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My So-Called Life
- 610 statements
- 119 feature instances
- 51 referencing feature instances
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An American television Teen Drama, created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz as a Creator-Driven Successor to their critically acclaimed dramedy thirtysomething. This show about an angsty high school student, Angela Chase (played by Claire Danes), like, really spoke to those of us who were teenagers when it aired.Originally broadcast on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995, My So-Called Life is set at the fictional Liberty High School, in a suburb of Pittsburgh. It follows the emotional travails of several self-aware teenagers. This critical darling — all of nineteen episodes — ended with a cliffhanger.A typical episode featured an A-plot about Angela and a B-plot about her parents Patty and Graham.The A-plot was usually based on one of two story arcs. One arc was about how Angela is torn between two groups of friends: the goody-two-shoes kids she always used to hang out with (most notably Brian and Sharon), versus the trouble-making girl Rayanne and Rickie, the effeminate Puerto Rican boy who served as her sidekick. The other arc was about Angela's obsession with the hot kid Jordan Catalano, who barely knew she was alive. Ironically, Jordan Catalano was originally supposed to only be in the show for one episode, but the producers liked actor Jared Leto so much that they made Angela's crush on him into Story Arc.In addition, Angela's younger sister Danielle served as part comic relief, and part sardonic observer of Angela's angst.One of the most bleakly funny shows ever aired, it showed how much bitterness can result from a completely ordinary day at high school where nothing in particular goes wrong. Often the show took a comic plot (usually A Simple Plan) and subverted it by playing it for drama (and, arguably, realism) rather than for humor — and this was both much funnier and much more painful than it would have been as a comedy.Also notable for dealing with "hot topics" with relatively little melodrama. Rayanne episodes often involved guns, drugs, etc. but didn't have Angela instantly get involved and ruin her life, as would happen on almost any other Teen Drama.Compare Freaks and Geeks, another beloved coming-of-age series that faced a premature cancellation. | |
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My So-Called Life | isPartOf |
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My So-Called Life / int_10cb9a31 | type |
Axes at School | |
My So-Called Life / int_10cb9a31 | comment |
Axes at School: Rickie's cousin brings a gun to school in one episode, where it accidentally goes off. Brian, who's thought to be an eyewitness, ends up seeing a lot of unwanted attention over the incident. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_130436b9 | type |
Annoying Younger Sibling | |
My So-Called Life / int_130436b9 | comment |
Annoying Younger Sibling: To some extent inverted in that Angela is often a deliberately-annoying older sister to Danielle. But since the series is told (mostly) through Angela's eyes... | |
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My So-Called Life / int_149ff4b0 | type |
HilarityEnsues | |
My So-Called Life / int_149ff4b0 | comment |
Hilarity Ensues: Averted, at least to the extent that such events on the show tend to transpire in a realistic manner rather than follow traditional sitcom logic. An exception: the penultimate episode, "Weekend," which is a low-key farce. The change was deliberate. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_1869b4b1 | type |
Unreliable Narrator | |
My So-Called Life / int_1869b4b1 | comment |
Unreliable Narrator: The narrator (in most episodes, Angela) is seldom willfully deceptive — just selectively oblivious. Sometimes played for nearly simultaneous humor and pathos, as when Angela, feeling self-conscious about all the guys staring at her, narrates about how easy high school life is for guys ... only for the camera to pan to Brian being bullied by his classmates. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_1b590025 | type |
Dead All Along | |
My So-Called Life / int_1b590025 | comment |
Dead All Along: A minor character in the Christmas Episode. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_1ba17583 | type |
The Ghost | |
My So-Called Life / int_1ba17583 | comment |
The Ghost: Tino, who seems to be barely off-screen in almost every episode — and who often plays an active (if invisible) role in the plot. This became a running joke among the writers, and was referenced in the movie Juno. To a lesser extent, Andy Cherski, father to Sharon and husband to Camille. Rickie's cousin — the one who brought the gun to school. He gets mentioned a lot, for someone we never see and whose name we never learn. The Chases often discuss their pet cat, but we never see it or any traces of its presence in their house. It must be very shy. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_1dfbbf31 | type |
Heterosexual Life-Partners | |
My So-Called Life / int_1dfbbf31 | comment |
To some extent, Sharon (as Betty) and Rayanne (as Veronica) are vying to be the Heterosexual Life-Partners version. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_1e7c13c | type |
Class Princess | |
My So-Called Life / int_1e7c13c | comment |
Class Princess: Sharon popular, good-looking (one boy says she has the "best hooters" in the sophomore class), a cheerleader, and dating a football player. She's also sweet as pie and friendly with virtually the entire student body, including all the outcasts. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_1e7c47ab | type |
Stealth Pun | |
My So-Called Life / int_1e7c47ab | comment |
An exception: the penultimate episode, "Weekend," which is a low-key farce. The change was deliberate. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_20989d05 | type |
Parents as People | |
My So-Called Life / int_20989d05 | comment |
