S1 Discussion Board

[Jamison]

REVIEW: 1.06 | "Whatever You Do, Don't Screw Up"

Okay, another one down. The sixth installment of the series is another episode I have mixed feelings about. I liked the direction the episode was going in the beginning but it sort of switched gears somewhere in the middle and got away from me. This sort of felt like two episodes written as one, with the drama kids trying to come up with a new script for their play and the whole party situation. It wasn't the typical a-plot and b-plot. More like two separate plots that ended up melding together for some reason. I think I would have liked to see more of a focus on them coming up with ideas for the play, a lot of humor and even drama could have come from that on its own, without the party angle, which I think was interesting but could have been better saved for another episode.

For the most part, I did like everyone's interactions at the party. Hayley and Will were fun up until that business at the end. I do think it's realistic for a drunk Hayley to be all jump-y to conclusions, but I was surprised Riley felt the need to question him as well. And I'm hoping Will doesn't feel as though he's done something wrong in the next episode because honestly he didn't. I liked Maureen's role in the episode, however minor it was. I would have liked to see more of her but you take what you can get. 

Brady already mentioned a lot of this stuff in his review and I don't want to be repetitive so I'll just wrap this up. Overall, decent episode - just a bit shaky and inconsistent in terms of story structure. A lot of fun humor in this episode though, so I did enjoy that. Will be checking back in for the next episode.

[Brian Melanson]

Nov 7, 2015 11:47:08 GMT -6 Brady Brown said:

REVIEW: 1.06 "Whatever You Do, Don't Screw Up"

This episode of 101 we saw a conflict ensue because of the PTA banning the production of "Into The Woods". This episode, I think, would have benefitted a lot more if it actually focused on the drama club itself attempting to brainstorm ideas for either a new play or actually creating one altogether. Instead, we went to a party where a lot of things happened that I wasn't a really big fan of.

The main thing that bugged me was the Will/Hayley drama. I thought their interactions up until the end were nice and fun, but I really didn't like how that entire development was resorted to Katerina thrusting herself onto Will and kissing him and Hayley sees this and doesn't even bother to hear Will's side of the story and just flees. Then, Riley jumps on Will's case and none of it made any real sense, because they were, in a sense, taking Katerina's side. I'm also not a fan of Will blaming himself for what happened, because he didn't do anything wrong and it's actually Hayley jumping to conclusions. Now, if Will actually leaned into the kiss for a moment, maybe even indulged it, I could understand this a bit more. I get that this is high school and that kids jump to judgements and do stupid things, but these kids do adult things and have adult conversations so I guess I just expect more mature behavior from them with how they're being presented.

Another thing that was weird was Riley. She's so hellbent on getting her brother with Hayley even when she and Will would rather remain friends for the time being and it's a little creepy haha. Just let them move at their own pace, girl! Riley did have a big development though in the form of writing the play Faithfully, but I gotta say that it was rushed. She wrote a play, what, overnight? Over the weekend? I don't know anyone who can do that, personally haha. I just wish there had been more time spent on that and more time spent on the drama club trying to come up with ideas. I will say, though, Riley had the funniest moment of the episode when she scratched her nails on the board. That actually had me laughing out loud haha.

Maureen had some funny moments in this episode, too. I really liked her scene with Rose, despite the stereotypical teenage pregnancy comments lol I would have liked to have seen her try and work harder to find a substitute play, though. Cal and Tatum shared a kiss, which was nice. I would have liked to have seen a scene with them before that moment though. Would have made things a little smoother.

I think my main problem with the series so far is that the characters are somewhat inconsistent a lot of the time, particularly Hayley, and that I wish there was more focus on the drama club itself. Like, I think brainstorming scenes would have been a lot more beneficial than a party. Maybe they had their own party, maybe they had a brainstorming sleepover. I don't know haha I just think something like that would have worked better, and it would have eliminated the unnecessary drama that seems to be unfolding between Will and Hayley.

