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Post by Brady Brown on Jul 11, 2016 19:36:29 GMT -6
REVIEW (Bullet Point Style): 2.06 "Love Is A Funny Thing"
- I agree with the majority of Jack's review. I don't like the fact that Charlie approached Hayley for help with his proposal to Maureen; however, the scenes where they were distracting her were pretty clever and entertaining to read. - Charlie and Maureen, as a couple, are incredibly rushed, and while you did address that, it still doesn't really justify Charlie's need to propose. We haven't gotten anything sustainable between them this season so it felt very out of place with everything else going on. - Same goes for Riley and Danny. All we've really gotten are little scenes of them being a couple here and there, and it's just really hard to buy Danny talking about being with Riley for the next 20 years, and I just found their promise ring scene very dramatic. - The Katerina and Hayley scene, and by extension the Will/Hayley scene, could have been saved for an episode where that conflict was more of a focus. - There were a lot of comma and question mark misuses. You have a tendency to use commas when there should be pauses, and questions marks where there should be commas. Just keep an eye out for those. - Finally, Maureen was the ultimate standout for the episode. She continues to be an extremely well crafted character, and my only one complaint if when she (and other characters) are infused with their "Youtube counterparts". Other than that, she's incredible.
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Post by Brady Brown on Jul 11, 2016 23:49:17 GMT -6
REVIEW (Bullet Point Style): 2.07 "The Cool Kids Aren't That Cool"
- Veronica is an incredible character. I loved every moment she was included in this episode, and I'm excited to see more of her rivalry with Maureen. She has such a unique personality and voice and characterization that I think really sets her apart and makes her a highlight. - The Tatum/Cal/Erick thing was something I'm not a fan of. It felt repetitive (from S1's Katerina/Will kiss), forced, and a bit cliché. It's weird that 15 year olds are concocting seduction plots to break people up. It's just not something I personally want to read about. There are a lot of other ways that the same outcome could have been achieved, in my opinion. Same thing for Queen Bees/Emmy. - The entire episode didn't really have a plot. I mean, I don't see a clear beginning, middle, and end. The Preston people sort of just showed up and left. The Drama Kids didn't manage to be involved in any of it outside of Tatum and Cal so I'm just confused on the thinness of it. - I do like that Hayley is beginning to realize the error of her ways, but I'm still not 100% sold on these inspirational speeches that Will and everyone else manage to make. They're saying things so ahead of their time and acting completely out-of-age, and it just takes me out of the experience. I've just never heard 15 year old speak with such wisdom before, so I would suggest toning that aspect down and giving almost more cluttered, misspoken advice.
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Post by Brian Melanson on Jul 13, 2016 23:04:26 GMT -6
"The Cool Kids Aren't That Cool" ReviewI'm feeling quite mixed about this episode. On one hand, it developed a plot that has been building for the whole season so far, but on another it just didn't seem to work as well as I had hoped it would. The aspects that I did enjoy also had a bit of a negative side to them too, so this review is going to be all over the place and I apologise for that BUT LETS DO THIS SHIZ. I'm just going to keep this short and touch upon quick things. We already talked about a few things, so I really don't want to beat a dead horse more than I already have. I think the reason for the "On the nose" plot and stuff. It's because originally Hayley was a complete B-word going forward and I wanted to change that. Maybe how I didn't wasn't exactly the best, but I wanted to kinda get to that point where I could fix Hayley. Maybe I just didn't get to it the right way. But I understand what you're saying The Veronica singing thing was just a fun little tibit I had of hers. Not just cause she's the Queen Kelly Clarkson. But I wanted it to come off as a kinda "hey I'm a better singer than you" to Maureen. And Maureen and Veronica have a dirty history that I hope to one day address, but right now, it's fun having them play enemies. You can't always have great reviews! I totally understand everything you're saying and it's really helpful. Thanks for reading Jack!