Parents as People: Patty and Graham are defining examples of this trope. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_26d1f65f | type |
Verbal Tic | |
My So-Called Life / int_26d1f65f | comment |
Verbal Tic: Not unusual expressions, but rather exaggerations, by the show's creators, of common speech disfluencies and fillers. Perhaps the two most ubiquitous examples are the interjection "like" and the phrasal suffix "or something," which are sprinkled liberally into the dialogue of nearly all the teenage characters, seemingly as a way to let them to have poetic or philosophical musings without, like, coming across as pretentious. Or something. Both the teenage characters and the adults frequently say "Hi," (or "Hey," or other variations,) even when they are not actually greeting each other. It's used in this show more or less the same way as it had been used in the television series thirtysomething (by some of the same creators / producers): as a way for characters to attempt to affirm or to reestablish intimacy (or sometimes just a pretense of intimacy) in the midst of a conversation. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_2848e7d2 | type |
Oblivious to Love | |
My So-Called Life / int_2848e7d2 | comment |
Oblivious to Love Angela toward Brian, until the love note incident. Brian toward Danielle, although it's not as if that had any chance of going anywhere anyway. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_297170d3 | type |
Halloween Episode | |
My So-Called Life / int_297170d3 | comment |
Halloween Episode: Complete with the ghosts of long-dead teenagers. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_29a4bb9f | type |
Former Friend of Alpha Bitch | |
My So-Called Life / int_29a4bb9f | comment |
Former Friend of Alpha Bitch: Subverted. Angela and Sharon - who were best friends throughout childhood - have a falling out in the first episode, but they simply become estranged after that (in fact, both of them treat their other childhood friend Brian far worse than they treat each other). Partway through the first season they reconcile, and from then on they grow closer again, with Sharon reclaiming her position as Angela's best friend after Rayanne commits the "betrayal" (though Sharon and Rayanne become friends as well). | |
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My So-Called Life / int_29a4bb9f | |
My So-Called Life / int_30d1e0df | type |
Full-Name Basis | |
My So-Called Life / int_30d1e0df | comment |
At first Rickie seems to have had a crush on Jordan Catalano — who's interested in Rickie's friend Angela. Later Rickie develops a crush on an Ambiguously Gay classmate named Corey — who's at least ostensibly interested in Rickie's other friend Rayanne. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_3126c34a | type |
Insufferable Genius | |
My So-Called Life / int_3126c34a | comment |
Insufferable Genius: How Rayanne regards Brian. At first. Possibly how just about everyone in school regards Brian. Including at least one of the teachers. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_3126c34a | |
My So-Called Life / int_31f0842c | type |
Age-Appropriate Angst | |
My So-Called Life / int_31f0842c | comment |
More tragically, Rayanne seems to be unable to sustain any sort of lasting or deep connection with any of her love interests. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_3946634e | type |
The Smart Guy | |
My So-Called Life / int_3946634e | comment |
The Smart Guy: The series has no shortage of intelligent and almost painfully articulate characters, but Brian seems to be the one to beat. Evidently he takes after his parents, who are both psychiatrists. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_3b113b7 | type |
Character Development | |
My So-Called Life / int_3b113b7 | comment |
How Rayanne regards Brian. At first. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_4045a37f | type |
Boob-Based Gag | |
My So-Called Life / int_4045a37f | comment |
Boob-Based Gag: Sharon Cherski, in the episode ("The Zit") wherein an anonymous girl-ranking poll designates her as having the "best hooters" of all the sophomores in the school. As is typical of the show, it's played for angst as well as humor. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_409c178f | type |
Zip Me Up | |
My So-Called Life / int_409c178f | comment |
Zip Me Up: In the last episode, Delia has Rickie zip up her jacket... just moments before she opens his closet door. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_40c57041 | type |
Manipulative Bastard | |
My So-Called Life / int_40c57041 | comment |
Manipulative Bastard: No evil examples, but there's a lot of Truth in Television-level manipulation and counter-manipulation, much of it below the level of consciousness. It's a passive-aggressive world. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_40c57041 | |
My So-Called Life / int_42008602 | type |
Story Arc | |
My So-Called Life / int_42008602 | comment |
Story Arcs: A few for Angela and her friends, a few for her parents, with some crisscrossing. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_42008602 | |
My So-Called Life / int_424d15ad | type |
Love Hurts | |
My So-Called Life / int_424d15ad | comment |
Love Hurts: A central theme of the show. Even for those few whose love is reciprocated. Even for those in happy marriages — or outwardly happy marriages. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_445bc425 | type |
GreyAndGreyMorality | |
My So-Called Life / int_445bc425 | comment |
Grey-and-Grey Morality: No one on the show is outright evil; no one on the show is without flaws. People just struggle to get by, and, as often as not, wind up hurting one another. High school, as seen by Anton Chekhov. See also, All of the Other Reindeer, above, although that's specifically about bullying, which is only one subset of the issues tackled in the series. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_445bc425 | |
My So-Called Life / int_44e64e96 | type |
Female Gaze | |
