TV

Veronica Mars is a quality television program. It features a kick-ass female protagonist, has interesting story lines, and is consistently rated as one of those shows that are undervalued by people seeking out quality programming. I didn’t watch the first season, but my husband convinced me to watch it, and now I look forward to new episodes. But last week’s episode has stayed on our Tivo, because I wasn’t in the mood to get mad and I read some disturbing information about the episode. The episode in question, titled “There’s Got to Be a Morning After Pill“, is about what happens when “Veronica (Kristen Bell) is hired by Bonnie (guest star Carlee Avers, “Commander in Chief”), a promiscuous classmate, to find out who secretly slipped her RU-486, causing her to have a miscarriage.”

Now, discussions of “promiscuous classmates” aside, the Morning After Pill and RU-486 aren’t the same thing. The Morning After Pill, typically referred to as EC (for Emergency Contraception) is a pill taken to prevent ovulation, not induce an abortion. RU-486 is a series of pills taken to induce an abortion. However, I’ll cut some slack on this one, because despite the episode’s title, the word RU-486 is used consistently throughout the episode.

The bigger medical inconsistencies? How RU-486 itself works. As Ann Friedman explains on Feministing,

The “promiscuous classmate” in question (apparently “sexually active” = “promiscuous”), Bonnie, tells Veronica, “I got pregnant and someone slipped me RU486. It caused a miscarriage, and I want you to find out who it was.” Bonnie says she developed a rash and her hands and feet felt numb, so she went to a doctor, who told her that the rash and numbness were an allergic reaction to RU486. This is how she knows she was slipped RU486, which apparently caused the miscarriage.
This is SO frustrating. First of all, it seems unlikely that she could have miscarried if she was given RU-486 (mifepristone) alone. While mifepristone ends a pregnancy, you need to take four misoprostol pills, either orally or vaginally, to expel the contents of the uterus. Health professionals, please correct me if I’m wrong. But as far as I understand, it’s unlikely that she could have taken only RU486 and completely miscarried without getting sick or needing to see a doctor to complete the abortion.

Despite the fact that it makes for a good storyline, it’s obvious that these are errors of the medical variety - the show did not provide a medically accurate explanation of how an abortion of this type takes place. So here are my questions: does the CW have an obligation to present medically accurate information? Is it unethical to air information that’s inaccurate? What bearing does medical information have on your endorsement of a television show?

Veronica Mars, abortion, RU-486, television ethics

Twenty-two years ago their mother was killed by something supernatural, her body bursting into flames while suspended against the ceiling in the nursery. Her husband and two sons escaped, fleeing out into the cool night air. Ever since, they were raised to be warriors, hunting down anything and everything they could find that was supernatural.

Now, it is 22 years later and both boys are grown — one a college kid, one a tough guy. Their father is off on a hunting expedition and disappears, leaving the boys, Sam and Dean, to leave their world behind and try to track him down. Along the way, they continue his work, sending all supernatural creatures back from whence they came. Their ultimate goal is to find the fiend who killed their mother so they can finally put her to rest.

Come visit their realm of the Supernatural every week as Sam and Dean struggle for survival in a world of chaos. You can see them on the CW on Thursday nights.

Happy hunting!

I anxiously waited on Wednesday night for the new episode of Lost. After several months of repeats, I was pleasantly surprised by the renewed excitement and drama contained in the latest episode. It has been rumored that viewers have been losing interest in the show, mainly because the storyline seemed to be going around in circles, confusing everyone silly. I’m not saying the show doesn’t confuse me even now, with everyone’s lives intertwining in some bizarre way, but at least the storyline has substance. The show seems to be going back to its original roots, before the “others” came into the picture. With Sawyer and Kate escaping from the “others” to join the original castways on their own island, it will once again allow us to get reacquainted with the group. Jack on the other hand, is left stranded with the “others,” which should make for some interesting shows in the future.

The latest word out, is there will only be one or two more seasons made, before calling it quits. The producers don’t want to push their luck, afraid by the end of it all, the cast will be reduced to making sandcastles on the beach. They want to be able to keep the viewers interested in the show until the bitter end. Hopefully by that time, not everyone will be killed off by some phantom, polar bear, or other mechanical device.

If you haven’t yet seen the hit series, Prison Break, here’s what you are missing:

Michael Scofield, an intelligent engineer, picks up a gun one day and walks into a bank to hold it up. He has no intention of actually robbing the bank, though. He simply wants to be sent to Fox River State Penitentiary, where his brother is currently on death row for a crime he didn’t commit. His goal gets accomplished, now comes the hard part — breaking he and his brother out of there before his brother is put to death.

Time races against the two of them as each plan Michael comes up with gets blown apart, but he always has a backup plan in place. His body is plastered with tattoos, which we soon find out are nothing but blueprints of the prison. You see, Michael had helped to build this particular prison, so if anyone could get them out, it would be him.

