So, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, a recent season finale of one of my TV shows has prompted me to do a list and rating of some classic TV romances (my faves), to figure out what made them enjoyable, and see how they stack up against each other. I'll get to the TV show that prompted this in the final blog post. But for now here's the categories that I think I'll use for my ratings:
- The "Danger" Factor - I mentioned in my "Confessions of a Former Soap-aholic" post that if the t.v. show contains a "danger" element for the couple in question, my level of interest instantly shoots up by several notches, heh. If that sounds ridiculous, it's because it IS ridiculous, but what can I say, I can't help it. It's something I realized in my soap-obsession days as a kid. :-P Anyway the "danger" factor is not essential, but if it's there, it usually brings my interest level up even higher than it would be otherwise, simply because it adds extra drama (or melodrama and angst, ha) to the mix.
- General "Soapy-ness" Factor - Since the post that started this revolved around my former love of soaps, I'm throwing this in there too. I'm putting it in here to see if the "soap" factor increases or decreases my enjoyment of the show and the romance storyline. I consider the "danger" factor to actually be an important part of the "soap" factor, and I think it's the soapy element that reels me in the most, by far. But I want to see if any other soapy elements also have any effect.
- Overall Rating of Show Itself - How good is the show as a whole?
- Rating of First "Couple Getting Together" Scene - It's hard to title this one ... but by this I just mean the scene where the couple first get together, which usually translates to a kiss ... a make-out, sometimes even fake simulated t.v. sex, that type of thing. It's usually the scene the entire audience has been waiting for, for however many episodes or seasons they've decided to drag out the "will-they-won't-they" dance.
- Rating of First Sexy Times Scene - Ha I know this sounds pervy, but I'm not rating this on like, a porn level. :-P Many t.v. shows don't even show much of anything in this scene anyway, they only show you the "hey it's about to happen!" and/or the "hey it just happened!" moments. But I'm including it because it's usually an important milestone for the progression of the plot. And it doesn't always happen in the same scene as the first "couple gets together" moment, so that's why I gave it a separate section.
- Overall Rating of the Romance - When you take the entire course of the t.v. series and the fake t.v. relationship into account, how good was it?
I've decided to do these in chronological order of when the shows aired, so the fictional couple I'm going to start with is Felicity and Ben from JJ Abrams' first show, Felicity (1998 - 2002). I don't think it would be a great idea for me to reach further back than that one, because my memory will be way too fuzzy (it's already plenty fuzzy enough for the older shows I am including - as it is I already have to go back and use Wiki and YouTube to remember the details of the important Felicity and Ben plot points!). So here we go:
Danger Factor: 1/10
Felicity, being set at a college, did not have the danger element, of course. Pretty much the only "dangerous" situations these characters were put in involved the possibility of expulsion due to cheating scandals, perilous decisions between two conflicting interests ("Do I take that road trip cross country with Ben over the summer, or go to Europe with Noel??" "Do I stay in NYC for the summer for that awesome internship, or go back to Cali with Ben?"), fights with friends, etc. But again that was o.k., because this isn't something that was needed on a show like Felicity.
General Soapy-ness Factor: 4/10
Felicity had a few elements that would fit well into the soap world, but not more than most TV shows have. EVERY t.v. show has elements that border on soapy, no matter how serious a show it is. I mean hell, even Homeland ended its season this past year with an amnesia twist (I HATE amnesia plots, for the record). But the best TV and movies basically give us a heightened reality - stories and characters that are relatable, but whose lives are a bit more exciting than ours are. If the characters just spent their time surfing the web, going grocery shopping, and sitting at a desk working, no one would want to watch that boring shit. Felicity had a few soapy elements, such as: a love triangle (Ben-Felicity-Noel), an accidental pregnancy twist (Ben accidentally knocks up some other chick while he and Felicity are on a break), and a slightly random B plot where Julie finds her long lost birth mother, only to be asked to be tested to find out if she'd be a match to give a kidney to her dying father. So in other words, there were some elements, but the show was tasteful. There was just enough there to entertain us, with nothing that strayed too far from real life. And let's not forget that real life can sometimes feel like a soap as well. :-P Oh GOD but let's not forget the time-travel storyline at the end of season 4 ... o.k. I'm not even going to touch that one though, because season 4 was not good anyway.
Overall Rating of Show Itself: 8.5/10
Felicity was a great show. It had great characters, great actors, and it was just a really fun, witty, intelligent show overall. I only give it an 8.5 (instead of something higher) because out of its 4 seasons, I'd say 2 of them were excellent (1 & 2), one of them was good (season 3), and one of them was pretty bad (season 4). But that's pretty much the pattern most t.v. shows follow, unfortunately.
This couple's first kiss (and first admission of their feelings for one another) comes in the finale of season 1, and it's a cute moment. Ben has been working his irresistible charm on Felic for several episodes by this point, trying to convince her to drive cross country back to Cali with him over the summer, and in this episode, he finally makes his move for the kiss. Felicity kisses him back, and then she freaks out and runs out of the apartment. Then she goes with him on the road trip.
First Sexy Times Scene: 7/10
The first sexy times between Felic and Ben is actually more of a funny moment than anything. This is in the season 2 finale. They have been fighting over whether Felicity will stay in NYC for the summer for an internship, or go back to Cali with Ben. They eventually have make-up sex at a wedding rehearsal dinner for their friend Javier and his fiance, and everyone at the party hears them, without them realizing it. Felicity then makes the right choice and stays in NYC for the internship.
Overall Rating of the Romance: 8/10
It's a little tough to rate this one actually, because I found Felicity and Ben to be a really great fictional couple up until season 4. Season 4 is kind of a downer overall ... it involves Felicity cheating on Ben with Noel (I don't remember why?), Ben knocking up some other chick while Ben and Felic are broken up, and this plus some other storylines in season 4 put a HUGE damper on any happy romance that would have otherwise been happening between these two. I think the series ends with them together, but things are so screwed up by that point that it's hard to feel super jazzed and confident about their future together.
So, in the end, both the danger and general soap factors were low for this show, yet the romance story was still very enjoyable (up until season 4 at least). What this probably means is that it was simply quality story-telling, because they didn't have to rely on many crazy or ridiculous plots in order to keep me interested. So, good job, Felicity writers and actors. Next up, I'll take a look at Luke and Lorelai from Gilmore Girls.
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