My So-Called Life / int_44e64e96 | comment |
Female Gaze: Most notably, how Angela views Jordan Catalano. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_44e64e96 | |
My So-Called Life / int_4523420b | type |
Love Dodecahedron | |
My So-Called Life / int_4523420b | comment |
Love Dodecahedron: Danielle and Delia each have a crush on Brian, who has a crush on Angela, who has a crush on Jordan. After Delia's crush on Brian crashes and burns, she develops a crush on Rickie, who is gay. At first Rickie seems to have had a crush on Jordan Catalano — who's interested in Rickie's friend Angela. Later Rickie develops a crush on an Ambiguously Gay classmate named Corey — who's at least ostensibly interested in Rickie's other friend Rayanne. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_460ffa29 | type |
Transparent Closet | |
My So-Called Life / int_460ffa29 | comment |
Transparent Closet: Rickie never comes out and says that he's gay until Delia outs him in the last episode. Most of the kids know that he's weird, and is once described as bisexual. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_4655ec83 | type |
Important Haircut | |
My So-Called Life / int_4655ec83 | comment |
Important Haircut - Patty (Angela's mother), in the episode she and Graham (Angela's father) take up ballroom dancing. Leads to a quarrel between them ... or seems to but that may have been just a pretext, as Graham had already been thinking about having an affair with a woman he knew from work. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_4781adbb | type |
Jerk with a Heart of Gold | |
My So-Called Life / int_4781adbb | comment |
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Jordan Catalano. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_4c5f0662 | type |
Girl Next Door | |
My So-Called Life / int_4c5f0662 | comment |
Girl Next Door: Angela, as far as Brian is concerned. Literal as well as figurative example. A Subverted Trope, in that Angela winds up with Jordan. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_4c8e8078 | type |
All of the Other Reindeer | |
My So-Called Life / int_4c8e8078 | comment |
On a more abstract level ... everyone is Rudolf and everyone is All of the Other Reindeer. Even the most popular characters are, at some point or another, victims of various sorts of bullying; even Brian and Rickie have their moments as bullies (although generally more out of social awkwardness than cruel intent). The show has neither any all-good nor any all-evil characters; each character we get to know has strengths and weaknesses, moments of moral glory and moments of moral shame. See also Grey-and-Gray Morality, below. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_4e7c4536 | type |
Wham Line | |
My So-Called Life / int_4e7c4536 | comment |
Wham Line: Patty's conversation with the homeless girl in So-Called Angels is going fairly normally until she suddenly realizes what's going on and asks "How did you die?" "Okay, but, um...you're gay, right?" | |
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My So-Called Life / int_50ca4422 | type |
Unresolved Sexual Tension | |
My So-Called Life / int_50ca4422 | comment |
Unresolved Sexual Tension: According to Word of God, there's plenty between Angela and Brian. Angela rejects Brian (at least for now) in part because she and Brian know each other too well, and are too similar, with too much history — and he's therefore a threat. By contrast, Jordan Catalano is a mystery and not much of an intellectual challenge — and thus, on some level, he's less threatening as a teen crush. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_52989fee | type |
Narrator | |
My So-Called Life / int_52989fee | comment |
Narrator: Usually Angela. Brian in the episode Life of Brian. Danielle in Weekend. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_53136954 | type |
Book Dumb | |
My So-Called Life / int_53136954 | comment |
Book Dumb: To use one of the episode titles, "Why Can't Jordan Read?" (He probably has dyslexia or some related learning disorder.) | |
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My So-Called Life / int_53136954 | |
My So-Called Life / int_53c9fc92 | type |
Flashback | |
My So-Called Life / int_53c9fc92 | comment |
Flashback: Used occasionally, usually to time periods years before the series takes place. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_53c9fc92 | |
My So-Called Life / int_56d95b5b | type |
High School | |
My So-Called Life / int_56d95b5b | comment |
High School: Much of the show is set at the fictional Liberty High. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_56d95b5b | |
My So-Called Life / int_5941d75 | type |
Beta Couple | |
My So-Called Life / int_5941d75 | comment |
Beta Couple: Sharon Cherski and Kyle Vinnovich. Patty and Graham (Angela's parents). Potentially Graham and his "annoying" classmate Hallie Lowenthal. | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_5941d75 | |
My So-Called Life / int_5a365ed2 | type |
Incompatible Orientation | |
My So-Called Life / int_5a365ed2 | comment |
Incompatible Orientation: Delia Fisher admits to Rickie that she has a huge crush on him despite knowing he's gay in their final scene. | |
My So-Called Life / int_5a365ed2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_5a365ed2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_5a365ed2 | |
My So-Called Life / int_5e57282b | type |
Fake Video Camera View | |
My So-Called Life / int_5e57282b | comment |
Fake Video Camera View: Brian being yearbook photographer gives us a few instances of this...including the one mentioned in Male Gaze, below. | |
My So-Called Life / int_5e57282b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_5e57282b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_5e57282b | |
My So-Called Life / int_60547993 | type |
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy | |
My So-Called Life / int_60547993 | comment |