Thanks for reading Brady! And yes, I do agree with what a majority of what you said. I think the main problem I had with these episodes, and the remainder of S1, was I just trying to rush out episodes and get as much done as I could, which you knew I was doing. But yes, S1 is not my favorite in a sense of that, it's a little, all over the place. I was stupid and didn't plan much and really came up with stories right off the top of my head without thinking it all through. But I think it was also because, I didn't know these characters. I didn't know who they were and I just was testing things around with them. 

Hence why, Season Two (Which I know is stupid to be thinking about right now) is kinda soft reboot of the whole show. Because I'm actually taking time with things and going to figure some stuff out. But any who, this is just all stuff that I am going to take and use it to help shape future episodes of 101. So YAY. 

And yeah, Riley wrote the play over the weekend. I thought I stated that, but I might have accidentally removed it, or just completely forgot about it, haha. But I am happy you found some moments good and happy. I hope future episodes do help move forward a bit better than these S1 episodes. S1, looking back as I work on S2, it does seem a bit, how do I say it. All over the place. Hence why I am working that S2 be a little bit more linear and character driven instead of using outside forces, such as the PTA. But I hope future episodes are a bit better, honestly it's been a while since I've read them. But I do know, going into the second half of S1 I was a bit better looking at the storylines and stuff. 

BUT BRADY!!!!! Thanks for reading!! !!!!

[Brian Melanson]

Nov 7, 2015 14:30:26 GMT -6 Jamison said:

REVIEW: 1.06 | "Whatever You Do, Don't Screw Up"

Okay, another one down. The sixth installment of the series is another episode I have mixed feelings about. I liked the direction the episode was going in the beginning but it sort of switched gears somewhere in the middle and got away from me. This sort of felt like two episodes written as one, with the drama kids trying to come up with a new script for their play and the whole party situation. It wasn't the typical a-plot and b-plot. More like two separate plots that ended up melding together for some reason. I think I would have liked to see more of a focus on them coming up with ideas for the play, a lot of humor and even drama could have come from that on its own, without the party angle, which I think was interesting but could have been better saved for another episode.

For the most part, I did like everyone's interactions at the party. Hayley and Will were fun up until that business at the end. I do think it's realistic for a drunk Hayley to be all jump-y to conclusions, but I was surprised Riley felt the need to question him as well. And I'm hoping Will doesn't feel as though he's done something wrong in the next episode because honestly he didn't. I liked Maureen's role in the episode, however minor it was. I would have liked to see more of her but you take what you can get. 

Brady already mentioned a lot of this stuff in his review and I don't want to be repetitive so I'll just wrap this up. Overall, decent episode - just a bit shaky and inconsistent in terms of story structure. A lot of fun humor in this episode though, so I did enjoy that. Will be checking back in for the next episode.

Hey Chris! I think I said a lot of things that happened with this episode with Brady's response. But I do 101% (thehehehe) agree. I think the first half of the series wasn't really my favorite. But I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. But the feedback from you and Brady are going to help me as I go forward into S2. I have seriously gone deep into S2 and really do a knife and flamethrower to it and have started fixing the problems and adjusting to fit things in that will help the episodes and removing the crap that isn't. But Again, short response because I said a lot of stuff with Brady's. But thank you for reading and I will be using all this feedback for the future! 

[Jack Malone]

'101 Ways To Survive High School'
1x04 Review: 'Don't Bring Your Study Date Home' 

This was one of my favourites of the season so far. The relationship between Will and Hayley felt more organic in terms of their ongoing development and inevitable romance, Maureen continues to be the best character on the show, there was a lot more set up for two bound-to-be-pivotal-relationships on the show found in Danny and Riley, and Tatum and Cal, and the twist at the end was kind of nice. 

First up, I enjoyed the conflict in the Teaser.  I do see this as a show that kind of develops a little bit more each episode, and so I don't have a problem with the teaser not directly giving us an insight into what the episode is about, and enjoyed the conflict within it. It's nice to have all the drama kids together, and battling out ideas and panicking about the future of their club. The fact that if they don't figure something out they could be disbanded is an interesting conflict to give us, so I liked it. In the teaser, Hayley is very bubbly and supportive and nice, and we've seen quite the opposite of that on more than a few occasions, and it's the side of her I enjoy most so I loved it. I loved the fact she ships Cal and Tatum. That 'talking head' of hers in the opening did a lot to peel back more likeable qualities of your main character, so well done! 