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Post by Brian Melanson on Jul 13, 2016 23:08:05 GMT -6
REVIEW (Bullet Point Style): 2.06 "Love Is A Funny Thing"- I agree with the majority of Jack's review. I don't like the fact that Charlie approached Hayley for help with his proposal to Maureen; however, the scenes where they were distracting her were pretty clever and entertaining to read. - Charlie and Maureen, as a couple, are incredibly rushed, and while you did address that, it still doesn't really justify Charlie's need to propose. We haven't gotten anything sustainable between them this season so it felt very out of place with everything else going on. - Same goes for Riley and Danny. All we've really gotten are little scenes of them being a couple here and there, and it's just really hard to buy Danny talking about being with Riley for the next 20 years, and I just found their promise ring scene very dramatic. - The Katerina and Hayley scene, and by extension the Will/Hayley scene, could have been saved for an episode where that conflict was more of a focus. - There were a lot of comma and question mark misuses. You have a tendency to use commas when there should be pauses, and questions marks where there should be commas. Just keep an eye out for those. - Finally, Maureen was the ultimate standout for the episode. She continues to be an extremely well crafted character, and my only one complaint if when she (and other characters) are infused with their "Youtube counterparts". Other than that, she's incredible. S1 was very rushed and the Maureen and Charlie thing will be stretched out a bit. Riley and Danny originally were going to have their "first time" in this episode and I really had to pull back a lot of rushed things. A lot of the couples on this show are rushed. But after this episode, they all really hit the brakes. And the Hayley/Katerina stuff should have been saved. I was just in too much of a hurry to start their story that I guess I didn't think to save it for another episode. And Maureen is great isn't she? Thanks for reading Brady!
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Post by Brian Melanson on Jul 13, 2016 23:11:28 GMT -6
REVIEW (Bullet Point Style): 2.07 "The Cool Kids Aren't That Cool"- Veronica is an incredible character. I loved every moment she was included in this episode, and I'm excited to see more of her rivalry with Maureen. She has such a unique personality and voice and characterization that I think really sets her apart and makes her a highlight. - The Tatum/Cal/Erick thing was something I'm not a fan of. It felt repetitive (from S1's Katerina/Will kiss), forced, and a bit cliché. It's weird that 15 year olds are concocting seduction plots to break people up. It's just not something I personally want to read about. There are a lot of other ways that the same outcome could have been achieved, in my opinion. Same thing for Queen Bees/Emmy. - The entire episode didn't really have a plot. I mean, I don't see a clear beginning, middle, and end. The Preston people sort of just showed up and left. The Drama Kids didn't manage to be involved in any of it outside of Tatum and Cal so I'm just confused on the thinness of it. - I do like that Hayley is beginning to realize the error of her ways, but I'm still not 100% sold on these inspirational speeches that Will and everyone else manage to make. They're saying things so ahead of their time and acting completely out-of-age, and it just takes me out of the experience. I've just never heard 15 year old speak with such wisdom before, so I would suggest toning that aspect down and giving almost more cluttered, misspoken advice. Veronica was most definently a character I love to write. She has that "I'm better than you" attitude and it's just fun to write. Tatum And Cal were really something I feel like I messed up. I knew I was going to break them up but I think the execution on how, just really got from me. And really this episode was more of a set up of things to come. And also the speeches, you didn't get those in High School?? lol Jk. Yeah they are kind of out of place sometimes and I really need to work on them. But as for the rest of the season coming up, it's going to get there. I promise. Hopefully.