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Several examples, none of them ever actually stated out loud. The last and most heartbreaking is when Brian decides to try Playing Cyrano to win Angela back for his rival Jordan Catalano. | |
My So-Called Life / int_60547993 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_60547993 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_60547993 | |
My So-Called Life / int_663f35c0 | type |
Only One Name | |
My So-Called Life / int_663f35c0 | comment |
Only One Name: Tino, who is also The Ghost. | |
My So-Called Life / int_663f35c0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_663f35c0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_663f35c0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_66cef86d | type |
School Play | |
My So-Called Life / int_66cef86d | comment |
School Play: Our Town; drawn out over more than one episode. The actual performance was never seen, due to the show's cancellation. | |
My So-Called Life / int_66cef86d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_66cef86d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_66cef86d | |
My So-Called Life / int_66dfe36a | type |
Missing Mom | |
My So-Called Life / int_66dfe36a | comment |
Missing Mom: Patty is adopted and has not met her biological parents. | |
My So-Called Life / int_66dfe36a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_66dfe36a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_66dfe36a | |
My So-Called Life / int_67b8ae16 | type |
Favouritism Flip Flop | |
My So-Called Life / int_67b8ae16 | comment |
Favouritism Flip-Flop: In the earliest episodes, this was one of Rickie's trademarks — almost but not quite to the point of Hypocritical Humor — as he was always seeking approval and didn't have much confidence in his own opinions (or thoughts or feelings or self-worth or ...) (As the series progressed and Rickie developed more of a backbone, he relied on this less and less.) | |
My So-Called Life / int_67b8ae16 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_67b8ae16 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_67b8ae16 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bccf2ba | type |
Supreme Chef | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bccf2ba | comment |
Supreme Chef: Graham, Angela's father. Starts out as a quirky-sad backstory detail but evolves into a major Story Arc. | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bccf2ba | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bccf2ba | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_6bccf2ba | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bd689ca | type |
Meaningful Echo | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bd689ca | comment |
Meaningful Echo: The phrase "Oh, my God!" gets tossed around from character to character, scene to scene, episode to episode, and it usually is a way of highlighting who is noticing whom. This is most evident in a pivotal scene in the A Day in the Limelight episode Life Of Brian. | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bd689ca | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bd689ca | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_6bd689ca | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bda9a30 | type |
Meaningful Name | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bda9a30 | comment |
Meaningful Name: Angela Chase. As in pursuit, of her own identity. Note that she's also running in the opening credits. Brian, aka "Brain," Jordan Catalano's nickname for him. "Vic Racine." Liberty High. | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bda9a30 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6bda9a30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_6bda9a30 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6e872753 | type |
Sexiness Score | |
My So-Called Life / int_6e872753 | comment |
Sexiness Score: In "The Zit", a bunch of Jerk Jocks make a list of the hottest Sophomore Girls in, rating their best "attributes" like legs, butt, hair and "slut potential". Most of the girls get offended and outraged, but Angela becomes self-concious of not being in the list at all. | |
My So-Called Life / int_6e872753 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6e872753 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_6e872753 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6ef9d3fe | type |
Christmas Episode | |
My So-Called Life / int_6ef9d3fe | comment |
The Christmas Episode So-Called Angels maintains its central focus on Angela, but for the first time Rickie gets A Day in the Limelight, of sorts. He gets a few more before the end of the series. | |
My So-Called Life / int_6ef9d3fe | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_6ef9d3fe | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_6ef9d3fe | |
My So-Called Life / int_722b3319 | type |
Camp Gay | |
My So-Called Life / int_722b3319 | comment |
Rickie Vasquez, although he has more than a few flourishes of Camp Gay. | |
My So-Called Life / int_722b3319 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_722b3319 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_722b3319 | |
My So-Called Life / int_740f59b4 | type |
ColorCodedForYourConvenience | |
My So-Called Life / int_740f59b4 | comment |
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: A striking single-character example: At the start of the series, Angela dyed her hair a very unnatural shade of "crimson glow," signifying the abrupt start of her teen rebellion and her attempt to remake her life. As the series progressed, and Angela edged back a bit from her most extreme behavior, her hair began to drift back toward its original color. Rayanne and Sharon, who are essentially Angela's Betty and Veronica of Heterosexual Life-Partners. | |
My So-Called Life / int_740f59b4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_740f59b4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_740f59b4 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7a82c3d2 | type |
All Love Is Unrequited | |
My So-Called Life / int_7a82c3d2 | comment |
All Love Is Unrequited: Well, almost all. See also Love Dodecahedron, below. | |
