Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have appreciated more of an arc on Jordan’s learning differences. He has a future as an advocate for the disabled.

As far as I am concerned, the real hero of this show was Rickie/Wilson Cruz. So much has changed since the 1990s - it is difficult to remember the limited number of gay characters on the air and especially in teen dramas. His character was beautifully drawn and played. All the rest of the drama was just suburban teen angst. Rickie had a REAL story.

I agree, his character is wonderful, and the actor was amazing.

Absolutely my favorite character.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have appreciated more of an arc on Jordan’s learning differences. He has a future as an advocate for the disabled.

As far as I am concerned, the real hero of this show was Rickie/Wilson Cruz. So much has changed since the 1990s - it is difficult to remember the limited number of gay characters on the air and especially in teen dramas. His character was beautifully drawn and played. All the rest of the drama was just suburban teen angst. Rickie had a REAL story.

I agree, his character is wonderful, and the actor was amazing.

Just his anxiety/protectiveness about Rayanne (sp) - so true to life and beautifully acted. I really felt it.

Anonymous wrote:I would have appreciated more of an arc on Jordan’s learning differences. He has a future as an advocate for the disabled.

As far as I am concerned, the real hero of this show was Rickie/Wilson Cruz. So much has changed since the 1990s - it is difficult to remember the limited number of gay characters on the air and especially in teen dramas. His character was beautifully drawn and played. All the rest of the drama was just suburban teen angst. Rickie had a REAL story.

I agree, his character is wonderful, and the actor was amazing.

I would have appreciated more of an arc on Jordan’s learning differences. He has a future as an advocate for the disabled.

As far as I am concerned, the real hero of this show was Rickie/Wilson Cruz. So much has changed since the 1990s - it is difficult to remember the limited number of gay characters on the air and especially in teen dramas. His character was beautifully drawn and played. All the rest of the drama was just suburban teen angst. Rickie had a REAL story.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was up with the expectation that Angela and Jordan were supposed to have sex after he like, held her hand for an episode? Or the depiction that all these 14-15 year olds like Rayanne and Sharon were having lots of sex? That was not the case in my high school. Did this seem seriously young to others?

I’m watching now and had the same thought. Sex was a really, really big deal in the late 80s, at least. My friends who became active in high school did it around senior year with serious boyfriends, for the most part. At 15? It was definitely not prevalent. I had boyfriends and did “everything but” until I felt ready, in my freshman year of college. I know that’s all anecdotal, but I have a 15 year old DD now and she is definitely not ready.

Well, that's just a technicality, if you already did "everything but". For many girls "doing everything" is next level of intimacy. I think you just illustrated that teenagers did, in fact, have sex.

Anonymous wrote:What was up with the expectation that Angela and Jordan were supposed to have sex after he like, held her hand for an episode? Or the depiction that all these 14-15 year olds like Rayanne and Sharon were having lots of sex? That was not the case in my high school. Did this seem seriously young to others?

I’m watching now and had the same thought. Sex was a really, really big deal in the late 80s, at least. My friends who became active in high school did it around senior year with serious boyfriends, for the most part. At 15? It was definitely not prevalent. I had boyfriends and did “everything but” until I felt ready, in my freshman year of college. I know that’s all anecdotal, but I have a 15 year old DD now and she is definitely not ready.

Anonymous wrote:What was up with the expectation that Angela and Jordan were supposed to have sex after he like, held her hand for an episode? Or the depiction that all these 14-15 year olds like Rayanne and Sharon were having lots of sex? That was not the case in my high school. Did this seem seriously young to others?

No, not all. 15 years is average. I went to a tippy top magnet high school and there were definitely some sexually active girls there. Kind of similar to the show.

Anonymous wrote:What was up with the expectation that Angela and Jordan were supposed to have sex after he like, held her hand for an episode? Or the depiction that all these 14-15 year olds like Rayanne and Sharon were having lots of sex? That was not the case in my high school. Did this seem seriously young to others?

Granted I grew up in a pretty fcked up environment amidst terrible poverty but I knew a couple of kids in my elementary school (6th grade) who were sexually active. And once in 6th grade my classmate got flowers from her much older boyfriend delivered in school and her parents thought it was very romantic of him. I can’t remember how old he was but 18/19 I think? Anyway yeah that’s probably not the norm… but certainly a lot of kids in my high school were sexually active. Then again we had a daycare in the high school for all the teenage moms. That’s probably not the norm either… Anyway, so that didn’t seem outlandish to me.

What was up with the expectation that Angela and Jordan were supposed to have sex after he like, held her hand for an episode? Or the depiction that all these 14-15 year olds like Rayanne and Sharon were having lots of sex? That was not the case in my high school. Did this seem seriously young to others?

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure she would find Jordan disappointing on occasion... not only would that be totally normal, she has him on such a pedestal. If they were in a more defined relationship she would have some ups and downs there, too--and probably see Brian's strengths in a different way.

she already found him disappointing several times. i mean, he slept with her best friend for one. her was also hiding her from his friends, and pressuring her for sex.

there was this episode early on where he tells her "why are you like this" and later, she says the same to him. he wants her to just be an uncomplicated girl who likes sex and she wants him to analyze her and have some deep understanding of what it is that he likes about her and write about it in his songs (which turned out to be about a car) and letters (not his). and series lays this mismatch really believably upon a very strong, and genuine and believable attraction.

Anonymous wrote:Omg Delia woof!! Wow what a casting fail she is so hard to watch.

i don’t think this is fail, honestly. She is who she is and feels real.

Anonymous wrote: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.

What are you talking about? Angela joins the CIA after college and saves the world several times over. She goes by Carrie Matthison now

I think that we really were robbed not to get more seasons so we can see the characters grow.

Brian isn't creepy really, but he is awkward and lonely. He plays catch with Graham. That means he's LONELY.

Angela is ready for the next thing before Brian is. It doesn't mean that he wouldn't become more ready in the second season--and also, Angela would maybe see what he does have to offer. I'm sure she would find Jordan disappointing on occasion... not only would that be totally normal, she has him on such a pedestal. If they were in a more defined relationship she would have some ups and downs there, too--and probably see Brian's strengths in a different way.

Also, remember that Angela's arc is to step away from Rayanne and back to Sharon. It's a similar thing with the Brian/Jordan setup, I think. I have a better perspective on this now that I'm raising teenagers. Sometimes it's a bit of a battle between what's new/exciting and what's old/familiar/safe. But the dynamics of that would change as Angela's peers develop, too.

Brian is actually cute, but not in the way that he would be noticed at that age. Looking at his interview as an adult shows you this--you can see his mannerisms and way of speaking that were always there, but it's hard to see Brian clearly when Jordan Catalano is around.

I'm another one who is finding Patty extremely relatable.

Boo to the poster who said Angela will have a boring life in the suburbs. I think the whole point of the show is that there is so much potential in all of these characters, just as there is with all teenagers. It's impossible to tell who is going to have what kind of life. I see that with the people I went to high school with--everything makes sense kind of in retrospect, but there would have been no way to predict that we would have a cake decorator who would go on to have half a million instagram followers. (That's a real example, by the way.) I think we do young people a disservice by acting like their paths in life are pre-determined.

Omg Delia woof!! Wow what a casting fail she is so hard to watch.

Anonymous wrote:So, where would the characters be now? She gave up her job to be a SAHM and is miserable living in the nice suburbs.

Why? Her mom is a small business owner and her father is kind of a bum.