Did anyone root for Brian Krakow in the My so-called life?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah if they had cast the guy who played Corey to play Brian then it would have been a more believable thing. Thing is I was once a teenage girl and there is just no way in hell anyone picks Brian Krakow over Jordan Catalano AT THAT AGE. That is a step way too far in credibility for me and probably thousands of other once teenage girls.

No, it wouldn't be more believable because audience would then not understand how can Brian be invisible to Angela to begin with. He had to look the way he looked. His hair and clothing were intentional; this was not the actor's personal style. This is like saying, well, Cyrano (which, as it happens, served as an inspiration for the series finale to the point where the letter "Jordan" writes to Angela was adapted from it) would have been more believable if he had a smaller nose. But that was the whole point!

That is also true. It’s like when they do those movies where a hot girl would be given a pair of glasses and a ponytail or something and everyone was just supposed to believe she was a nerd who no one looked twice at.

I do think Brian was perfectly cast, in the end. But I also don’t think this show was about Angela’s love triangle. In fact, the first time I watched it I was absolutely floored to see there were even team Brian people. I had no idea such a concept existed because to me he just came off as an annoying but sometimes convenient friend.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'll have to watch again but I feel like it had vibes of the nerd feeling sort of bitter that this gorgeous girl was more interested in the hot guy. If she wasn't attracted to him, she shouldn't go for him.

I don't think Angela was positioned as "the gorgeous girl." She was pretty awkward and uncertain herself.

Exactly. She was positioned as the nerdy alternative girl who dwells on her own thoughts 24/7. She is pretty but not sexy and not interested in sex. Jordan sees her as someone who complicates stuff; he doesn't want his friends to know they are dating and calls her "abnormal" when they break up.

Well she was gorgeous to the unattractive nerd.

what unattractive nerd? brian is average looking, or even above average.

in fact, part of what makes this series real is that actors are regular looking, except for jordan. and the series doesn't pretend that jordan is average looking but kind of marvels at his good looks. 90210 or gossip girl seem more like your thing.

I’ll give you average, but Brian was never above average in the looks department. The hair, the clothes…no. It could’ve been such a great tv moment if Ricky and Rayanne gave him a makeover.

luckily, Angela/Winnie Holzman are not as superficial as you are. Again,

"[Delia] and Brian would have been boyfriend and girlfriend, and he would have told everything about it to Angela. He would have used Angela to help him through that relationship, for advice and stuff. And it would begin to sort of destroy her.

Because she would have been with Jordan?
She would be in a relationship with Jordan, Brian would be in a relationship with Delia, and they would be longing for each other, basically."

Are you the OP? You’re making this thread not fun anymore with this aggressive defense of Brian. No one is disputing where they would’ve ended up on the show. But many, many people did not root for him. We’re allowed to not like a fictional character, even if the show runner did.

Yes, I am the OP and I was rooting for Brian but this has nothing to do with it. I wasn't rooting for Jordan, but i am not arguing that he was a dumb jerk. Because he wasn't. That is not how he was portrayed. Same with Brian. You simply can't clearly see the character and put your personal preference aside. The show creator's perceptive is relevant not because she "liked the character" (she liked all characters, I am sure), but because this means that she put into the characters likable elements that the audience was supposed to recognize in order to follow the story.

Hence the adorable but creepy perception! I get it. Nobody is perfect on the show. Brian shows up unannounced and uninvited to the house all the time, circles around Angela on his bike, and films people when they’re not aware of him. All of that may be endearing to you, but it’s creepy to me and many others.

No, these were not parts that are enduring to me. The parts that are endearing are, for example, his struggle with expectations of him getting As all the time, the way he complains that Angela was going to watch "Bicycle thief" with Jordan, the movie she "she wouldn't have understand if he didn't explain it to her"; the way he analyzes some love poem in class and explains that the writer is "in love because he understand she is not perfect" etc etc etc. There are a lot of little things like that that the show made great care to put in.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'll have to watch again but I feel like it had vibes of the nerd feeling sort of bitter that this gorgeous girl was more interested in the hot guy. If she wasn't attracted to him, she shouldn't go for him.

I don't think Angela was positioned as "the gorgeous girl." She was pretty awkward and uncertain herself.

Exactly. She was positioned as the nerdy alternative girl who dwells on her own thoughts 24/7. She is pretty but not sexy and not interested in sex. Jordan sees her as someone who complicates stuff; he doesn't want his friends to know they are dating and calls her "abnormal" when they break up.