My So-Called Life / int_7a82c3d2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7a82c3d2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_7a82c3d2 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7b228c31 | type |
"L" Is for "Dyslexia" | |
My So-Called Life / int_7b228c31 | comment |
"L" Is for "Dyslexia": The answer to "Why Jordan Can't Read". | |
My So-Called Life / int_7b228c31 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7b228c31 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_7b228c31 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7c9dcc1 | type |
THeUnfavorite | |
My So-Called Life / int_7c9dcc1 | comment |
The Unfavorite Rickie, a victim of abusive guardians (his aunt and uncle) and eventually of abandonment. Angela's kid sister Danielle often feels this way, because Angela is so much better at getting attention. But in reality, her parents dote on her. | |
My So-Called Life / int_7c9dcc1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7c9dcc1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_7c9dcc1 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7eebe99c | type |
The Alcoholic | |
My So-Called Life / int_7eebe99c | comment |
The Alcoholic: Rayanne's mother, Amber Vallon. And Rayanne herself. | |
My So-Called Life / int_7eebe99c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7eebe99c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_7eebe99c | |
My So-Called Life / int_7ef728b1 | type |
Tsundere | |
My So-Called Life / int_7ef728b1 | comment |
Tsundere Angela, although less in her romantic relationship(s) than in her friendships. Possibly Brian, but he's far more of a Sugar-and-Ice Personality. | |
My So-Called Life / int_7ef728b1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_7ef728b1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_7ef728b1 | |
My So-Called Life / int_830ae7bf | type |
Bratty Half-Pint | |
My So-Called Life / int_830ae7bf | comment |
Brian toward Danielle, although it's not as if that had any chance of going anywhere anyway. | |
My So-Called Life / int_830ae7bf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_830ae7bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_830ae7bf | |
My So-Called Life / int_83a903f6 | type |
Stepford Smiler | |
My So-Called Life / int_83a903f6 | comment |
Stepford Smiler: As mentioned in the DVD Commentary, the episode Other People's Mothers provides us with three generations (and three different versions) of this — first and foremost, Angela's mother Patty; second, Patty's (adopted) mother Vivian; third, Angela herself, who is just beginning to shift into this mode, although it's hardly her default setting. | |
My So-Called Life / int_83a903f6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_83a903f6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_83a903f6 | |
My So-Called Life / int_83b44e80 | type |
Straight Gay | |
My So-Called Life / int_83b44e80 | comment |
Straight Gay: One of the teachers at Liberty High, Richard Katimski. Rickie Vasquez, although he has more than a few flourishes of Camp Gay. | |
My So-Called Life / int_83b44e80 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_83b44e80 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_83b44e80 | |
My So-Called Life / int_863fac26 | type |
Jerk Jock | |
My So-Called Life / int_863fac26 | comment |
Jerk Jock: None of the major characters (Kyle is a classic jock but not a jerk), but several of the bullies. | |
My So-Called Life / int_863fac26 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_863fac26 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_863fac26 | |
My So-Called Life / int_87bb6874 | type |
Villain with Good Publicity | |
My So-Called Life / int_87bb6874 | comment |
Villain with Good Publicity: How some (including Brian and later possibly Angela) see "Vic Racine". | |
My So-Called Life / int_87bb6874 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_87bb6874 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_87bb6874 | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b4f2a4f | type |
'80s Hair | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b4f2a4f | comment |
'80s Hair: Some of the extras in "The Pilot" can be seen sporting mullets. | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b4f2a4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b4f2a4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_8b4f2a4f | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b68d9a7 | type |
Stalker with a Crush | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b68d9a7 | comment |
Stalker with a Crush: How Angela views Brian in her less patient moments. That is, when she's not being utterly oblivious. Subverted in the final episode, when Brian accidentally confesses to Angela that he's Playing Cyrano behind "Jordan's" beautiful love letter to her. | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b68d9a7 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
My So-Called Life / int_8b68d9a7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_8b68d9a7 | |
My So-Called Life / int_91672d3e | type |
Children Are Innocent | |
My So-Called Life / int_91672d3e | comment |
Children Are Innocent: Danielle, Angela's kid sister. For the most part, but played with. With ample justification, she complains, "My life is totally edited": her parents and Angela try as best they can to keep her in the dark about ... well ... anything and everything one would try to keep a kid in the dark about. Yet sometimes Danielle makes offhanded remarks that shock and embarrass her parents — although it's far from clear how much of what she's saying she actually understands. | |
My So-Called Life / int_91672d3e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_91672d3e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_91672d3e | |
My So-Called Life / int_94e4c8ab | type |
Betty and Veronica | |
My So-Called Life / int_94e4c8ab | comment |
Rayanne and Sharon, who are essentially Angela's Betty and Veronica of Heterosexual Life-Partners. | |