The general premise of this episode centred on a study date between Hayley and Will. As I've said, I think this episode developed them at a much more organic pace and you deserve props for that this week. It really creates this conflict between Katerina and Hayley that is interesting right from the get go, and I like that you had Katerina spot their encounter and see him hand over his number. As for the date itself, it did end quite abruptly to the point where I felt like he heard everything going on outside and wanted to leave because of it, but within the context of their interactions, it's more to do with him feeling lost, and I love the callback to the pilot and the first lesson on how to survive high school through Will's character. The twist at the end with him joining the drama club felt like a little bit of a stretch, but at the same time, it was perfect. I mean, he's looking for himself, and I stand by what I think about these type of classes in that you get to be creative, and you get to explore yourself through jumping into other characters, and being part of a family. 

Speaking of that family dynamic, Maureen continues to be the best character on the show. I love that Maureen is like 'ask Tatum out' and feels like one of the gang rather than the pioneer leading them.  I guess Maureen can be seen as unprofessional, but there are a lot of characters whose personality outshines their profession on virtual series' I've read and shows that I've watched, and Maureen is in a rather unique teaching profession. I feel like there's a certain level of 'family' involved in being a drama teacher, and you kind of have to click as a unit, so being so invested in their lives and being so casual and all of that just makes her even more realistic to me. Her voice literally jumps off the page, and I adore her.  

The other two relationships that are gaining some traction are Tatum/Cal and Danny/Riley. I certainly prefer the former to the latter at the moment, and I like that they received some focus in this one.  Tatum is just a really loveable character, and a very appealing character that makes you root for him, you know? His scenes with Hayley really stood out to me, and I hope we see more of their friendship! As for Danny and Riley, Riley is a mixed bag for me.  Sometimes I like her, and other times she bugs me. I feel like her and Katerina cancel each other out and have a very similar voice in that they're both extremely antagonistic. Except, at this point, Riley is more redeemable. But she has so many shades of Katerina that makes her dislikeable to me, and the fact she bags out Hayley in front of Danny just bugs me. I think when it comes to relationships, you're either developing one organically and rushing the other, or rushing them all. There isn't much of a balance. I prefer Will/Hayley and Tatum/Cal this week to the treatment of Danny/Riley, but I'm sure there's going to be episodes where it changes and my taste for certain ships will change as I read on, which is totally fine. It's season one, man. We all find our pace eventually!  

Other notes I wanted to make: 

I loved the hallway scene between Fiona, Jennifer and Hayley.  Fiona has no filter and I absolutely love it. I cracked up so much at her "You saw his penis" line that she seemed to belt, completely misreading what she said. She'd be that friend that would totally annoy the shit out of me, but you just know they're a good person, and a good friend and you love them all the more for it, you know? 

On a less positive note, there's a lot of times where people are speaking but nothing is being said. It's usually the pop culture references that seem to drag on. Now, this is conflicting to me, because a lot of the time, these references build character, show us voice, and really create this back and forth dialogue that makes things interesting, but at the same time, it could be stripped back a little to let the episodes flow and the plot stand out more, you know? So definitely don't go around chopping references, because they're great, but just maybe be more aware of what you're trying to do in that scene and in that moment, and see if referencing Glee three times is going to advance it. 

Lastly, I kind of like how the show plays with stereotypes and also likes to squash them a little, and be a bit more forward thinking than a lot of teen dramas of the past.  For example, Hayley says something along the lines of finding Jennifer Lawrence hot, and says that she can appreciate a good looking woman without being a lesbian.  She makes comments like, "I think I might be gay" in response to Riley singing, and it's just... there needs to be more of this! I mean, I don't know, you might be edging Hayley towards a bisexual identity that will unearth as the show goes on and she grows up, but even if that's not the case, it's nice to see straight characters who aren't afraid to have affectionate same-sex friendships, and make comments that would, back in my time at high school, be attacked for or at least looked at weird because, you know, in high school, being 'gay' is gross or what have you, and it's met with judgement.  I'd like to see more of that from this show that seems to narrow in on stereotypes in a really fun and clever way.

