lonelygirl15

Ah, the storied history of lonelygirl15:

The show focuses on the life of a fictional teenage girl named Bree, whose YouTube username is the eponymous "lonelygirl15", but the show does not reveal its fictional nature to its audience.... Lonelygirl15 first came to international attention ostensibly as a "real" video blogger who achieved massive popularity on YouTube. The show was eventually proved as a hoax by suspicious viewers as featuring a fictitious character played by American-New Zealand actress Jessica Rose.

And then?

After the fictional status of the show was revealed in September 2006, the show gradually evolved into a multi-character show including both character videoblogs and action sequences, with a complex story universe involving "trait positive girls" who are sought by an evil organization called "The Order".

Based on the episodes I've seen, it's nothing more than B-grade filmmaking -- shopworn ideas, overwrought writing, amateurish acting -- without any of the guilty pleasures of a real B-movie. Horror movie (the serial killer John Wakefield) meets thriller (the facile "resistance" opposing a "super-secret cult") meets mindless confessional ("Fun Things to Do in Hiding"). All wrapped in a fractured, hackneyed storyline.

Take "Here's the Deal":



"The Order said they'd kill my mom and my sister." "Danielle, call me, email me, please." "I did what I had to do. I didn't have a choice." The throwaway plot. The tortured monologue. The sarcastic ending. And the videoblog device of having Sarah and the other characters speaking to the camera -- boy, does that wears thin.

As one commenter asked about another video in the series, "What's the purpose of this?" A second commenter opined -- it's nothing more than an excuse to show cleavage. (This in a cesspool of juvenile and/or obscene comments, which speaks to the caliber of the audience.) One can't help shake the feeling that the "creative force" behind lonelygirl15 is a bunch of creepy older guys (a sordid lot of wastrels and flesh peddlers...) pandering to a witless public .

Call it what you will: teen soap opera, sub-CW, a misguided film-school project. I'm left wondering (as I often am on matters Internet related): "Don't viewers have anything better to do with their time?" As for lonelygirl15: Why bother piling on complexity when you don't care about the characters? (Answer: Because it's easier to add another twist or subplot than it is to develop an engaging premise and cast.) One can't help but feel that, with the passing of Bree, they should've let lonelygirl15 RIP.

In many ways, lonelygirl15 is the antithesis of "Making Do," discussed in my prior post. Yes, lonelygirl15 and "Making Do" are both confessional in nature. However, "Making Do" and the other Maricopa videos are impassioned, heartfelt, genuine. Alive with originality and personality. Imbued with an honest, pulsing human core.

As for lonelygirl15.... Contrived. Uninspired. Talentless, titillating tripe. Not "so bad as to be amusing" as "just bad." Not so much Gossip Girl as Twin Peaks without the genius.