My So-Called Life / int_94e4c8ab | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_94e4c8ab | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_94e4c8ab | |
My So-Called Life / int_9858c391 | type |
Chick Magnet | |
My So-Called Life / int_9858c391 | comment |
Chick Magnet: Graham (Angela's father), although he was invisible to girls back in high school. | |
My So-Called Life / int_9858c391 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_9858c391 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_9858c391 | |
My So-Called Life / int_9c8701b5 | type |
A Day in the Limelight | |
My So-Called Life / int_9c8701b5 | comment |
A Day in the Limelight: A few, but most clearly the episode Life of Brian. The other episode narrated by someone other than Angela is the penultimate episode Weekend, narrated by Danielle. The Christmas Episode So-Called Angels maintains its central focus on Angela, but for the first time Rickie gets A Day in the Limelight, of sorts. He gets a few more before the end of the series. | |
My So-Called Life / int_9c8701b5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_9c8701b5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_9c8701b5 | |
My So-Called Life / int_9e0c3153 | type |
Punctuated! For! Emphasis! | |
My So-Called Life / int_9e0c3153 | comment |
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Sharon. Cherski's. Verbal Tic. Involves. Talking this way. At. Times. | |
My So-Called Life / int_9e0c3153 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_9e0c3153 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_9e0c3153 | |
My So-Called Life / int_9f80e1da | type |
Sarcasm Mode | |
My So-Called Life / int_9f80e1da | comment |
Sarcasm Mode: Everyone's favorite mode. Even Brian, although, dork that he is, he often gets confused at the sarcasm of others. | |
My So-Called Life / int_9f80e1da | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_9f80e1da | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_9f80e1da | |
My So-Called Life / int_a78f8506 | type |
Time-Shifted Actor | |
My So-Called Life / int_a78f8506 | comment |
Timeshifted Actor: Kaley Cuoco plays "Young Angela" (around age seven) in a Flashback at the beginning of the episode "Father Figures." A few episodes later, in "Strangers In the House," we see another Young Angela with a Young Sharon. (They're about ten.) | |
My So-Called Life / int_a78f8506 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_a78f8506 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_a78f8506 | |
My So-Called Life / int_a7aef9ff | type |
Obfuscating Stupidity | |
My So-Called Life / int_a7aef9ff | comment |
Obfuscating Stupidity: In the case of Jordan Catalano, it's difficult to know how much is acting cool, how much (if any) is actual stupidity, and how much is learning disorders. As is often the case, a lot of it is cyclical. | |
My So-Called Life / int_a7aef9ff | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_a7aef9ff | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_a7aef9ff | |
My So-Called Life / int_a939d96a | type |
Adults Are Useless | |
My So-Called Life / int_a939d96a | comment |
Adults Are Useless: Sometimes averted, sometimes played with, sometimes justified. It's not that adults in the series tend to be idiotic or evil or crazy — often they're intelligent and well-meaning — but rather that the adults and teenagers live so much in their own worlds that they are unable to understand much less help one another. For example, in an early episode about a gun brought to school, the teachers and parents are so out of touch about school bullying that any attempts to reach out to their students and children tends to do more damage than good. Definitely Truth in Television, as any victim of severe school bullying can attest. A lot of the divide is simply Baby Boomer (the adults) vs. late Gen Xer (the teenagers). Unlike many other teen shows, the adults (refreshingly) are not necessarily portrayed as being "uncool" or "out of touch." However, they grew up in an era where, for example, bullying was simply seen as a "rite of passage" and something the kid was responsible for handling on his own, which is a big part of the reason why they have such a hard time communicating with them about the issue in the gun episode. In many instances, however, the Chase parents are shown to be surprisingly in tune to what Angela is going through. Patty, despite having forgotten a lot of aspects of her teenage years (she's in her middle ages, after all), often finds herself reminded of the things she did as a teenager when witnessing Angela's behavior. At which she's more able to identify with her. | |
My So-Called Life / int_a939d96a | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_a939d96a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_a939d96a | |
My So-Called Life / int_abb9ebaa | type |
Dramatic Pause | |
My So-Called Life / int_abb9ebaa | comment |
Dramatic Pause: The characters often pause mid-sentence, giving the dialogue a lurching and improvisational feel, even if the line is otherwise constructed very elegantly. Lampshaded when Rickie mimicks Mr. Katimski, who is probably the most egregious offender. But all the major characters did this a lot. In the case of Jordan Catalano, it was used to highlight how he was fumbling to come up with something, anything, to say. That lurching sensation, mentioned before ... was further heightened by having the actors ... pause at just the right point in the sentence that the apparent meaning being expressed ... seemed to change after the pause. | |
My So-Called Life / int_abb9ebaa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_abb9ebaa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_abb9ebaa | |
My So-Called Life / int_acd7e590 | type |
Sticky Situation | |
My So-Called Life / int_acd7e590 | comment |
Sticky Situation: In episode 19, Angela has a dream where she tries to follow Jordan, but finds her feet stuck to the floor. | |