Well she was gorgeous to the unattractive nerd.

what unattractive nerd? brian is average looking, or even above average.

in fact, part of what makes this series real is that actors are regular looking, except for jordan. and the series doesn't pretend that jordan is average looking but kind of marvels at his good looks. 90210 or gossip girl seem more like your thing.

I’ll give you average, but Brian was never above average in the looks department. The hair, the clothes…no. It could’ve been such a great tv moment if Ricky and Rayanne gave him a makeover.

luckily, Angela/Winnie Holzman are not as superficial as you are. Again,

"[Delia] and Brian would have been boyfriend and girlfriend, and he would have told everything about it to Angela. He would have used Angela to help him through that relationship, for advice and stuff. And it would begin to sort of destroy her.

Because she would have been with Jordan?
She would be in a relationship with Jordan, Brian would be in a relationship with Delia, and they would be longing for each other, basically."

Are you the OP? You’re making this thread not fun anymore with this aggressive defense of Brian. No one is disputing where they would’ve ended up on the show. But many, many people did not root for him. We’re allowed to not like a fictional character, even if the show runner did.

Yes, I am the OP and I was rooting for Brian but this has nothing to do with it. I wasn't rooting for Jordan, but i am not arguing that he was a dumb jerk. Because he wasn't. That is not how he was portrayed. Same with Brian. You simply can't clearly see the character and put your personal preference aside. The show creator's perceptive is relevant not because she "liked the character" (she liked all characters, I am sure), but because this means that she put into the characters likable elements that the audience was supposed to recognize in order to follow the story.

Hence the adorable but creepy perception! I get it. Nobody is perfect on the show. Brian shows up unannounced and uninvited to the house all the time, circles around Angela on his bike, and films people when they’re not aware of him. All of that may be endearing to you, but it’s creepy to me and many others.

No, these were not parts that are enduring to me. The parts that are endearing are, for example, his struggle with expectations of him getting As all the time, the way he complains that Angela was going to watch "Bicycle thief" with Jordan, the movie she "she wouldn't have understand if he didn't explain it to her"; the way he analyzes some love poem in class and explains that the writer is "in love because he understand she is not perfect" etc etc etc. There are a lot of little things like that that the show made great care to put in.

So he was an entitled know-it-all and you find that endearing? He didn’t own The Bicycle Thief or Angela. So she’s not allowed to see it with anyone else because he doesn’t want her to and he doesn’t think she understood it. According to him. Ugh, I wanted to punch him most of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'll have to watch again but I feel like it had vibes of the nerd feeling sort of bitter that this gorgeous girl was more interested in the hot guy. If she wasn't attracted to him, she shouldn't go for him.

I don't think Angela was positioned as "the gorgeous girl." She was pretty awkward and uncertain herself.

Exactly. She was positioned as the nerdy alternative girl who dwells on her own thoughts 24/7. She is pretty but not sexy and not interested in sex. Jordan sees her as someone who complicates stuff; he doesn't want his friends to know they are dating and calls her "abnormal" when they break up.

Well she was gorgeous to the unattractive nerd.

what unattractive nerd? brian is average looking, or even above average.

in fact, part of what makes this series real is that actors are regular looking, except for jordan. and the series doesn't pretend that jordan is average looking but kind of marvels at his good looks. 90210 or gossip girl seem more like your thing.

I’ll give you average, but Brian was never above average in the looks department. The hair, the clothes…no. It could’ve been such a great tv moment if Ricky and Rayanne gave him a makeover.

luckily, Angela/Winnie Holzman are not as superficial as you are. Again,

"[Delia] and Brian would have been boyfriend and girlfriend, and he would have told everything about it to Angela. He would have used Angela to help him through that relationship, for advice and stuff. And it would begin to sort of destroy her.

Because she would have been with Jordan?
She would be in a relationship with Jordan, Brian would be in a relationship with Delia, and they would be longing for each other, basically."

Are you the OP? You’re making this thread not fun anymore with this aggressive defense of Brian. No one is disputing where they would’ve ended up on the show. But many, many people did not root for him. We’re allowed to not like a fictional character, even if the show runner did.

Yes, I am the OP and I was rooting for Brian but this has nothing to do with it. I wasn't rooting for Jordan, but i am not arguing that he was a dumb jerk. Because he wasn't. That is not how he was portrayed. Same with Brian. You simply can't clearly see the character and put your personal preference aside. The show creator's perceptive is relevant not because she "liked the character" (she liked all characters, I am sure), but because this means that she put into the characters likable elements that the audience was supposed to recognize in order to follow the story.

