Hellcats - season 1 (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by DaveF

As said above, I like the flow of the relationship between Marty and Dan. I'll criticize it for being like every show I've seen: I've never known youth be that open and honest about their relationships with each other. But it make for good tv so thats how it's written.

You have to keep in mind that they've been best friends since pretty much birth. I have a girl friend that I grew up with like that and still see from time to time, and we're that open too. The trust is pretty absolute, and all of the drama is played out. So I buy it in this case, even though I wouldn't with most other match ups.

 

[Patrick Sun]

They must have worked really hard to shoot around Marti's lack of running coordination. Otherwise, nice weekly eye candy.

 

[mattCR]

CW Gives it a full season pickup!


www.tvbythenumbers.com

 

[DaveF]

Woohoo!

And another fun episode.

 

[DaveF]

Another good episode. I enjoyed the closing conversation with Savannah and her mom. The show continues to navigate a realistic portrayal of a searching christian in the greater secular world.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by DaveF

I enjoyed the closing conversation with Savannah and her mom. The show continues to navigate a realistic portrayal of a searching christian in the greater secular world.

I was just coming to post about that. I've never seen a TV show with a character like Savannah before, but I thought I'd seen plenty with characters like her family. That closing conversation changed my opinion. Savannah's mom has built her life around a set of rules and decorum that gives her world order and purpose. Now that Savannah has left the nest, she no longer fits neatly into that set of rules and decorum. For the first time in a long time, Savannah's mom has to grapple with something which her experiences have not prepared her for. But she is still a mother who wants to be a good mother to Savannah, even if she no longer knows quite how. And that conversation hints that it's not entirely her fault, since Savannah has defensively done her share of shutting out too. The journey to cross that divide is one I want to see.

 

[mattCR]

If someone would have told me at the beginning of the year that "Hellcats" would have one of the most complex and real-world portrayals of a devout Christian trying to adjust their world view to keep their faith and adjust/adopt to a secular world I would have heckled. And yet, here it is. Savanah has adjusted and adopted, but she has also not surrendered her core beliefs.


Her mother's character is also not an "evil monster" of fundamentalism, she's someone who has her beliefs and while she's wrong, she truly does want to do good things for her kid, and isn't out to hurt her.


The show has of course the sexy-skin-let's look at the girl moments, and yet we have two great moral compass storylines:

A teacher who is so eager to overturn 3 strikes law that he is willing to not chase the potential innocence of his client, preferring to use him for a good cause.


A girl and her family estranged over her choice to live in a more secular world.


Either of these storylines on their own would be worthwhile. I am really enjoying this show.

 

[mattCR]

That was a surprisingly moving moment in the hotel. I guess it was telegraphed, but it has been hidden so well through the season I still felt completely blindsided, a lot like Savanah..


I loved the storyline regarding the news article, support of their team, and feeling as though you're an accessory for the football team.


And, the legal case picks up speed.


This show has so many different, complex storylines going on.. and yet, it really sells all of them. I'm very glad this got a full season order.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by mattCR

That was a surprisingly moving moment in the hotel. I guess it was telegraphed, but it has been hidden so well through the season I still felt completely blindsided, a lot like Savanah..

What's interesting is that Marti and Dan Patch were obviously the "Ross and Rachel" of the show since day one. It was clearly telegraphed that they were meant to be, even though they'd spend the entire series not admitting it. The relationships they would have in between would be filler relationships to prolong the inevitable. Marti and Lewis feel that way, since she is obviously keeping him at arm's length. But Savannah and Dan Patch do not, because nothing about relationships with Savannah is filler. And to Dan Patch's credit, he understands that. He takes his responsibility with Savannah seriously, and the party boy who throws himself at anyone who will have him is signaling each move very carefully. He has feelings for Marti, but he thought they weren't reciprocated so he put them to bed. He wouldn't have gotten involved with Savannah if he hadn't. Then Marti's mom throws a huge wrench into things. He could just ignore and plunge ahead with Savannah, but he doesn't. His conversation with Marti wasn't about him and Marti, it was about protecting Savannah. If there was still something in the tank with Marti, he needed to know that and process it before he took any further steps with Savannah because he wouldn't move forward with Savannah unless he had no reason to believe things couldn't work out. Ironically, Marti refused to give him a forthright answer because she was trying to protect Savannah, but Dan Patch didn't know that. While it was obvious she still has feelings for him, he thought she didn't have the courage to fess up to them. And for him, that was its own answer. Spurred on by Alice's advice, he decided Marti's internal mess wasn't going to affect his judgment and he committed to Savannah.


The bookend to that is his reaction to Savannah being missing. Again to his credit, he quickly understands what she's figured out and why it's broken her heart. The situation is a disaster -- though less of a disaster than it would have been if she'd found out right after they'd done the deed -- but it's not because anyone was being intentionally manipulative or hurtful. Marti and Dan Patch were both trying to do the right thing. Because of the nature of Savannah's upbringing and the values she holds to, losing her virginity to anyone other the man she's going to spend the rest of her life with is going to be a disappointment. She needs to decide if that's one of life's disappointments that she's willing to live with. If she isn't, the right choice is to wait.

 

[mattCR]

Great summary Adam. About how I felt. I think the relationship with Dan and Savannah had become "real enough" for him; I think he honestly has legitimate feelings for her, and he was ready to make that step because he had moved on. I think Marti's mother through the big wrench, and at that point, a lot of old feelings stirred up.