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Post by Jack Malone on Jul 14, 2016 0:15:11 GMT -6
"The Breakfast Club of Serenity High" Review This episode was heavily inspired by Breakfast Club (obviously) and the concept of that film was easily translated to 101 Ways to Survive High School in that it pulled a lot out of these characters and allowed for some great character pieces and developments, however, I'm not a huge fan of mimicking and mirroring specific lines and scenes that straight out copy material. I understand it for references. And I understand this show relies on pop culture a lot of the time in it's dialogue. But I'm just not sure I liked how similar this episode was to the film it's inspired by. With that being said, finding inspiration from films and other TV shows definitely works for this series but I just hope in future that you'd be a little more creative in how you go about adapting these ideas to fit your show and didn't copy something beat for beat, or even - at times - line for line. Now, with that out of the way, let's crack onto what happened in the episode... Putting Hayley, Will, Riley, Danny, and Katerina in a room together offered something really great for certain characters and their development. First and foremost, though, I think I have to talk about what it did for Hayley and Katerina. Throughout the series so far, I have been unable to side with Hayley during this feud with Katerina because more times than not she has always done something ten times worse than what Katerina did and then dissolved into this "she started it" or "this is what you deserve for what you did to me" mentality which is extremely unlikable in a protagonist. Stooping to Katerina's level and then doing one over her has resulted in this dislike for the character and I feel like while previous episodes have tried to steer her in a more likeable direction of self realisation that her behaviour is wrong, it wasn't until this episode where I felt like you had actually achieved some real development for her. This episode ending with Katerina and Hayley going through all the terrible stuff they had done to each other, admitting fault, and finding some form of resolution in hopes of a new beginning was a great moment. I think it offers a promising future for them and the show going forward and hopefully Hayley will start to grow on me too. I kind of wish going into this episode there was more drama worth including Riley and Danny. Danny's discussion about his father - despite feeling a bit pushed into the conversation - just made me realise that we don't really know a great deal about him and that he hasn't quite received the level of focus as other characters have on the show. But I also felt like he and Riley didn't really need to be in Detention. I mean you have Hayley see herself as just the Youtube girl, and Katerina battling with this identity crisis of being a "loser" now and Will has never really quite fit the mould of a quarterback, but Riley has never felt insecure about her role as "bad girl" and Danny being identified as "the best friend" as if it's on the same level as everyone else's... It just didn't work for me. I think you had much better characters to fill those other two seats and just because Danny and Riley fill that quota of being in the main 5 cast... it didn't really call for them being involved in the story. So in saying that, I kind of wish there was something built up leading into this episode that would call for those two being there because I know you see the main 5 of the show being Hayley, Will, Riley, Danny and Katerina Back onto a positive note, I really enjoyed the Katerina and Will scene. I know I'm "out of it" when it comes to the main ships and certain characters but I felt a lot of chemistry between the two. It kind of showed me what Hayley and Will lacked up until being an actual item. But yeah. It's just a shame that if Kat/Will ever did get together, Hayley would go savage and get all up in arms about it, haha. But chemistry aside, it was just a really great scene and I love when your characters can get real and down to earth because sometimes comedy and the role they're playing can take over and be at the forefront so well done on their scene! The only other thing about this episode I wanted to talk very quickly on was Jonathan and the inclusion of alcohol. While I understood that Jonathan had a specific role to play, and the characters call him on his behaviour, I find it hard to grasp that someone can talk like this to students and get away with it. I think there can be comedy in reality and 101 isn't exactly a pull from the real world so I wish it would be more realistic sometimes in what it can and can't do. Jonathan 100% should have been fired. As for the alcohol, I talked to you about this as I was reading: I just feel like you didn't need it for the purpose you used it for especially on a show with 15 year olds. Kids shouldn't have to get drunk to open up to their friends. Hayley and Katerina didn't need to be drunk to apologise to each other. It just didn't do anything for me and kind of ended the episode on a bit of a sour note and had me scratching my head about it. I understand the why of it and I can't argue about it and be like "YOU WERE WRONG FOR DOING THIS" because 15 year olds can get access to alcohol in the real world somehow and get smashed and what have you, but I think from a storytelling aspect it wasn't needed and it just rubbed me the wrong way, I guess. Overall, a stronger episode than the previous. This season continues to impress with its strong developments for its characters and relationships. Focus returned on the main five - the core five characters of the series - in a way that makes me wish every episode maintained that focus. And while I wasn't a fan of plucking specific lines and beats from The Breakfast Club, I can't argue with the fact that the concept and story worked for 101 Ways to Survive High School.
