not memorable. It's not original. It's just a desperate grab at ratings.
Bottom line: I tried to like this show. I really did. The characters are people I probably wouldn't hang out with in real life, which makes my potential fan-ship feel dishonest...but for every episode that makes me feel gross and in need of a shower, Schmidt has to
say something that makes me pee my pants, and I keep watching. It may take me a while to break this apparent addiction, but I just had to get these feelings off my chest.
Whew! I feel better now. Thanks for listening. Now let the judgments roll ;)
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