All in all, it was a really strong episode for the series so far. I'm really happy with how the show is progressing  

[Brady Brown]

REVIEW: 1.07 "You Screwed Up, Now Fix It"

This was another mixed bag for me. I think this show would benefit extremely with a stronger focus on the drama club rather than the drama that stems from outside forces. I mean, this was brought up as a show about a drama club and about surviving high school, but that hasn’t really delivered. One thing that was particularly weird about this episode was everyone hellbent on trying to get Hayley and Will together. Like, everyone just needs to step back and chill and let them talk when they're ready haha, even though the reason they're not talking isn't that great. I'm also confused because Will said that he kissed Katrina back, but in the last episode there were no implications of that even happening, because as it was written it was just Katrina kissing Will. This entire situation is just really childish and inconsistent with what they're talking about, specifically Hayley's speech about not wanting to get hurt or something or how she's trying to find love which was confusing because there hasn't been any build up to her getting hurt or finding love or anything of that nature. Also, Danny's speech was a bit weird and didn't really feel that warranted.

Another thing that bugged me was how sexual Tatum and Cal's problems became. Like, it didn't need to go to Tatum constantly hooking up with older men to be his commitment issues, it could have just been that Tatum really enjoys flirting with people or something along those lines. I’m not saying they can’t be sexual, because teenagers are; what I’m saying is that they don’t always need to have a sexual aspect to them and that it doesn't need to be resorted to such outrageous sexual scenarios like hooking up with men that are way out of high school when you’re only 16. It’s just really weird that these kids are so young and talking about these things and acting this way but then always resort back to having immature conflicts between them. I think my biggest problem is that it's inconsistent how they're acting.

A little tidbit to keep in mind in future scripts though, there were a lot of SPAG errors, specifically comma splices and a lot of random question marks that I feel were meant to be commas. I noticed it in the last episode and this one especially, so I thought I’d bring it up.

One of the things I did like about this episode was that we did get glimpses of the drama club working together and trying to come up with ideas. I really hope that's more relevant soon, because that's what the vessel was for these kids finding themselves when the show was first brought up, not all of this weird relationship drama.

REVIEW: 1.08 “Things Will Get #2Spooky”

Coming out of this episode, I’m just really met with a lot of confusion. I don’t really get the plot with Danny and Riley, because, no, he didn’t say “I love you,” and that made everything that happened really weird and nonsensical. If Danny had actually told Riley that he loved her, it would have been a completely different story. Another thing I don’t get is the Tatum/Cal drama. I don’t understand how it was resolved so easily, and I don’t see the point within the episode where Cal went “You know, I don’t care, I really like Tatum”. And the Maureen/Charlie subplot is really immature for them. I wish it was more than just sneaking around and making out in closets, because that seems like a storyline that should be for one of the younger couples. The relationships on this show really stem from a lack of development, in my opinion. Most of the stuff hasn’t felt warranted. A lot of the dialogue in this episode fell really flat too. It was all just really weird and trying to be way too motivational for 15 year olds.

Fiona and the Australian jokes are getting a little irritating. I don’t want everything that comes out of her mouth to be about Australia, because it’s really redundant and it loses the comedic effect when it’s brought up several times in the same episode.

This episode would have been a lot stronger if we actually saw the drama club attempting to put together this haunted house. Even a montage would have made this episode’s development that much stronger. We haven’t actually seen them finish something as a club, at all, and if we have I’m sort of struggling to remember when. Everyone keeps talking about finding themselves in this club and trying to survive high school, but we haven’t seen anything like that. Like, if we saw the drama club give these kids tips on how to deal with certain things or how to overcome certain aspects of school instead of trying to find love or be way too philosophical, then that would feel like a much more organic progression. But that’s been pushed to the side throughout the entire series in favor of really weird, underdeveloped relationship drama. I wish we didn’t just focus on that. If drama resulted because of the club and things going on in the club, it would be a different story.