I thought they played that absolutely perfectly. I think it creates both a struggle for Savanah and Marti, but it's one were I think there is room for the two of them to come back together and figure it out.

I really do appreciate how well crafted this show really is. I was really impressed with the storyline for Alice; who was put out there as a "Football Wife" and realized that she was being used.. just for a trophy, and that here accomplishments were being downplayed / ridiculed. I thought that entire storyline, of her finding a way to make her place with that relationship was also very, very good.


It really surprises me how intricate the storytelling is on this show, that we have about 10 open storylines (ranging fro relationships to the legal battle over a falsely imprisoned homeless guy) and the show moves silky smooth between them.

 

[DaveF]

What an impressive episode! Every detail was perfect. I really liked Alice's story because she didn't do anything to sink the football story. It sunk itself by being banal. Her sin was crafting her own destiny and taking advantage of pieces of opportunities. One might read contemporary social issues into that: the difference in perceptin between a go-getter guy is Leader while the same woman is the Bitch. They played that perfectly without actually shouting it out

Savannah...I have a similar background as hers (except for being a perky cheerleader . I partly wish they'd written her to resist the perceived peer pressure (which isn't there). Her having sex is such a violaion of her culture, background, and personal mores. But this makes for a good story. And in 2010 her pressures are even stronger than they were 20 years ago.

I wonder if that version of Girls Want To Have Fun is on iTunes? I love a melancholy remake of a great 80s song.

 

[neli]

I like to watch nikita episodes in which she has performed.I will surely watch it in spare time.

 

[DaveF]

???

 

[Ockeghem]

Originally Posted by DaveF /forum/thread/303789/hellcats-season-1/30#post_3748688

 

[mattCR]

Cam Newton. There, I'lll say it. Did any other show luck into a storyline as hot as Cam Newton???? I mean, since Episode 1, they have been covering the pay or play controversy in the schools past, and then this week, the week the investigation at Mississippi State RE: Newton blows up, Hellcats rolls out it's payoff episode w/r/t a high prospect QB. Talk about "Ripped from the Headlines" (


Argh! I now can't even use the reply box at all! I had to switch to source mode because I hit returns and it puts them after the cursor, which doesn't jump down a line at all.. this is the most annoying things ever. I'll manually put in the HTML for the breaks, so pardon if this looks bad.


Here's the thing about the direction this has went, now you've got Dan screwed up about what he really wants, and he's moved backward in his story, which is not what I'd want, but understandable. And the storyline involving Char is a tricky one, but again, the show did somewhat the unexpected thing.. So many different puzzles in this show, and it's done so well.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It's weird watching this show, because there are SO many Syfy vets on it in supporting roles. You've got Crew Chief Tyrol from "Battlestar Galactica" as the head of the athletics department, you've got Lacy Rand from "Caprica" as the bitchy Cyclones cheerleader and now you've got Dr. Rodney McKay from "Stargate: Atlantis" as the corrupted pharmacist. All in one episode! That not to mention the bit players that have shown up in the past, like Sam Oliver's Dad from "Reaper" as the financial aid officer.


What happened between Marti and Dan Patch in the Buick, even though they were interrupted before they went all the way, is a ticking time bomb. Marti looked like she was on the verge of spilling the beans before Lewis dragged Dan Patch in. Much like Charlotte's lie with the pregnancy, it's bound to come out eventually, and it will do far more damage then than it did now.

 

[DaveF]

"Lacy Rand from "Caprica"" -- Not watched Caprica yet, so didn't realize that! Been enjoying all the sci-fi "reunions"


The last episode was hard for me to relate to. Practically, I'm 7 years since dating in a casual sense, and 15 years from the teen and mid-twenties dramas. I'm watching it thinking, Marti and Dan's event was 4+ years ago -- an eternity to people in college. It all felt so blown out of proportion. But I guess not. Being close friends with your former "first" and still having some sense of attraction just under the surface...this might not play well with your new best friend and new boyfriend.


I'm glad to be married and past all that.


But again, very interesting episode: Red's being pulled into the pay-for-play corruption! That changes my perception of him. He started as a chump trying to steal another man's fiance (or girlfriend, I forget). Now, he's a deeply invested individual, sacrificing his integrity and possible professional future to save his lost-love's cheerleading program.


This was my least favorite episode so far -- the dating drama doesn't connect -- but even so it's compelling TV. And I hope they put out a season Soundtrack. There's been snippets of good music throughout.

 

[DaveF]

Decent new episode. My wife says I expect too much, but the cheer-off between Lancer and Mem Chris at a townie bar's dance contest was too ridiculous for me. It killed the middle part of the episode. But everything else was interesting. And now we're at the mid-season crisis. Everything is out. Marti has made a complete mess of things, though did so with the best of intentions.

 

[mattCR]

I agree Dave. I thought the mid-section cheer-off bit was kind of below the show, and hurt the middle section. This show has been so good about honest assessments, I wasn't impressed with that. I do like the brewing controversy potential over the relationship and potential reveal of the pregnancy. Once the video of Savanah was out there of her in the wrong uniform... it became obvious that at some point, that reveal has to happen. I have a somewhat sick feeling they are going to end it in a way that I feel will be utterly out of character here, and if they do that, then it's kind of a cop-out for the show that hasn't taken many.

 

[DaveF]

I agree Matt, and have the same concerns about Savannah's sister's choice on her pregnancy.


We are also now getting a truer reveal on how dirty, how evil even, is the Lancer head of athletics. But what do you expect from a Toaster?