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Post by Brian Melanson on Jul 14, 2016 10:39:48 GMT -6
"The Breakfast Club of Serenity High" Review This episode was heavily inspired by Breakfast Club (obviously) and the concept of that film was easily translated to 101 Ways to Survive High School in that it pulled a lot out of these characters and allowed for some great character pieces and developments, however, I'm not a huge fan of mimicking and mirroring specific lines and scenes that straight out copy material. I understand it for references. And I understand this show relies on pop culture a lot of the time in it's dialogue. But I'm just not sure I liked how similar this episode was to the film it's inspired by. With that being said, finding inspiration from films and other TV shows definitely works for this series but I just hope in future that you'd be a little more creative in how you go about adapting these ideas to fit your show and didn't copy something beat for beat, or even - at times - line for line. Now, with that out of the way, let's crack onto what happened in the episode... Finally addressing the Katerina/Hayley conflict was something I needed to do. I couldn't all of a sudden have them be best friends and just be all happy go lucky with each other. And when I watched the Breakfast Club for the first time, I knew it was something I wanted to do for 101 and at the time of planning this half of the season, it felt like it was time to finally bring Hayley and Katerina back together. And I know Hayley hasn't been the best lately. I've realized as I've been writing and looking at things said by you and Brady, I've lost focus on her. I can absolutley say that Hayley will be returning to the forefront for the second half of the season and going on a very interesting journey that will hopefully change her for the better and turn her away from this character that would stoop so low to do something. I knew going in there was going to be something for all five of them. I think somewhere in planning and outlining and actual writing, it got lost. Danny's Dad thing is a possibility of a future storyline that I want to hopefully tell one day. And I kind of threw that in as an easter egg type of thing for a future episode type deal thing. And it also opens up something we've never seen for Danny. He's always portrayed as this best friend who gives these hope speeches and tells you that everything is okay. We never get insight into what his inner turmoial is. Riley for me, she's tired of being seen as this bad person. Hence why I did stress she wanted to prove she wrote a play to Jonathan and stuff. And that's addressed later on where we see what's going on inside Riley's mind. But I know going into 2B, I want the show to focus on this main five and really start to make it their show again. I've finally found the people to tell my story and now I just have to do it. That was really a fun scene to write. We never got to see Katerina and Will be a couple asides from a makeout and a fight in S1. So it was nice to write this for them. They did have scenes in earlier episodes but I think saving all of that for this, really made it cool and nice. They will begin to explore their relationship as friends because they have one thing in common, they want to help Hayley. So that will bring them closer together and help repair old wounds from their relationship. Again, this episode was a huge adaption of The Breakfast Club and there was this overbearing Vice Principle and they smoked pot and talked about their feelings. But really, the world we live in, teens do drink. And I know that I have heavily pushed that on this show. I think it's from watching other TV shows and going "Oh teens drinking, who cares". And really, I kinda knew deep down Hayley and Katerina needed to open up but they were both too chicken s**t to do it sober. So that's really why I did it. I mean, I could've found an easier, and more interesting way to do it. But I stand by it because it ended up opening up a world of new storylines. But for a while, I know this is the end of underaged drinking. But who knows about Season Three lol Thanks for reading, Jack. This is one of the episodes I was so excited for to write and it was the best one I think I have ever done. Next week is the start of Drama Fest and believe me, things happen that no one will see coming. Or they might, I'm kind of predicable. Thanks again!
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Post by Jack Malone on Jul 24, 2016 15:46:29 GMT -6
"Drama Fest, Here We Come!" Review
I'm going to take a page from Brady's book here and do a bullet point review because I'm very tired and worried about all the nonsense I will spew in this current state of being sleep deprived.
