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| Left to right: John Cho and Karen Gillan |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
Here is a personal fact: I am 25 and am old enough to not get the "selfie" craze. I grew up in a time when cameras had automated timers that allowed for better shots. Maybe I am too much into the artisan of the shot, but the general concept is repugnant in the way that the phrase "Everyone is a critic" includes the illiterates on every single commenting board. It depletes the concept of art and also ruins potentially satisfying shots. It's voyeuristic. I don't get it at all. Most of all, I don't get the vapid nature that comes with it. Has the Valley Girl nature spread so far that it has lost irony? I cannot take that accent seriously. I always feels like it is satirizing an airhead. If I ever meet somebody whose voice is actually that way and their world view is so shallow, I may have an epiphany like tasting a new flavor for the first time. To me, these characters exists solely in the internet. I must be thankful for avoiding them.
Which is why Selfie is a particularly hard show to "get." Focusing around Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan), the show follows her after she gets into an embarrassing situation on a flight. With the help of her boss Henry (John Cho), she must learn to become a social person capable of holding a conversation without focusing on her phone and taking pictures. Considering that the word "selfie" is uttered at least seven times before the first minute ends, the show clearly is going after a grandiose experiment. Is it going to be the modern day commentary on an issue that has ruined conversations and artistry in equal holds? It may be the best idea then to not give us a protagonist whose sole personality is to be a caricature of the familiar Valley Girl. The obsession is there, but beyond the valley of the tropes lies nothing really interesting to get into. At best, Henry's involvement is to reflect those who can function in society.
Though what is more frustrating is that this is going to be an update of My Fair Lady or Pygmalion, which are the same story in which Eliza Doolittle meets Henry Higgins and becomes an upper class socialite. There's more to it, but the reason that the story continues to fascinate is because of what it covers. It explores why the English language connects us and can give us privilege. Along the way, Henry and Eliza fall in love, there are bets, and there's plenty of singing (at least in the musical). It makes sense why this would be excellent fodder for an update, even if there's a lot of charm lost by being more forceful about its subject matter. Instead of being about class, Eliza is simply just some random person who already works for Henry. There's no big reveals and it is unlikely to give her a growth in social class. Considering that she already is "popular," the whole ideals of My Fair Lady are expedited to somewhere else.
Here is a personal fact: I am 25 and am old enough to not get the "selfie" craze. I grew up in a time when cameras had automated timers that allowed for better shots. Maybe I am too much into the artisan of the shot, but the general concept is repugnant in the way that the phrase "Everyone is a critic" includes the illiterates on every single commenting board. It depletes the concept of art and also ruins potentially satisfying shots. It's voyeuristic. I don't get it at all. Most of all, I don't get the vapid nature that comes with it. Has the Valley Girl nature spread so far that it has lost irony? I cannot take that accent seriously. I always feels like it is satirizing an airhead. If I ever meet somebody whose voice is actually that way and their world view is so shallow, I may have an epiphany like tasting a new flavor for the first time. To me, these characters exists solely in the internet. I must be thankful for avoiding them.
Which is why Selfie is a particularly hard show to "get." Focusing around Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan), the show follows her after she gets into an embarrassing situation on a flight. With the help of her boss Henry (John Cho), she must learn to become a social person capable of holding a conversation without focusing on her phone and taking pictures. Considering that the word "selfie" is uttered at least seven times before the first minute ends, the show clearly is going after a grandiose experiment. Is it going to be the modern day commentary on an issue that has ruined conversations and artistry in equal holds? It may be the best idea then to not give us a protagonist whose sole personality is to be a caricature of the familiar Valley Girl. The obsession is there, but beyond the valley of the tropes lies nothing really interesting to get into. At best, Henry's involvement is to reflect those who can function in society.
Though what is more frustrating is that this is going to be an update of My Fair Lady or Pygmalion, which are the same story in which Eliza Doolittle meets Henry Higgins and becomes an upper class socialite. There's more to it, but the reason that the story continues to fascinate is because of what it covers. It explores why the English language connects us and can give us privilege. Along the way, Henry and Eliza fall in love, there are bets, and there's plenty of singing (at least in the musical). It makes sense why this would be excellent fodder for an update, even if there's a lot of charm lost by being more forceful about its subject matter. Instead of being about class, Eliza is simply just some random person who already works for Henry. There's no big reveals and it is unlikely to give her a growth in social class. Considering that she already is "popular," the whole ideals of My Fair Lady are expedited to somewhere else.
What is left is jokes in which hash tags and Instagram replace actual dialogue and punchlines. Eliza is the airhead that guides the show through every trope imaginable. In a way, Henry is supposed to be seen as a curmudgeon, but ends up being the only logical voice in the entire series. He wants to improve her, but he is supposed to be somewhat of a turnoff. What gives? This whole culture already reeks. Even then, there's enough in the existence to disqualify the need for Eliza to change. This culture will thrive, even if I do hope that she does lose that accent and discover that there's more to life. But where do you go from there? She will be dull once she gets an actual life. That's at least what's to be assumed if Selfie is to have any legs at all. There's no long term inspiration here. It's like Super Fun Night all over again, except that show had moments of intrigue.
The reality is that Eliza is just not an interesting character. As someone who is also invested in the My Fair Lady mythos, I am annoyed by the poorly planned parallels that are present. On top of not liking this airhead culture, I don't get that there's any deeper commentary. It just feels like an excuse to make jokes based around language. What street corner do I need to stand on to hear someone say "Hash tag JK" as something other than a joke of this culture? There has to be more authenticity to this lifestyle that I am missing. I don't even feel like it exists. Does TV really think that this is tolerable? I get that TV is escapism, but I feel like people have more common sense than to formulate such atrocious sentence structures.
Anyways, Selfie doesn't feel like an interesting anything. At best, it has the My Fair Lady world to build off of. But where does it go with it? Eventually he will grow accustomed to her face and wonder where the devil are his slippers. There's enough different here to suggest that maybe the series can evolve out of it. Eliza references her high school years as a loser. Maybe something will come of that. However, why did we need to open with her in such a repugnant scene full of illogical moments (are barf bags really that breakable?). She is supposed to be sympathetic before she ever gets a moment to warrant it. That's the problem.
And worst of all, it doesn't feel fresh or interesting. At times, it feels like a less charismatic version of Chloe from Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23. The difference is that while Chloe was introduced in a very unflattering way, she never played for sympathy. She was an airhead with personality and knew how to get her way. Eliza just would seem helpless if you left her in the middle of a field. Give her something beyond an accent and a gimmick before you tell me to invest in her. That's the issue with Selfie and this culture that I thankfully am not entirely that aware of. It is too much of a joke to even find their punchlines funny.
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