One achievement that most teenagers can attest to is finishing a t.v. show during summer break before the next season returns in the fall. This summer, I followed three rituals almost consistently: travel, work, and binge watch t.v. However, I didn't watch just one show.
No, I watched three, and I'm currently on my fourth. To be fair, I didn't have much else to accomplish so I decided, "why not?" Not all three shows ranked highly in my mind and in fact, there's a clear order of first, second and third. So grab your popcorn and get yourself situated because I'm about to give you my take on three uniquely different shows and the good, the bad, and the ugly from each. Alert: spoilers ahead!
3. Thirteen Reasons Why
This show got so much attention from Netflixers across the world these past few months that I fail to understand why I didn't get around to watching it sooner. This show was the last one I viewed and quite frankly, the worst.
An avid fan of the book which I read five years before the show came out, I knew going into this that there was no way that the show would live up to my expectations. However, the episodes were honestly more of a drag than I anticipated.
The producers did in fact, in my eyes, make light of a serious topic. A minute detail, the music they chose for each episode, made it seem as though Hannah Baker's tapes were an adventure waiting to unfold with each new episode.
The characters are static for the most part, which gets increasingly annoying (I'm looking at YOU, Clay Jensen). Overall, each episode basically restated what the last one said and the characters' strained relationships with each other never reach a true conclusion.
There were a few important details from the book that I believe the writers left out, which would have added more depth to the storyline. I will not be watching season two; I mean, the storyline is basically over, so what could possibly be next?
2. Riverdale
There is so much to love about Riverdale but unfortunately, the show didn't make my number one spot for season one. Don't get me wrong, it was a catchy show, just not catchy enough. Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper's relationship developed way too quickly for my liking.
One minute they were working on the school newspaper together and the next Jughead is professing his love for her. It just seemed a bit too good to be true. I appreciated how family interactions and pressures played a major role in the plot.
In my opinion, the main characters developed fully and even made some unexpected decisions, such as when Juggie put on his father's jacket. The killer was completely unexpected, which will hopefully lead to some explaining in season two. There are quite a few unanswered questions as well, which left me wanting more. Overall, it's a great show with immense potential.
1. Scream
I was skeptical about this show from the start. Someone recommended this show to me and after recently watching 'Riverdale', which at that time held my number one spot, I was eager to watch another teenaged murder mystery unfold.
I noticed several similarities between 'Riverdale' and 'Scream' that made me question if the writers of 'Riverdale' actually stole some ideas from the show that aired two years prior (a questionable student-teacher relationship is just one commonality). The more episodes I watched of this show, the more engrossed I became in the storyline and the hilarity of it.
Either the show was poorly written or was meant to have a sense of humor because I found myself laughing through more episodes than not. Most of the characters have their own distinct personalities and a couple is really funny with no apparent strain. Also, a major perk about 'Scream' is that the music from that show is top-notch.
There were some unanswered questions and plot holes throughout the show but for the most part, it was well executed. The show lost popularity after season two was released last year, but season three is expected to air in March 2018 with a whole new set of characters to continue the plot.
As the school starts again, there will be less time to binge watch your favorite shows. However, I encourage you to check out these three, as they most certainly kept me busy for the summer. One detail that irked me throughout all three of the shows was how old these "high schoolers" looked. They certainly didn't look like that at my high school. But alas, that's for another article.