There is danger around every turn as we get to meet other convicts, who quickly find out Michael’s plan for escape and hop aboard the fugitive train. But breaking out is only the beginning. People in high positions in the government have reasons for wanting Michael’s brother to take the fall and get executed when his time is up. So it becomes a race to find answers and prove his brother innocent while taking down the big-wigs, which lead all the way up to the President of the United States.

Zany, crazy, a little wacky, and in my humble opinion absolutely brilliant, The Upside Down show on Noggin is a stand out in children’s television programming. I’ve watched my three year old son’s reaction to this amusing show for a couple of weeks now. Curious to see what was so special about this particular TV show, I sat beside him on the couch and we took in the Upside Down Show together.

I was impressed before the show started. An announcement came on stating that today’s show would be teaching my son about problem solving, abstract thinking and mathematical concepts such as the difference between vertical and horizontal. There were a lot of other wonderful cognitive skills mentioned, but the list was too exhaustive to recall. “Sign him up!” I thought. The mom in me wanted to see if the show would hold true to its promise.

It delivered. The show centers around two main characters, David and Shane. From the very beginning, the dynamic duo creates a memorable performance. They begin by encouraging the viewer to use an imaginary remote control to manipulate them to move horizontal, vertical, in slow motion, and in reverse providing an excellent example of cause and effect. In this show, one learns to expect the unexpected. Their quirky body movements and fun facial expressions are sure to delight children. The episode I viewed centered on trying to find a good place to fall asleep. David and Shane experimented with a variety of solutions before settling upon resting in sleeping bags outside. The adventure proves more fun than the solution. My son was entertained by the madcap behavior. I was amazed at the educational content jam packed into a half hour episode.

For extra fun, we visited www.noggin.com and were able to play the Schmancy Schmashup Game where my son was able to create his own video starring David and Shane.

It was a nice change. There was competition, but within a context of cooperation. There was elimination of contestants, but with reluctance. There was a limited amount of mean spirited-ness. There was a whole lot of opportunity for redemption. And there was a certain delight in the realization that, “Duh. They’re just like us.” The first two seasons of Beauty and the Geek were a fun and whimsical take on a competitive reality show.

The concept was simple. Take some lovely but not especially sharp women and pair each of them with a sharp but not socially skilled man. Design situations that play on the strengths of each group. Assign the tasks to the other group. Have the partners prepare each other to compete in those tasks.

Each week there were two competitions, one for the beauties, one for the geeks. The winners of the competitions then each named a team that would compete against each other. The winners of the final challenge got to stay and continue to play, the losers went home.

It was an odd concept and oddly, it worked. There was usually some initial discomfort but mostly the team members got to know each other and began to work as teams. There was a charm and sweetness about the show as people made friends with people they’d spent much of their lives ignoring. It was a nice change from the cut throat, back stabbing, trash talking offerings of other shows. It was, until this season.

The 2007 incarnation of Beauty and the Geek had no charm, no sweetness and very little interest. This year viewers were treated to the most shallow, insensitive, cringe worthy group of beauties anywhere. These women were all about themselves. Their partners weren’t partners, they were a means to an end or the human equivalent of a mirror or, sometimes, an inconvenience to be tolerated. In previous years, the pleasure was in watching the realization dawn that the stereotypes were untrue and unfair. It was fun to see the interest in the partner develop, to see the growth of caring. This season’s women didn’t care about anyone but themselves. That left the viewers with little to care about at all.

Among competitive reality shows, Beauty and the Geek was a little different. There actually was some positive growth and change among the contestants and the interactions were usually pleasant and sometimes sweet. This season’s bevy of narcissistic beauties were just annoying. Instead of the hint of innocence many past contestants had, the majority of these women had an arch, knowing air and self righteous sense of entitlement that just didn’t belong. They detracted from the concept of the show.

There is one episode yet to come. It’s a situation of just wanting it over and hoping the producers will choose the cast more wisely next time. And, yes, there will be a next time. Casting has begun for season four. I’ll be back for at least a peek at it, hoping it will have gone back to the gentle charm of the first two seasons. That would be a case where a step backward was a step in the right direction.

So I’m watching CSI:NY this evening, and one of the plotlines centers around a student selling tests, and who shows up as Thomas Brighton, creepy test-seller-guy? None other than Peyton Sawyer’s stalker, Derek, from One Tree Hill. Dude was also the Republican daughter’s creepy boyfriend on the ill-fated Commander in Chief. I sense a theme here . . .

If you’re curious, the actor’s name is Matt Barr, and he also has the distinction of starring “as Brandon Vandecamp, in American Pie Presents: Band Camp, released in 2005,” he has two movies coming out next year, and he even was on an episode of The OC once.

Picture via IMDB.