- There were a lot more laughs to be had in this episode that I appreciated. You brought your A game with the comedy. - Veronica/Maureen scenes are great. I love their dynamic. I would love to see more of it. It gives Maureen more to do outside of the drama kids and her relationship with Charlie, and adds some stakes to the show (as do the others from Preston). - I had the same problem with the "play" scenes in this episode that I did with the previous ones where they were rehearsing. It's pages and pages of these characters pretending to be someone else that—while it does go hand in hand with the situation of them being at Drama Fest and them being Drama students—doesn't seem to do anything to move the story forward as it doesn't relate to the characters. I think in future you should have the play be something that relates to the characters and their journeys. For example, if the play had something to do with jealousy and dealing with your problems and offering forgiveness and that in turn evolved Hayley and played a role in her letting go of her hatred for Katerina and offering her a second chance then the play would have more significance in being pages and pages long. I hope that makes sense. - Despite that issue, I felt like you breaking up the moments with the "TALKING HEADS" was genius and made it a lot better than the rehearsal scenes. But I just need the play to be something that relates to the stories and not just a random thing for the characters to step into for 5 pages. - It's nice to see Katerina working with everyone. I feel like you've made a lot of progress with her. It's very exciting. - Hayley was back to her early-season-one self which felt great to read. I'm glad she's back to her usual self. Hope it sticks.
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Post by Brian Melanson on Jul 25, 2016 13:19:41 GMT -6
"Drama Fest, Here We Come!" Review I'm going to take a page from Brady's book here and do a bullet point review because I'm very tired and worried about all the nonsense I will spew in this current state of being sleep deprived. - There were a lot more laughs to be had in this episode that I appreciated. You brought your A game with the comedy. - Veronica/Maureen scenes are great. I love their dynamic. I would love to see more of it. It gives Maureen more to do outside of the drama kids and her relationship with Charlie, and adds some stakes to the show (as do the others from Preston). - I had the same problem with the "play" scenes in this episode that I did with the previous ones where they were rehearsing. It's pages and pages of these characters pretending to be someone else that—while it does go hand in hand with the situation of them being at Drama Fest and them being Drama students—doesn't seem to do anything to move the story forward as it doesn't relate to the characters. I think in future you should have the play be something that relates to the characters and their journeys. For example, if the play had something to do with jealousy and dealing with your problems and offering forgiveness and that in turn evolved Hayley and played a role in her letting go of her hatred for Katerina and offering her a second chance then the play would have more significance in being pages and pages long. I hope that makes sense. - Despite that issue, I felt like you breaking up the moments with the "TALKING HEADS" was genius and made it a lot better than the rehearsal scenes. But I just need the play to be something that relates to the stories and not just a random thing for the characters to step into for 5 pages. - It's nice to see Katerina working with everyone. I feel like you've made a lot of progress with her. It's very exciting. - Hayley was back to her early-season-one self which felt great to read. I'm glad she's back to her usual self. Hope it sticks. I absolutely love these Bullet reviews, it's very straight to the point and really gets your point across. And I know how tierd you were so, thank you again for reading - THANKS! The comedy in this episode is really the best I think I've done in a while. It's something I love to do and I think I finally found a groove for the comedy in the show. - Veronica and Maureen is so much fun to write. These two women hate each other so much that they want to best each other. I also love having the stakes be very high, it adds tension and a sense of problems happening. Preston is going to be sticking around for a while. - The Play Scenes are going to be taken into a difference now, I like that you're giving me these examples and it's really does make sense. I should have mirrored things instead of just going "oh hey, you want drama club, here's the kids acting". 2B will really be a character focus so the play stuff will be taking a backseat until S3, so I'll have time to figure it all out. - The Talking Heads with Nellie and Izzy was really a last minute idea. Because these two characters are fun to write, and I wanted to do something with them so it was fun to be able to work with them for these small scenes. - It feels so amazing to finally have Katerina be apart of the Main Four (now Main Five). It's really now an oppurtunity to bring her character to a new light and really bring her back to being friends with Hayley and start a new friendship with Will and the others. So it's something I've been wanting to play with for the longest time and to finally do it is the best thing ever. - Hayley is going to have some fun in 2B. I really needed to get back to her and finally doing so, it's opened up her story for the next half of the season and you'll see clearly in the Mid-Season Finale where she is headed and really all I want to say is, we're going to be taking a couple steps back with Hayley, as she's going back to a place she's really hated. But, we're taking her forward in having her realize things and come to terms that things don't always work out the way we plan. Thanks for reading Jack!
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