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Overview

As Jenna finds a new reason to be mad at Matty, Tamara comes up with something known as the Dude Database.

Episode 15 – Bonfire of the Vanities

Review (with Spoilers)

So it seems, after season 5, Awkward is ending. Meaning there will likely be no college years and season 5 will probably deal with the post spring break weeks, or months. Until then though, there is the question of what sort of drama will fill the show’s screen time? Well, one of the major plots is talked about below.

Topic 1: Love Is On Its Way – Valerie & Sadie

Summary

Valerie’s friend, Will, who we last saw her having sex with while he was in costume, returns to the show for he is the new scuba diving instructor and is going to be helping Valerie with her duties. Something she, at first, doesn’t like since she isn’t outright into him without a mascot outfit; but, eventually, she finds his charm, and ability to light her fire, a bit too charming to deny.

As for Sadie, she and Sergio are in this weird flux of seemingly being together, and then her being ready to find one reason to cut him off. Though, like Will, Sergio finds a way to win over the woman he is pining for.

Commentary

To be honest, I don’t feel invested in Valerie’s character at all at this point. For while her kookiness was certainly interesting in the beginning, as well as the attempts to make her seem sort of normal, I currently feel that when Jenna screwed Valerie out of her job, she should have been written off the show. Which isn’t to say she may not have an interesting storyline with Will but, with the confirmation the show is wrapping up, I don’t really want time wasted on writing in a happy ending for Val.

Sadie on the other hand, I’m for them setting up her happy ending. For while she still is very much a bully, and strangely now has popular, and likely rich, friends again, I still find myself torn between her and Tamara being my favorite characters on the show. So while she and Sergio are in flux, I’m hoping all ends well for them. Not to the point of us seeing Sergio propose, but at the very least us ending the series with it seeming that they may last awhile.

Topic 2: Attempts at Moving On – Jenna & Matty

Summary

Matty continues to try to win Gaby over, and does until Jenna ruins it with news about the phone book. As for Jenna, while she seemed to be working out her internal issues with being with Owen, finding out she took his virginity seems to possibly be the beginning of the end.

Commentary

I think the writing is on the wall when it comes to the series perhaps ending on prom night with Jenna and Matty together. For while Owen is likable, and seemingly not gonna give up on Jenna, and Matty is fighting hard to seem worthy of Gaby’s time, anyone they see just seems like a distraction. Which I don’t say because I necessarily ship them or because I think they are a OTP, but because nothing about the relationships they venture to have, outside of each other, seem like they have any permanence.

I mean, Jenna seemed like she moved on back when she was dating Colin, and the college guy who recently dumped her, but at this point I doubt they are going to make Owen the end game guy and not just give into fans who want Jenna and Matty to end up together.

Topic 3: The Phone Book – Tamara, Jenna, and Matty

Summary

It seems the major topic of the next few episodes will all stem from one phonebook in which the girls of the high school were ranked on: Face, boobs, butt, and how many beers it took to sleep with her. Now, the women of the school have had issues with the guys in the past, either as individuals or when going against the other grades way back when; however, now Tamara is truly ready to rampage. So, with her knowing she got into her desired school, she is ready for trouble. How? Well she, and Jenna to a point, come up with the Dude Database. A male version of the Phonebook which doesn’t necessarily rank guys, but it does put hashtags next to their pics with descriptions of what it is like to be with them.

Now, as for what this all has to do with Matty? Well, him putting Jenna in the phonebook leads to him temporarily losing his date with Gaby. However, to try to quell things, he burns the phonebook which allows him to win Gaby back. But, with Tamara’s database going viral, there’s some serious worry about what may happen once the guys, specifically Matty, find out about the database.