[Brian Melanson]

Nov 19, 2015 14:36:21 GMT -6 Brady Brown said:

REVIEW: 1.07 "You Screwed Up, Now Fix It"

This was another mixed bag for me. I think this show would benefit extremely with a stronger focus on the drama club rather than the drama that stems from outside forces. I mean, this was brought up as a show about a drama club and about surviving high school, but that hasn’t really delivered. One thing that was particularly weird about this episode was everyone hellbent on trying to get Hayley and Will together. Like, everyone just needs to step back and chill and let them talk when they're ready haha, even though the reason they're not talking isn't that great. I'm also confused because Will said that he kissed Katrina back, but in the last episode there were no implications of that even happening, because as it was written it was just Katrina kissing Will. This entire situation is just really childish and inconsistent with what they're talking about, specifically Hayley's speech about not wanting to get hurt or something or how she's trying to find love which was confusing because there hasn't been any build up to her getting hurt or finding love or anything of that nature. Also, Danny's speech was a bit weird and didn't really feel that warranted.

Another thing that bugged me was how sexual Tatum and Cal's problems became. Like, it didn't need to go to Tatum constantly hooking up with older men to be his commitment issues, it could have just been that Tatum really enjoys flirting with people or something along those lines. I’m not saying they can’t be sexual, because teenagers are; what I’m saying is that they don’t always need to have a sexual aspect to them and that it doesn't need to be resorted to such outrageous sexual scenarios like hooking up with men that are way out of high school when you’re only 16. It’s just really weird that these kids are so young and talking about these things and acting this way but then always resort back to having immature conflicts between them. I think my biggest problem is that it's inconsistent how they're acting.

A little tidbit to keep in mind in future scripts though, there were a lot of SPAG errors, specifically comma splices and a lot of random question marks that I feel were meant to be commas. I noticed it in the last episode and this one especially, so I thought I’d bring it up.

One of the things I did like about this episode was that we did get glimpses of the drama club working together and trying to come up with ideas. I really hope that's more relevant soon, because that's what the vessel was for these kids finding themselves when the show was first brought up, not all of this weird relationship drama.

REVIEW: 1.08 “Things Will Get #2Spooky”

Coming out of this episode, I’m just really met with a lot of confusion. I don’t really get the plot with Danny and Riley, because, no, he didn’t say “I love you,” and that made everything that happened really weird and nonsensical. If Danny had actually told Riley that he loved her, it would have been a completely different story. Another thing I don’t get is the Tatum/Cal drama. I don’t understand how it was resolved so easily, and I don’t see the point within the episode where Cal went “You know, I don’t care, I really like Tatum”. And the Maureen/Charlie subplot is really immature for them. I wish it was more than just sneaking around and making out in closets, because that seems like a storyline that should be for one of the younger couples. The relationships on this show really stem from a lack of development, in my opinion. Most of the stuff hasn’t felt warranted. A lot of the dialogue in this episode fell really flat too. It was all just really weird and trying to be way too motivational for 15 year olds.

Fiona and the Australian jokes are getting a little irritating. I don’t want everything that comes out of her mouth to be about Australia, because it’s really redundant and it loses the comedic effect when it’s brought up several times in the same episode.

This episode would have been a lot stronger if we actually saw the drama club attempting to put together this haunted house. Even a montage would have made this episode’s development that much stronger. We haven’t actually seen them finish something as a club, at all, and if we have I’m sort of struggling to remember when. Everyone keeps talking about finding themselves in this club and trying to survive high school, but we haven’t seen anything like that. Like, if we saw the drama club give these kids tips on how to deal with certain things or how to overcome certain aspects of school instead of trying to find love or be way too philosophical, then that would feel like a much more organic progression. But that’s been pushed to the side throughout the entire series in favor of really weird, underdeveloped relationship drama. I wish we didn’t just focus on that. If drama resulted because of the club and things going on in the club, it would be a different story.