Hence the adorable but creepy perception! I get it. Nobody is perfect on the show. Brian shows up unannounced and uninvited to the house all the time, circles around Angela on his bike, and films people when they’re not aware of him. All of that may be endearing to you, but it’s creepy to me and many others.

No, these were not parts that are enduring to me. The parts that are endearing are, for example, his struggle with expectations of him getting As all the time, the way he complains that Angela was going to watch "Bicycle thief" with Jordan, the movie she "she wouldn't have understand if he didn't explain it to her"; the way he analyzes some love poem in class and explains that the writer is "in love because he understand she is not perfect" etc etc etc. There are a lot of little things like that that the show made great care to put in.

So he was an entitled know-it-all and you find that endearing? He didn’t own The Bicycle Thief or Angela. So she’s not allowed to see it with anyone else because he doesn’t want her to and he doesn’t think she understood it. According to him. Ugh, I wanted to punch him most of the time.

no, he didn't own it, but they were friends and he presumably provided an interesting perspective that she planned on using (it never happened, nor would jordan care but it did evidently impress angela when brian did it) to woo jordan. brian would recognize these little fake elements of the "new" Angela and call her for it. there was this part where she talks about the homeless shelter with this kind of genuinely concerned yet also kind of obnoxiously knowing attitude, and he says something like oh, so you spent like 3 minutes at the shelter and all of a sudden you are an expert on homelessness. something like that.

[Anonymous]

You have an answer for everything (and there’s different PPs arguing against you), so I’m just leaving it here. Brian will always have that creep factor in this one season. It’s a little weird to me you can’t/won’t see it and complain that we’re the ones who can’t get past our own personal preferences. But you have a nice day, Brian-lover.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'll have to watch again but I feel like it had vibes of the nerd feeling sort of bitter that this gorgeous girl was more interested in the hot guy. If she wasn't attracted to him, she shouldn't go for him.

I don't think Angela was positioned as "the gorgeous girl." She was pretty awkward and uncertain herself.

Exactly. She was positioned as the nerdy alternative girl who dwells on her own thoughts 24/7. She is pretty but not sexy and not interested in sex. Jordan sees her as someone who complicates stuff; he doesn't want his friends to know they are dating and calls her "abnormal" when they break up.

Well she was gorgeous to the unattractive nerd.

what unattractive nerd? brian is average looking, or even above average.

in fact, part of what makes this series real is that actors are regular looking, except for jordan. and the series doesn't pretend that jordan is average looking but kind of marvels at his good looks. 90210 or gossip girl seem more like your thing.

I’ll give you average, but Brian was never above average in the looks department. The hair, the clothes…no. It could’ve been such a great tv moment if Ricky and Rayanne gave him a makeover.

luckily, Angela/Winnie Holzman are not as superficial as you are. Again,

"[Delia] and Brian would have been boyfriend and girlfriend, and he would have told everything about it to Angela. He would have used Angela to help him through that relationship, for advice and stuff. And it would begin to sort of destroy her.

Because she would have been with Jordan?
She would be in a relationship with Jordan, Brian would be in a relationship with Delia, and they would be longing for each other, basically."

Are you the OP? You’re making this thread not fun anymore with this aggressive defense of Brian. No one is disputing where they would’ve ended up on the show. But many, many people did not root for him. We’re allowed to not like a fictional character, even if the show runner did.

Yes, I am the OP and I was rooting for Brian but this has nothing to do with it. I wasn't rooting for Jordan, but i am not arguing that he was a dumb jerk. Because he wasn't. That is not how he was portrayed. Same with Brian. You simply can't clearly see the character and put your personal preference aside. The show creator's perceptive is relevant not because she "liked the character" (she liked all characters, I am sure), but because this means that she put into the characters likable elements that the audience was supposed to recognize in order to follow the story.

Hence the adorable but creepy perception! I get it. Nobody is perfect on the show. Brian shows up unannounced and uninvited to the house all the time, circles around Angela on his bike, and films people when they’re not aware of him. All of that may be endearing to you, but it’s creepy to me and many others.

No, these were not parts that are enduring to me. The parts that are endearing are, for example, his struggle with expectations of him getting As all the time, the way he complains that Angela was going to watch "Bicycle thief" with Jordan, the movie she "she wouldn't have understand if he didn't explain it to her"; the way he analyzes some love poem in class and explains that the writer is "in love because he understand she is not perfect" etc etc etc. There are a lot of little things like that that the show made great care to put in.