Commentary

Is this necessarily the worse storyline to go with? No. However, with there being 6 more episodes left of the season and, again, the next season being the last one, it makes drama like this truly make the show feel like it will never allow Jenna to move on from what happened in the past. Which, to me, is a serious problem. For really, as I’ve likely said before, Jenna hasn’t shown much sign of progress over 4 seasons. Is she the same young woman from season 1? No, but all the claims she made about being a new person post-Colin seem thrown out the window. For with her still ridiculously worried about what Matty is doing, seemingly still dependent on some boy validating her, and us not seeing her really trying to progress to become anything, including a writer, it is hard to not be extremely frustrated overall. Still, maybe the writers can pull a rabbit out of their hats and leave us with a Jenna far superior to the one we met.

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Episode 16 – #Drama

Overview

While the Dude Database is causing drama for most of the cast, Owen creates some tension between Jenna and Tamara.

Review (with Spoilers)

While it’s nice for there to be an extended storyline, thanks to the Dude Database, a bit of me is wondering if we may have to wait until season 5 to see what Jenna is going to do about her post-high school career. For, unless I’m missing something, she isn’t looking for a job, community college, or an internship, so what is happening there? For as much as I love the Jenna vs. Tamara issues, since it seems them may grow apart, honestly I just want to understand what is everyone’s future plans at this point? For outside of Tamara, I’m starting to forget what the rest of the cast plans to do with their lives.

Topic 1: #Drama – Valerie & Jenna

Summary

With the dude database going viral amongst the school, things become utter chaos. Boys are either picking fights with girls, fighting with other guys, or in the dumps for things said about them. Thus leading to Valerie having a class meeting about it. Thing is, with her asking Sadie to talk first, and be honest, she gets thoroughly decimated when it comes to her abilities as a counselor.

The real drama with the database doesn’t really happen till the end though. For with Jenna deleting it, everyone sees she is the creator.

Commentary

The one thing I want to note is how odd it was for Jenna to talk about making the dude database more positive, and then she decides to delete it. You’d think, if anything, perhaps Tamara would have made it slip she built the database, since she was insulted someone thought a freshman did; the gay duo would find out who built it; or maybe Amber would have come back and use the information to wiggle her way back into school. For, you got to admit, she quickly slipped out without much fuss and it is like she never existed at this point. Something sort of weird, to me anyway.

Topic 2: Get to Know Me – Matty & Gabby

Summary

With Matty still trying to win over Gabby, and fight his new reputation of being a player, he has his work cut out for him. However, being that he has Gabby’s interest, she gives him a chance and allows him to take her to mini-golf. But, in order for such a date to happen, Matty made it a double-date with Sadie and Sergio. Something which doesn’t go well for Gabby and Matty lose, and Gabby is a sore loser, but then they have a good heart to heart. One in which she expresses that maybe Matty is afraid of a challenge, and challenging himself, and he counters with her challenging herself to get to know him and stop using assumptions, or third party information, to think she knows him.

Commentary

I quite like Gabby, if just because there is some potential there for her life to be a bit complex. Albeit her family is either embarrassing or really successful, and probably not something in between, but I have my fingers crossed that as we learn more about her, something interesting will come to the surface. For with her being one of the few non-white people on this show with a speaking role, alongside Sergio, you can only hope she is given something juicy.

Topic 3: 2^nd Best – Tamara & Jenna

Summary

We learn that Tamara likes Owen, and he started seeing her after Jenna called it quits with him. However, because Jenna never told Tamara that she hooked up with Owen, and with her making it seem like she is giving Owen to her, Tamara gets very upset. Then, to make things worse, Jenna goes to Owen and talks to him like he is using Tamara to make her jealous, and he reports this to Tamara, but things end up ok in the end. Tamara confesses she felt like 2^nd best often in their relationship and how she has been jealous of how relaxed Jenna seems, and how all these guys go for her. Then, when it comes to what Jenna is jealous over when it comes to Tamara, she focuses on how organized and accomplished Tamara is. Making it so a major fight begins and ends within 20 minutes.

