30 Days With BTR: Day 15
[mood:
Forced!het saddens Logan]
[music: Louis Garrel - Delta Charlie Delta]
Day 15 - A scene that upsets you - Production Code #203
Thus far, there have been no scenes in Big Time Rush that I have found upsetting. I've never been torn up over something that happened in the show, and the scenes where the boys are emotionally upset themselves are some of my favorite moments (e.g., James being torn down at his audition or enraged when he believes they blew his shot; the boys fighting amongst each other during a situation that leaves them feeling frustrated or distraught).
At times, there were a few things I found slightly irritating. Mostly, it was when the forced het quota per episode got a little too high. For example, I found it irksome that Kendall and Jo decided to date anyway after already establishing they had disparate interests and lacked common ground. I would have preferred them trying to cultivate a friendship first then seeing if it was able to develop into anything further. Unfortunately, the show seems to be veering more heavily in the Kendall/Jo direction as opposed to backing off if Kendall's comment about how "Jo and Kendall are meant to be together" is anything to go by. *rolls eyes*
In trying to come up with an appropriate scene, I selected something that could easily be my least favorite episode of BTR's second season if handled poorly: Production Code #203, Big Time Girlfriends.
Why it's upsetting to me:
Shallow "kid's show" het really doesn't do it for me. Additionally, I find it tedious when everyone on a show is paired up with someone all the time. It's boring when the potential relationship pool narrows dramatically, and the chemistry element is eliminated or stagnates. Frankly, it's also unrealistic unless you're attempting to write the type of married couples who chose to only hang out with other married couples (even that type of couple is few and far between). In reality, most groups of friends have some consistently single friends or friends who date in the true sense of dating, meaning they aren't tied down to anyone.
This episode should be the "you go, girlfriend!" type of girlfriend, but I'm sure it won't be. I'm wary because the title reeks of a wild, out-of-the-blue pairing-the-entire-world fest, and "girlfriend" suggests more permanence than a scramble for a date to the dance. Episode three is featuring a carnival, and a flip vid from Carlos features himself with a girl named Chelsea that I don't recognize from the previous season and what looked to be Logan and Camille on a Ferris Wheel. Hopefully, it'll largely be the same sort of silly shenanigans we have seen from the likes of stalker!Mercedes or crazed!Camille, as opposed to genuinely attempting to land girlfriends for each band member that are going to stick around.
I expect better from Scott Fellows than an attempt to pair off the boys neatly at the beginning of season two given how well he handled character development in Ned's Declassified, so I doubt it'll stick. My sense of relief comes from the fact that no matter what, the boys themselves will stay sparkly; the world cannot contain them. Still, I would dread an all-paired-off outcome at any point because some of the key character personality types and plot elements of the show would be fundamentally altered if that were the case. For example, if they pair James, the show loses one of its principle comedy tropes and long-running jokes. By being "the one everyone wants," James Diamond should be "the one no one gets."
If the network was actually savvy to its primary tween market, they'd realize that a lot of romance plotlines in shows like Big Time Rush simply annoy/irritate that younger fanbase. Why? Because tweens want to envision themselves in the show or as the potential partner to the guys. The older fans (myself included) are annoyed for another reason--seeing through and tiring of the same-old, lame, sap storytelling. The kind that waxes poetically on true love between teens during a time when their brains actually have a partially-disconnected frontal lobe! Better to leave the boys to non-committed flirting, romance antics, and the occasional date or two.