So he was an entitled know-it-all and you find that endearing? He didn’t own The Bicycle Thief or Angela. So she’s not allowed to see it with anyone else because he doesn’t want her to and he doesn’t think she understood it. According to him. Ugh, I wanted to punch him most of the time.

no, he didn't own it, but they were friends and he presumably provided an interesting perspective that she planned on using (it never happened, nor would jordan care but it did evidently impress angela when brian did it) to woo jordan. brian would recognize these little fake elements of the "new" Angela and call her for it. there was this part where she talks about the homeless shelter with this kind of genuinely concerned yet also kind of obnoxiously knowing attitude, and he says something like oh, so you spent like 3 minutes at the shelter and all of a sudden you are an expert on homelessness. something like that.

So what? He called out the new Fake Angela (who was only Angela doing what all teens do and trying to find out who she really was) because there was no place for him in her new life, not out of any great concern for her. He felt entitled to her and whiny that he couldn’t have her (oh but she should have her after all he’s the nice one! the smart one!). He sounds like a future incel, frankly. A lot of so-called nice guys grow up with this obnoxious entitlement. It was absolutely none of Brian’s business who Angela hung out with, went to see movies with, etc.

And Jordan taking her to see Ricki at the abandoned building was ten times more endearing than anything Brian ever did. Hell, Jordan even trying to help Ricki find a place to stay was ten times more endearing. Jordan may not have been book smart but he could be a good friend and he had a depth the writers were just beginning to discover.

[Anonymous]

Never in a million years when i was watching this show in real time would i expected such a pro-brian krakow base.
but then again, i STILL want jordan catalano. (yet, bleh to current jared leto)

I’ve rewatched once as an adult but this thread has inspired me to watch with my teen. she currently has her own jordan/brian situation and as a mom i am 100% on team brian!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never in a million years when i was watching this show in real time would i expected such a pro-brian krakow base.
but then again, i STILL want jordan catalano. (yet, bleh to current jared leto)

I’ve rewatched once as an adult but this thread has inspired me to watch with my teen. she currently has her own jordan/brian situation and as a mom i am 100% on team brian!

THis show has something for every age. I remember I used to be so anti-Patty and now I’m like, Patty? She’s the only one who gets anything done in that family. Team Patty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never in a million years when i was watching this show in real time would i expected such a pro-brian krakow base.
but then again, i STILL want jordan catalano. (yet, bleh to current jared leto)

I’ve rewatched once as an adult but this thread has inspired me to watch with my teen. she currently has her own jordan/brian situation and as a mom i am 100% on team brian!

THis show has something for every age. I remember I used to be so anti-Patty and now I’m like, Patty? She’s the only one who gets anything done in that family. Team Patty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll have to watch again but I feel like it had vibes of the nerd feeling sort of bitter that this gorgeous girl was more interested in the hot guy. If she wasn't attracted to him, she shouldn't go for him.

I don't think Angela was positioned as "the gorgeous girl." She was pretty awkward and uncertain herself.

Exactly. She was positioned as the nerdy alternative girl who dwells on her own thoughts 24/7. She is pretty but not sexy and not interested in sex. Jordan sees her as someone who complicates stuff; he doesn't want his friends to know they are dating and calls her "abnormal" when they break up.

Well she was gorgeous to the unattractive nerd.

what unattractive nerd? brian is average looking, or even above average.

in fact, part of what makes this series real is that actors are regular looking, except for jordan. and the series doesn't pretend that jordan is average looking but kind of marvels at his good looks. 90210 or gossip girl seem more like your thing.

I’ll give you average, but Brian was never above average in the looks department. The hair, the clothes…no. It could’ve been such a great tv moment if Ricky and Rayanne gave him a makeover.

luckily, Angela/Winnie Holzman are not as superficial as you are. Again,

"[Delia] and Brian would have been boyfriend and girlfriend, and he would have told everything about it to Angela. He would have used Angela to help him through that relationship, for advice and stuff. And it would begin to sort of destroy her.

Because she would have been with Jordan?
She would be in a relationship with Jordan, Brian would be in a relationship with Delia, and they would be longing for each other, basically."

Are you the OP? You’re making this thread not fun anymore with this aggressive defense of Brian. No one is disputing where they would’ve ended up on the show. But many, many people did not root for him. We’re allowed to not like a fictional character, even if the show runner did.

Yes, I am the OP and I was rooting for Brian but this has nothing to do with it. I wasn't rooting for Jordan, but i am not arguing that he was a dumb jerk. Because he wasn't. That is not how he was portrayed. Same with Brian. You simply can't clearly see the character and put your personal preference aside. The show creator's perceptive is relevant not because she "liked the character" (she liked all characters, I am sure), but because this means that she put into the characters likable elements that the audience was supposed to recognize in order to follow the story.