Commentary

I’m still of the opinion that Jenna and Tamara are perhaps friends more so out of convenience than anything else. For while they have been together for years, through various bits of drama, something about that college visit episode made it seem like eventually they would outgrow each other. So with each and every spat, dealing with Jenna’s and Tamara’s jealousy over the other, I feel even though they work it out, these underlying issues are going to make it so that while they will be cordial and friendly, their relationship won’t be as tight as it is now.

But being that we won’t see this show in the college years, unfortunately we won’t get to see if such a thought plays out. Though, and this is a slight possibility, the final episode could work as an epilogue showing where everyone ended up in life maybe.

Things To Note

• Anyone else wonder how Ming is doing?

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Episode 17 – The New Sex Deal

Overview

As the dude database drama ends, the focus seemingly will return back to old relationships.

Review (with Spoilers)

In this episode we jump to February 14^th, and it makes it seem this season definitely will end around spring break with the last season probably ending around graduation. But never fear for more awkward moments are on their way! Like Jenna breaking a stripper’s pole, dealing with the fact Matty treats Gaby better than he ever did her, and more storylines you likely have seen the show go into before. As for what I mean by that, well look below.

Topic 1: There Is No God, And Love Is A Lie – Sadie, Lissa, and Valerie

The secondary characters of the show don’t seem to be having that great of a Valentine’s Day, at first. This is due to Sergio deciding to run the food truck to feed the sad single people; Tyler being sent to live with another family; and Will seemingly being out of town so no mascot loving for Valerie. In the end though, Sadie and Valerie get their men at the dance and, thanks to the gay duo giving Lissa some molly, while she may not have Tyler she certainly comes off happy.

Commentary

I’m so glad Tyler is gone for while it was nice to see Lissa happy, she is better off with this new storyline of self-discovery after oppressing herself due to her religious beliefs. Plus, let’s face it, Tyler was just so weird of a character to include. Almost to the point he seemed like a token Black kid. Which, considering around the time he left Gaby appeared, maybe he was.

Topic 2: The Party Bus – Jenna and Matty

With Jenna killing Valentine’s Day thoroughly, she tries to get a party bus to shake things up. Thing is, only the main cast shows up, there is no alcohol on the party bus, and the bus looks very creepy, as well as the driver. So, with the party starting off stale, to liven things up a game of “Never Have I Ever” begins and so does drama. For between Jake talking about how he had sex with a MILF, Jenna forcing Matty to reveal he took her virginity, and then Tamara making Jenna drink for taking Owen’s, a lot of people leave the party bus a little upset. Perhaps no one more so than Matty.

Commentary

While I get Jenna and Matty are likely end game, I’m quite tired of Jenna getting jealous or mad about him treating his current girlfriend better than he did her. For while it is understandable, and probably done to throw us off about them getting back together, it is becoming a bit of a broken record. Though, who knows, maybe they might not end up together and Jenna may finally learn how to appreciate being single right?

Well, I believed that for almost 30 seconds.

Topic 3: Here We Go Again – Jenna & Tamara

With Tamara learning Jake has more experience, and maybe now can give her the big O, it seems another round is bound for them. Especially since his wannabe Kurt Cobain phase is seemingly over. As for Matty and Jenna? Well, at first, it seems Matty and Jenna are back to being somewhat chummy. However, after the party bus incident, and it being revealed Matty had some hotel plans with Gaby that got ruined, they are back on bad terms. As for why Gaby wasn’t down for them going to a hotel? The answer is: she is a virgin. So, to really put a stake in Jenna’s heart, he says some things are worth waiting for. Thus making Jenna feel a certain type of way about him not waiting to take her virginity.

Commentary

The only thing I have to say about this rehash of old material is how nice it is that Awkward remembers, and reiterates, why there are so many issues between characters. For while it bothers the hell out of me sometimes, I do appreciate it. Also, for those who didn’t watch the show from the beginning, it helps them understand all the various dynamics that have happened since season one. With that said though, the show is ending so I’m pretty sure if they aren’t on the party bus now, they may never be.