"What Happened" To Awkward.?

Article first published as "What Happened" To Awkward.? on TheTVKing.

After a first episode back that was positively painful, more because of events in the episode rather than lack of quality, MTV's Awkward. recovers completely with "And Then What Happened." Jenna (Ashley Rickards) is isolated in her room, not talking, and friends and family try to figure out if she and Matty (Beau Mirchoff) have broken up or not. Each person only has one piece of the picture.

I liked this episode because of the lack of lots of Jenna and Matty, not in spite of it. They are at a really terrible place in their relationship, Jenna having cheated on him with Collin (Nolan Funk). Who wants to be around a warring couple who had lots of ugly things to discuss? It's a dark time for them, and Awkward. is not really a drama, for the most part, so it's gratifying that the episode skips right over it.

Instead, the meat of the half hour involves all of the supporting and recurring players humorously piecing together the events immediately falling last week's climax and trying to figure out the pair's status. This includes not only Tamara (Jillian Rose Reed), Ming (Jessica Lu), and Jake (Brett Davern), as one might expect, but also Fred (Kelly Sry), Lissa (Greer Grammer), Clark (Joseph Haro), and even eventually Sadie (Molly Tarlov).

Many of these characters do not often get enough screen time. Clark isn't even shown in the previous episode, though he is worked well enough into the tale after the fact. Making them the center, and showing how they interact as a group without the series' main leads, is as enjoyable as it is interesting. There's a great dynamic among the cast as a whole, and I hope we get the opportunity to see them play together more often.

As this unfolds, we also have Lacey (Nikki Deloach) and Valerie (Desi Lydic) on the phone fishing for info, too. I enjoy the kids on the show a lot, but these adults are equally good, and it's sweet to see the friendship that has developed between Val and Lacey over the first few seasons. They're their own clique, both similar and dissimilar to the students, wanting to be involved, but also a little bit off on their own, too. The parallel between them and the teens is well formed.

"And Then What Happened" is a light-hearted romp, gleefully told out of order in little bits. I'm not saying Awkward. can't get too heavy, but when it does, as it did in the mid-season premiere, that should be followed up with something like this, an episode that doesn't take itself too seriously. This helps maintain the overall flip tone and sunny mood.

One of the elements I most appreciate about Awkward. is its realism, and, admittedly, "And Then What Happened" is a lot less realistic than most. The way Val and her bat lines up with Lissa, who is then trampled and put back in a neck brace is hokey. As is Ming's fascination with guacamole at the wrong time. Yet, because of the timing of the program, I find myself reluctant to complain, left thoroughly satisfied by the way this plays out.

The episode ends with the dissolution of the Jenna / Matty pairing. Matty thinks he can move past her mistake, given time, but Jenna decides just to call it quits. While this does not completely line up with the rest of the episode's presentation, being much more depressing, it does fit because, after all the musing, it's time for some answers. It would have been rougher had Awkward. made its fans wait another week for resolution, so even the final scene feels right.

"And Then What Happened" doesn't necessarily fix all the mistakes of the previous week, and I feel like this half-season will be quite rocky, perhaps less happy than what came before. But as long as there are islands like this scattered through the churning sea, a place to relax and regroup, I think it will be viewed favorably overall.

Awkward. airs Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET on MTV.

An AWKWARD "Surprise!"

Article first published as An AWKWARD "Surprise!" on TheTVKing.

MTV's Awkward. resumed its third season this week with "Surprise!" Tamara (Jillian Rose Reed) catches Jenna (Ashley Rickards) and Collin (Nolan Funk) making out, angrily telling Jenna to knock it off. Jenna knows that her friend is right, she should not be cheating on Matty (Beau Mirchoff). Matty's attempts to make Jenna's birthday special only make her feel worse, and he's not the only one with plans for the day.

I love MTV's Awkward. and have always been a big supporter of the series, telling many friends about it and swaying lots of people I know to give it a try. That being said, I am really hating the Jenna-Collin storyline. It would be one thing if Jenna was torn between two guys; that's happened on the show before legitimately. But cheating, as she does, is just wrong.

Jenna is the main character. We want to like her and root for her. When she goes this far off course, though, doing things most viewers will agree is wrong, it hurts her character. It's OK to have a crisis of faith and struggle to do the right thing. It's not OK to have Jenna knowingly carry on a wrong affair.

What "Surprise!" shows us is that Jenna and Collin's relationship is all about hormones. They can't keep their hands off one another long enough to have a talk. This isn't the basis of a healthy relationship, anyway, only the start of a hot tryst that will cool off as quickly as it is fired up. Knowing Collin isn't Jenna's true love, at least not without a lot of growth and change, makes Jenna's actions even more inexcusable.

Awkward. is a very authentic story of a teenage girl, and that's why I've always loved it. Yes, it's natural to think anyone in such a situation, all of the sudden having become popular and beloved because she has come out of her shell, could let it all go to her head and screw up big. That's probably why "Surprise!" takes us down this path, in keeping with what has come before it.

Yet, we also want our television leads to be heroic, even if only in small, common ways. Jenna having the sense to keep her hands off Collin, or to break things off with Matty first, are what we're looking for her to do, and as much as this other version does have lots of drama, a must for a series to stay interesting, it's the wrong kind of drama. It will take a lot for Jenna to come back from this.

Thankfully, her friends feel the same way in the little bits we've seen of them reacting to it. At the end of "Surprise!", everyone important now knows about the affair, so we'll probably see even more of this in the weeks to come. By allowing Tamara and the others to condemn Jenna, Awkward. may just provide itself a path through this dark stuff and onto better things. If nothing else, at least Jenna's behavior isn't glamorized or celebrated, so it's not like the writers are trying to convince us to think something we're opposed to.

