My biggest observation about the first season of Awkward. turned out to be, on most occasions, my least favorite thing about the show. Now, don't get me wrong—I've wholeheartedly fallen in love with Awkward.—but see, Jenna Hamilton (who's wonderfully captured by Ashley Rickards) is a girl whose fatal flaw is the simple fact that she doesn't ever do much: she's a 16-year-old fair looking girl, average in every sense of the word, who'd like a lot of things (Matty McKibben being that main thing) but lacks the balls to do something about it as much as she does the ability to blog it out. She acts internally, she reacts in voiceover, and Awkward. as a weekly adventure became a show about how many no good very bad things could happen to Jenna Hamilton while the far zanier people around her led more interesting lives.
| Related: Summer TV Preview Week: There's Something About Awkward. |
But in watching "Resolutions", which centers around the gang's New Year's party just two weeks after Jenna does at least one thing—choose earnest Jake over hunky Matty yet again—I thought about my own painfully average high school years, and I realized that I know exactly what it feels like to be a Jenna: to want to be more decisive, more bold, more ballsy, more popular, and to have no choice but to stick in your own skin while the bigger personalities continue to dictate high school society. And an interesting thing tends to happen: your brain itself turns your life into this monumental, eventful place where you're doing so many things and have so many things to worry about even if you aren't, and don't. Trivial things sit in your brain until they're colossal issues, mostly because you just don't know anything else; dances and parties and proms are life-or-death occasions, gossip is actual news, and who you associate with is your bloodline. I was middle-of-the-road on the 16-year-old food chain as well, and it's really weird to look back and remember feeling like life was so complicated and tough, when it really wasn’t. High school life is a bunch of kids wanting to make their lives matter, fleeing the thought that maybe it doesn't yet.
The charm in Awkward. is that it manages to harness and explore those feelings of an extravagant young life without a surprising pregnancy, a drug addiction, or a animalistic transformation. "Resoultions" is a perfect testament to that, playing the parts of being 1) a returning episode for those who have missed Awkward., and 2) a recap of sorts for those who missed the boat the first time around. It has to be re-established that Jenna's Choice was a tough one, and with Matty struggling to come back while Jake becomes the perfect boyfriend, Jenna's Choice happens again: despite Matty asking her to meet him at midnight, she's influenced by Valerie (who's her guidance counselor, long story, we can get to it next week when she's put to much better use) to let go of her past mistakes and make her relaysh with Jake Facebook official.
She's still been biding her time in the way that I hate, however, when it comes to that Carefrontation note, unable to deal with the fact that her mother was the author of the letter that's ruined her semester. But after all that spit-swapping with Jake—who gets more than a little bummed when he learns that Jenna isn't a virgin—she passively-agressively gets to that by cryptically delivering an informative note to her mom ("This is who YOU are", in response to her mom claiming her daughter is a precious diamond), and it's enough work for Jenna this week.
But a dormant Jenna is probably one of the smarter moves for the show: her being the lead is enough, and the show gives an incredible amount of weight to its ensemble. Molly Tarlov as Sadie might be the singular best thing about this show, and not only does she get in some great one-liners this week, she makes a play for center stage by hooking up with Matty out of frustration and hormones. Now Matty will have a secret of his own to keep, though it can be assumed that Sadie will be screeching this accomplishment from the rooftops, no matter how unsuccessful it actually was. She also kisses Ricky Schwartz, who exists as little more than an object to give Tamara (and the excellent Jillian Rose Reed) something to do. But I'm fine with that something to do, so long as they continue to give the girl the quirkiest vernacular of the entire cast.
In a letter to the media, Lauren Iungerich insists that Season 2 will focus intensely on who our characters should each end up with, ostensibly both as friends and partners. But the truth is, when Jenna Hamilton is 24—like I am—she'll barely remember this night (but that's often how life works, I think; five years from now, I'll barely remember writing this recap). She'll probably look back on the time she juggled two boys that she hardly knows anymore and wonder where they are, and almost certainly laugh at herself for being so indecisive about them, and how they seemed so crucial to her survival. The (young) adult in me wants Jenna to be more than that juvenile girl, not realizing that it often never happens until… well, until you're an adult.
SumOlogy: Yay! Awkward. is back! Sorry for my painful high school memories.
Grade: B+
Leftovers
So it's okay that Jenna's dad got A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD A BOX OF CONDOMS FOR CHRISTMAS. Oh, television is so strange sometimes.
OH MY GOD SOMEONE IS READING JENNA'S BLOG, which is probably the best idea for season two yet.
Lissa was in this episode a bunch too, although I'm not sure how much more can be done with her character. She wants to be Team Jenna, but Jenna's also dating her ex. Which she's fine with?
"How should I dress tonight?" "Sexified!"
"He sexted me a picture of his hand with a note that says 'we miss you'. That pretty much sums it up. We're together."
"That is something a friend would say, bitch!"
"This year, I'm gonna let Jesus take the wheel. 'Cuz I'm way too drunk to drive!"
"He could have just said he didn't want to see Stars on Ice!"
"The cat's imaginary." "So is my relationship!"
---
Follow on Ology: Terron R. Moore | TVOlogy
Follow on Twitter: @cityfitch | @TVOlogy
Comments (2)