My So-Called Life / int_acd7e590 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_acd7e590 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_acd7e590 | |
My So-Called Life / int_b01abe4f | type |
Catchphrase | |
My So-Called Life / int_b01abe4f | comment |
Catchphrase: Perhaps the most famous one is "In my humble opinion," tossed around both by Angela and by her mother Patty. Lampshaded late in the series when Rickie uses it and Rayanne tells him not to sound like Angela. | |
My So-Called Life / int_b01abe4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_b01abe4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_b01abe4f | |
My So-Called Life / int_b0a529cb | type |
Extreme Doormat | |
My So-Called Life / int_b0a529cb | comment |
Extreme Doormat: Brian, especially in anything involving Angela, but he at least has the self-awareness to be irked about it. Rickie, prior to his Character Development (see under Favouritism Flip-Flop). | |
My So-Called Life / int_b0a529cb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_b0a529cb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_b0a529cb | |
My So-Called Life / int_b2f26025 | type |
Genki Girl | |
My So-Called Life / int_b2f26025 | comment |
Genki Girl Rayanne Graff and her mother, Amber Vallon; Hallie Lowenthal; Cheryl Fleck; Delia Fisher. Sharon Cherski is a much calmer instance, as is her mother, Camille. | |
My So-Called Life / int_b2f26025 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_b2f26025 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_b2f26025 | |
My So-Called Life / int_b707726f | type |
Hypocritical Humor | |
My So-Called Life / int_b707726f | comment |
Hypocritical Humor: Almost everyone caught themselves in this at least once in a while. Usually played in a realistic and self-aware manner. | |
My So-Called Life / int_b707726f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_b707726f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_b707726f | |
My So-Called Life / int_b761a11e | type |
Dyeing for Your Art | |
My So-Called Life / int_b761a11e | comment |
Dyeing for Your Art: Claire Danes, as Angela Chase. Both the actress and the character naturally had dark blonde hair, but in the first episode Angela dyes hers "crimson glow." In-universe example: When Angela's little sister Danielle dresses up as Angela for Halloween, she dyes her hair the same color. | |
My So-Called Life / int_b761a11e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life / int_b761a11e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_b761a11e | |
My So-Called Life / int_bb0c0a4d | type |
Fiery Redhead | |
My So-Called Life / int_bb0c0a4d | comment |
Fiery Redhead Certainly not Angela! Because, first, she's just Dyeing for Your Art; second, her hair is not red, it's "crimson glow," thank you so much for noticing; third ... oh gawwd, how can you say such a thing? Hallie Lowenthal, although compared with Sharon and especially Angela she's more "feisty" than "fiery." | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_bb0c0a4d | |
My So-Called Life / int_bb3224b3 | type |
Best Years of Your Life | |
My So-Called Life / int_bb3224b3 | comment |
Best Years of Your Life: Subverted all over the place. Angela exemplifies the suckiness of high school life, while Danielle exemplifies the suckiness of childhood. In an ironic twist, their parents probably have more fun and fulfilling lives than either of them (though certainly not without their own sets of problems and issues). | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_bb3224b3 | |
My So-Called Life / int_bcb4f1f1 | type |
You Just Told Me | |
My So-Called Life / int_bcb4f1f1 | comment |
You Just Told Me: Brian traps himself in one of these during a quarrel with Angela when he indirectly and very much inadvertently confesses to his role Playing Cyrano in a Love Letter Lunacy. | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_bcb4f1f1 | |
My So-Called Life / int_bdf2a460 | type |
Tragic Dream | |
My So-Called Life / int_bdf2a460 | comment |
Tragic Dream: Angela's father Graham seems to have one about becoming a chef. May not be so tragic after all. The show presents much of life this way, and growing up as learning to recognize this. | |
My So-Called Life / int_bdf2a460 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life / int_bdf2a460 | |
My So-Called Life / int_bec0417c | type |
Happily Married | |
My So-Called Life / int_bec0417c | comment |
Happily Married: Angela's parents, Patty and Graham. Definitely married, but how happily can vary from episode to episode and scene to scene. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_bec0417c | |
My So-Called Life / int_bedecc55 | type |
Scout-Out | |
My So-Called Life / int_bedecc55 | comment |
Scout-Out: In the episode, "The Substitute," Angela's younger sister is working to sell her Girl Scout cookies. In the episode, "The Zit," Sharon and Angela recall a quote that they had learned as past Girl Scouts themselves. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_bedecc55 | |
My So-Called Life / int_c335b9ec | type |
Irony | |
My So-Called Life / int_c335b9ec | comment |
Liberty High. | |
My So-Called Life / int_c335b9ec | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life / int_c335b9ec | |
My So-Called Life / int_c40c8b74 | type |
And Starring | |
My So-Called Life / int_c40c8b74 | comment |
And Starring: Tom Irwin as Graham, the only actor who appears out-of-sequence (alphabetical order) in the opening credits (the only other adult, Bess Armstrong as Patty, appears first anyway). | |
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My So-Called Life / int_c40c8b74 | |
My So-Called Life / int_c6538cc6 | type |
The Dulcinea Effect | |
My So-Called Life / int_c6538cc6 | comment |
The Dulcinea Effect: Angela's attraction to Jordan "He Leans Great" Catalano. More tragically, Rayanne seems to be unable to sustain any sort of lasting or deep connection with any of her love interests. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_c6538cc6 | |
My So-Called Life / int_ca855eaf | type |
Love Letter Lunacy | |