Awkward. is still authentic and enjoyable. It's just really hard to watch Jenna act this way, making "Surprise!" squirm-worthy, too. It reminds me of why I can't watch the film Mean Girls because sometimes teenage girls just become completely terrible people for awhile. It's a phase many go through; I'd just hoped Jenna might be an exception.

Meanwhile, Ming (Jessica Lu) is undergoing a similar transformation, the power of being head of the Asian Mafia threatening to derail her being with Fred Wu (Kelly Sry). She doesn't really cross any lines, though, which I am most grateful for. Having two characters screw up royally right off the bat would not be a good way to start a run.

I must say I am still really, really enjoying Mr. Hart (Anthony Michael Hall). His crabby, witty lines definitely add some good humor to the proceedings. He's a terrific recurring addition to the cast.

Awkward. airs Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. ET on MTV.

Awkward. puts the right shoe on the wrong foot

MTV's Awkward. completes its sophomore season with two important decisions for Jenna (Ashley Rickards) in "The Other Shoe." The first, which guy she should be with, is one that is sure to be debated by fans and revisited by the writers in later seasons. The second, whether she should go to Europe, or stay home with that guy that she picked, has a much more clear cut answer. Despite how romantic it might be to stay, she should definitely go.

Alas, Jenna is a teenage girl completely smitten, so of course she chooses the boy over the trip. It is an understandable choice for a girl in her position, even though those with age and wisdom will deeply regret her missing such an amazing opportunity. At this point in Jenna's life, that love is more important.

It's not like Matty (Beau Mirchoff) gives her much reason to go. Yes, he does tell her that she should take the trip, and says he is supportive. But what I think that Jenna is looking for to be able to comfortably leave is a declaration of strong feelings about being missed. That would be out of character for Matty, and when he doesn't exhibit such a display, one can see Jenna's doubt begin to creep in about the state of their pairing if she were to leave for six weeks. This likely influences her decision.

The brilliance of Awkward. is in the development of the characters, both from the writing and the acting. This whole situation is presented so clearly and realistically. Jenna and Matty act like teenagers. That may seem a simple formula to make a series work, but looking across the wide spectrum of teens represented on TV, it quickly becomes apparent that few shows truly "get" this age group of humans, so unique in their motivations and feelings. Series creater Lauren Iungerich is the terrific exception.

Look at where Jenna is in "The Other Shoe." At the beginning of the series, she is a shy dork who really wants to be noticed. Now, two seasons later, she has grown so darn much. Having the guy of her dreams, and being presented with a free trip to Europe, well, this is the kind of conundrum that most only dream of. Many people would happily take one or the other. To have the choice of both at once, talk about First World Problems! And good for Jenna, who is a good person who deserves happiness.

Interestingly, the Big Secret of season two (who comments on Jenna's blog) is resolved with much less weight than it's counterpart from season (the letter). While Clark (Joseph Haro) has been around for awhile, he's not been a big, noticeable player. Hopefully, he will be more so, going forward, as another friend for Jenna to lean on.

The reveal that Ricky Schwartz (Matthew Fahey) is making out with Clark in the closet is arguably a bigger twist then the blog commenter. At first, it goes against what we know about Ricky, given his ill treatment of the many ladies he has supposedly been with. But there are a couple of easily explainable reasons he might be in that (wonderfully literal and figurative at the same time) closet. One, touched on in the episode, is that he is just such a horndog that he will make out with anyone. Or, perhaps he bounces between girls because he just isn't finding what he wants, and Clark can help him with that. Either possibility is intriguing, and hopefully his character will be fleshed out a bit more next year, too.

What sucks about the Ricky thing is that Sadie (Molly Tarlov) does not need any more scarring. True, she is not a nice person, so it's hard to root for her. But finding out a guy she genuinely likes bats for the other team, or is at least open to it, is going to hurt her deeply, which will only make her more mean. Like most bullies, Sadie's anger comes from a place of pain. Season two hasn't been as sympathetic to her as the first year, but I still want to see her grow into a decent person by the end of Awkward. This kind of thing is a major step back on that journey. Although, without adversity, the prize wouldn't be earned.

At first, it's very hard to believe that Jake (Brett Davern) and Tamara (Jillian Rose Reed) find each other in "The Other Shoe." Their pairing is spoken of as a possibility earlier, and then quickly dismissed. But the natural way that it unfolds, and the emotional state of both characters, makes it feel right. For now. I don't see it lasting, but they could definitely be good for each other in the short term, as they are sweethearts who have been burned by the less considerate. Yay for them!

Ming (Jessica Lu) is often shoved to the background, but her character has steadily gained a little more traction in season two. Having her moment with crush Fred Wu (Kelly Sry) at the party acknowledges that she is part of core cast, and hopefully there will be even more for her next season.

Lastly, the scene where Valerie (Desi Lydic) gathers Jenna, Kevin (Mike Faiola), and Lacey (Nikki Deloach) in her office is priceless! Valerie seems to be mostly present as comic relief, but there should be no complaint about that when she is used to such beautiful effect. It's a small bit of the episode, but a memorable one, thanks in no small part to Lydic's formidable comedy chops. She has taken a character who could easily slip into an annoying superfluous part of Awkward. and made her a frequent delight and valuable member of the ensemble. Bravo!

Awkward. has been renewed for a third season and will return next year to MTV.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing