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Friday, September 26, 2003 ( 10:51 PM ) Girl Detective When guilty pleasures turn bad During the summer and with the approach of the baby, I fully embraced some less than edifying television--Monster House, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and What Not to Wear (sadly, I only get the American version--I don't get BBC America. Sigh.) I was enthralled by the combination of makeover and reality TV, particularly with Queer Eye. I fear, though, that it has already jumped the shark, i.e. outlived its moment in the spotlight. Watching the most recent episode, Allen Corey, was depressing, not entertaining. The guy seemed sweet, if clueless, and so when things fell apart when his parents met his girlfriend's parents, my heart just cried out for him. The girlfriend didn't like his gift, he was making her a drink correctly when she admonished him and then he made it wrong, he sweated all over the place, which was gross, and which I'm sure both his girlfriend and all the parents know about now and are grossed out by. And the evening did not seem to go well--there was a terrible uncomfortable silence. But it was when he accidentally broke his new vintage barware that I almost wept for him. He swept up the shards and kept repeating, "This is why you don't buy nice things." And the fab five, rather than exhibiting sympathy, looked on in horror and Thom made a Rain Man joke. It was heartless and superficial. They went on to make excuses for why Allen's evening went so badly, then toasted at the end. I was wondering, why on earth they don't leave notes and lists for the poor guy to work from, and why they can't, as on What Not to Wear, come rushing in if things go awry. Queer Eye had explosive popularity and awareness, but I think it's like a child star--too much, too fast, and now it may be burned out. Where was the empathy? Have the fab five reduced themselves to merely bitchy observers? | |
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