Hence the adorable but creepy perception! I get it. Nobody is perfect on the show. Brian shows up unannounced and uninvited to the house all the time, circles around Angela on his bike, and films people when they’re not aware of him. All of that may be endearing to you, but it’s creepy to me and many others.

No, these were not parts that are enduring to me. The parts that are endearing are, for example, his struggle with expectations of him getting As all the time, the way he complains that Angela was going to watch "Bicycle thief" with Jordan, the movie she "she wouldn't have understand if he didn't explain it to her"; the way he analyzes some love poem in class and explains that the writer is "in love because he understand she is not perfect" etc etc etc. There are a lot of little things like that that the show made great care to put in.

So he was an entitled know-it-all and you find that endearing? He didn’t own The Bicycle Thief or Angela. So she’s not allowed to see it with anyone else because he doesn’t want her to and he doesn’t think she understood it. According to him. Ugh, I wanted to punch him most of the time.

no, he didn't own it, but they were friends and he presumably provided an interesting perspective that she planned on using (it never happened, nor would jordan care but it did evidently impress angela when brian did it) to woo jordan. brian would recognize these little fake elements of the "new" Angela and call her for it. there was this part where she talks about the homeless shelter with this kind of genuinely concerned yet also kind of obnoxiously knowing attitude, and he says something like oh, so you spent like 3 minutes at the shelter and all of a sudden you are an expert on homelessness. something like that.

So what? He called out the new Fake Angela (who was only Angela doing what all teens do and trying to find out who she really was) because there was no place for him in her new life, not out of any great concern for her. He felt entitled to her and whiny that he couldn’t have her (oh but she should have her after all he’s the nice one! the smart one!). He sounds like a future incel, frankly. A lot of so-called nice guys grow up with this obnoxious entitlement. It was absolutely none of Brian’s business who Angela hung out with, went to see movies with, etc.

And Jordan taking her to see Ricki at the abandoned building was ten times more endearing than anything Brian ever did. Hell, Jordan even trying to help Ricki find a place to stay was ten times more endearing. Jordan may not have been book smart but he could be a good friend and he had a depth the writers were just beginning to discover.

it doesn't matter why he called Angela's fakeness out. is good as it is to try out new things, it is also good to hear this other perspective as you are trying them. he is helping her, regardless of his motivations.

also, he never felt entitled to her, not sure where are you getting all this. he knew she had no interest in him and he kept his feelings secret, successfully, as angela had no clue he was interested in her. brian even tried to deny his feelings when angela discovered he wrote the letter she loved so much and finally put 2+2 together for the first time ever, a few seconds before the end of the whole series.

frolicking around abandoned buildings is actually dangerous. what jordan did was reckless, despite coming from a good place. jordan is portrayed as a nice guy, who is genuinely attracted to angela and shares with her stuff he didn't tell anyone else. it's just that he is not very thoughtful, while angela lives in her head and analyzes everything thousand times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the one who posted about all the Patty and Graham stuff. I just read that linked interview and AUGHH! I can't believe they would get divorced, except it does sort of fit. That show. We were all robbed!

I think I will do a rewatch. Would anyone be here up for rewatching and doing a thread together, like 1-2 episodes a week or something like that?

I would! I would!

I'm in too. And for anyone who doesn't have Hulu, it's available free on ABC.com (with commercials):
https://abc.com/shows/my-so-called-life

[Anonymous]

I love the theme song.
I think Jordan is right, she makes everything too complicated.

[Anonymous]

So, where would the characters be now?

You know Angela married a safe guy with a big income. She gave up her job to be a SAHM and is miserable living in the nice suburbs. She thought she would have a bigger life in terms of travel and adventure. Her poor husband has no idea why she’s so self-centered and miserable. She routinely finds herself staring too long at her daughter’s boyfriend—who reminds her of Jordan.

[Anonymous]

I was into Brian Kraków’s curls, but still they couldn’t beat Jordan’s eyes, or his whole aura of cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never in a million years when i was watching this show in real time would i expected such a pro-brian krakow base.
but then again, i STILL want jordan catalano. (yet, bleh to current jared leto)

I’ve rewatched once as an adult but this thread has inspired me to watch with my teen. she currently has her own jordan/brian situation and as a mom i am 100% on team brian!

THis show has something for every age. I remember I used to be so anti-Patty and now I’m like, Patty? She’s the only one who gets anything done in that family. Team Patty.

Same. She deserved better than Graham.