Famous in Love: Season 1/ Episode 5 “Some Like It Not” – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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I would love to complete this season, just to say that I really did give it a chance, but even at 5 episodes, I’m struggling ya’ll. I am struggling.

The Consequences of Making Someone Jealous (Nina, Jordan, Tangey, Paige, Alexis, Jake, and Rainer)

So let’s go in order from least complicated to most. Jake is upset with Paige for she is getting close to Rainer. However, he is sleeping with Alexis who helps him get his script sold to an indie movie studio. Leading Paige to wonder what is he getting jealous for? Though, with Paige still having this idea in mind that Rainer is a player, she hasn’t even kissed him, outside of a scene yet.

Moving to the more complicated situation, with Rainer’s blessing, Tangey and Jordan start to get serious. With that happening, he tries to break things off with Nina. However, being that she knows he messed around with Tangey and has feelings for her, she decides to not just let the boy go and be with someone his own age. No. Instead, he decides to mess with Jordan’s relationship by revealing to Ida, Tangey’s mom, that Jordan is not an orphan but his mom is very much alive.

This is of use to Ida because Jordan is the one supporting Tangey firing her and helping her financially. I mean the whole 9 yards. He got her a hotel room, is helping with her legal fees and gave her a credit card. So if Ida can break Tangey’s trust in Jordan, she’d have to run back to her right?

Commentary

I’m starting to understand that this show isn’t really about character development at all. It is about just piling on drama and when one situation gets resolved, either something new is immediately added into the equation or we learn the problem isn’t resolved. Which, I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t that how most shows work?” Yeah, but usually the characters grow from the situations they are put in vs. them being like on a conveyor belt of obstacles. For example, Jake and Paige, with it being Paige’s birthday, seemingly were going to be cool. You might have thought that drama was, surprisingly, quickly over and they both could move on. However, upon seeing her with Jake, he gets jealous all over again and decides to go be with Alexis. Thus restarting a rift which, somehow, Cassandra tries to make it seem like it is Jake’s fault!

Oh, and as for Alexis? Well, there is the slightest of desires to like her. She went from using Jake to get back at Paige to now really liking him, believing in him, but being that this show has an ensemble cast, her growth can’t be the focus. We have to watch Paige get rejected, in terms of handing in her midterm paper late. We have to watch Rainer give that cheesy look which may work for book covers and magazine spreads, but does absolutely nothing when in a non-static position. Well, besides make you want to roll your eyes.

And honestly, I could go on and on but I’m coming to that point of not really caring. Any sort of potential I may have once seen in this show is fleeting. For while I may enjoy Cassandra and Alexis to a point, they ultimately are not the focus of the show. Their plots are only developed enough so that eventually they can tie into Paige getting involved. Which, with Paige, much less her actress, not being the type who has the charisma to lead a production, what is there to stick around for really? What is the sell of this show besides attractive looking people getting into one dramatic situation, or relationship, after another?

You are the Father! (Nina and Rainer)

Alan Mills is Rainer’s dad. No, his father isn’t dead but simply a man Nina wishes was dead.

Commentary

I feel like it is coming to the point where I got to realize that it is time to move on from FreeForm. Whoever left when ABC Family became FreeForm gave the network’s shows, at least their dramas, characters with depth. The kind who could grow and really showcase new and emerging talent. Now, I’ll admit, was every last show ABC Family produced good? Hell no. I will forever note The Secret Life of the American Teenager and the second half of Twisted’s 1st season as key examples. Yet, both had either actors or situations which kept your attention. To the point, no matter how bad the show got, there was some storyline you wanted to see through, some actor who had that certain it factor that held things together. All of which you don’t really see in a lot of FreeForm’s new programs. But I won’t rehash old criticism. Instead, I’m just dropping this series.