Thanks for the review Brady! I totally understand where you are coming from with all of this. Now that I am working on S2, and really looking back at S1 in a sense of storytelling. A lot of things did not add up in the way that I really wanted. One of the biggest problems I had with the first season was that, I barely planned things out. And it shows. It was like each episode I went on with really just an idea and basically improv'd on it. And that was NOT the way I should have done it. I regret it because it did hurt the show. And you're right, I should have focused on the Drama Club more because that is the story and I'm wasting my time on the pointless relationship drama.

I know it's stupid to bring up S2 right now, but what I can say about the rest of the season is, the next episode, there is Drama "drama" between the two schools and stuff. And also the Hayley/Will Drama does pick up a bit, but I think that the rest of the season is really different, as compared to what the rest of the season was. I'm proud of the stories I told, but how I executed them, I am not proud of. But S2, I can promise, more thought out, storyboarded, and ACTUAL DRAMA SCENES AND DRAMA CLUB STUFF. I am not kidding. But again, thanks for the review, I hope the rest of the season tickles your fancy. But these reviews, I take and apply to writing the rest of S2 and it's really a big help, so THANKS BOO!

[Jack Malone]

'101 Ways To Survive High School'
1x05 Review: 'Avoid Everything' 

This episode felt like it lost it's direction a little in the grand scheme of things. Whilst it maintained its humour, and offered some development for Hayley in her friendship with Riley in particular, it's focus on the teachers seemed to feel very unnecessary.  That doesn't extend to Maureen, though, as she's a very important mentor figure and aspect of the show. It was primarily Carrie and Vicki and Darren. The show was positioning us to take interest in them and their lives but I just couldn't get invested and was waiting for the scenes to be done and out of the way so we could get back to Hayley and her story. I think it comes down to the structure, though, because the episode sort of feels like that's the primary story, but then loses sight of it a little, and delves into this Hayley/Riley stuff, the introduction if Ivy, and what have you. But that's my only real negative for the episode. There were - on the other hand - so many things to love in this episode.

I'm loving the development between Charlie and Maureen. They are probably the best written couple on the show. I know there's critiques of childish behaviour between the two, but the thing is, it's being addressed and called out on in this episode.  

While Riley isn't a particular favourite of mine based on her behaviour and attitude, I do like her friendship with Hayley and it received some much needed attention. I don't think her backstory was revealed in the best way, but knowing more of her "origin" I guess it did enhance the character and make her more appealing. I've already told you my feelings on the Katerina vs Hayley/Riley thing. When characters respond to hate or bullying or mean-spirited things by being overly mean and excessively mean back then it's hard to root for Riley or Hayley. Instead, I find myself not liking all three, or sympathising mostly with Katerina because she's being ganged up on. But as I said, I'm excited to see where that goes. And back on the friendship for a bit, I liked that Hayley was able to mirror aspects of the premiere, and the lesson she learned, but also regurgitate what Riley said about her in that she is good enough. It had a nice little beginning, middle and end to their particular role in this episode together. 

I think my favourite scene in the episode was with Danny and Will. I love that Will sort of came to him for advice and that Danny is the best person to voice an honest, and more true to character opinion on Hayley for Will to find some peace on the situation that happened between him and Hayley in the previous episode. 

Ivy was a very welcomed addition to the show. I mean, there are a ridiculous amount of characters to the point where it's honestly very difficult to keep up with who is who and what relationship is what, but Ivy really solidified her place immediately and I liked the moments of establishing that character for the show. 

Overall, I think the show suffers from some inconsistencies with purpose from time to time. It's hard to figure out what the primary goal of each episode is setting out to achieve, and so my advice would be to really figure out what each scene will accomplish, what the A plot is, what the side-arcs are, and then prioritise things in that nature. It was weird to see the teachers take such a strong focus over Hayley, and then see that plot sort of fade away and then wrap up with one scene later on. I'm hoping as the series progresses, there's more of a balance, and more of a structure to it than all these characters just sort of interacting with each other. With all of that said, the episode offered a lot of nice developments, and maintained the level of humour that I love about 101. I'm excited to finally buckle down and finish the season.