My So-Called Life / int_ca855eaf | comment |
Love Letter Lunacy: Twice: first a love letter from Angela "to" Jordon Catalano (but never intended for his eyes); later one from Jordan Catalano (or rather from "Jordan") to Angela. In the first instance, a mortified Angela tries to backpedal and convince Jordan it was simply a Mistaken Message to her ex-boyfriend. Whom she's trying to keep a secret. Because he died. In the second instance, the missive in question also qualifies as an Anguished Declaration of Love. From Brian. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_ca855eaf | |
My So-Called Life / int_ca87e3ec | type |
No Name Given | |
My So-Called Life / int_ca87e3ec | comment |
Rickie's cousin — the one who brought the gun to school. He gets mentioned a lot, for someone we never see and whose name we never learn. | |
My So-Called Life / int_ca87e3ec | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_ca87e3ec | |
My So-Called Life / int_cc373fb1 | type |
Innocent Prodigy | |
My So-Called Life / int_cc373fb1 | comment |
Innocent Prodigy: Angela's younger sister Danielle. Bonus points for being one of the few characters who really appreciates Brian as the Lovable Nerd he is. | |
My So-Called Life / int_cc373fb1 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_cc373fb1 | |
My So-Called Life / int_cef50092 | type |
Mistaken Message | |
My So-Called Life / int_cef50092 | comment |
Mistaken Message: Angela tries to cover up for a humiliating Love Letter Lunacy incident by pretending it's just a case of this. | |
My So-Called Life / int_cef50092 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_cef50092 | |
My So-Called Life / int_cf231d54 | type |
Cool Teacher | |
My So-Called Life / int_cf231d54 | comment |
Cool Teacher: "Vic Racine," the titular character in the episode The Substitute, was able to out-cool even Jordan Catalano. | |
My So-Called Life / int_cf231d54 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_cf231d54 | |
My So-Called Life / int_d0bf8a6d | type |
No Periods, Period | |
My So-Called Life / int_d0bf8a6d | comment |
No Periods, Period: In one episode, Patty thinks she may be pregnant. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_d0bf8a6d | |
My So-Called Life / int_d280a296 | type |
Teen Genius | |
My So-Called Life / int_d280a296 | comment |
Teen Genius: Brian is an unusually plausible example: not brilliant to an outrageous degree or in a cliched way, but he's definitely very book-smart — the valedictorian next door, so to speak. With most of his teachers, Brian's able to parrot back whatever answer they want to hear; he's already taking calculus although he's only a sophomore, and he claims to be doing a "triple minor." | |
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My So-Called Life / int_d280a296 | |
My So-Called Life / int_d36a763f | type |
Kissing Warm-Up | |
My So-Called Life / int_d36a763f | comment |
Kissing Warm-Up: Danielle catches Angela kissing the mirror. | |
My So-Called Life / int_d36a763f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_d36a763f | |
My So-Called Life / int_d5d976dd | type |
I Have Many Names | |
My So-Called Life / int_d5d976dd | comment |
I Have Many Names: Substitute teacher "Vic Racine." Being on the run from the law will do that. | |
My So-Called Life / int_d5d976dd | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_d5d976dd | |
My So-Called Life / int_db2f3581 | type |
All Girls Want Bad Boys | |
My So-Called Life / int_db2f3581 | comment |
All Girls Want Bad Boys: One of television's quintessential examples. Angela pines for the troubled, brooding hunk Jordan while oblivious to the the sensitive, intelligent Brian's infatuation with her. | |
My So-Called Life / int_db2f3581 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_db2f3581 | |
My So-Called Life / int_dfb71617 | type |
Male Gaze | |
My So-Called Life / int_dfb71617 | comment |
Male Gaze: For the most part, averted. (See Female Gaze, above.) When the show uses it, it's nearly always to highlight that the shot is from Brian's point of view. For example, in Betrayal, we get a few POV shots from a camera operated by Brian, and one shot is aimed directly at Sharon's chest. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_dfb71617 | |
My So-Called Life / int_e24a1629 | type |
Sugar-and-Ice Personality | |
My So-Called Life / int_e24a1629 | comment |
Possibly Brian, but he's far more of a Sugar-and-Ice Personality. | |
My So-Called Life / int_e24a1629 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life / int_e24a1629 | |
My So-Called Life / int_e28f88b8 | type |
Last-Name Basis | |
My So-Called Life / int_e28f88b8 | comment |
Last-Name Basis: Almost all the high school students. | |
My So-Called Life / int_e28f88b8 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_e28f88b8 | |
My So-Called Life / int_e2d457 | type |
The Ditz | |
My So-Called Life / int_e2d457 | comment |
The Ditz: A mild example: Kyle, Sharon's perpetually clueless boyfriend. A less mild — and far more grating — example: Cheryl Fleck. | |
My So-Called Life / int_e2d457 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_e2d457 | |
My So-Called Life / int_e34400ab | type |
Ambiguously Gay | |
My So-Called Life / int_e34400ab | comment |
Ambiguously Gay: Rickie Vasquez, in that he doesn't "come out" for most of the series. One of the teachers, Richard Katimski, when we first meet him. Later, an example of Straight Gay. | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_e34400ab | |
My So-Called Life / int_e621b159 | type |
A-Cup Angst | |
My So-Called Life / int_e621b159 | comment |
A-Cup Angst: Angela. One of many things driving her nuts in the episode "The Zit" — not least because her ex-best-friend Sharon was just voted "best hooters" in the sophomore class. (Sharon's not pleased with the situation either.) | |
My So-Called Life / int_e621b159 | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life / int_e621b159 | featureConfidence |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_e621b159 | |
My So-Called Life / int_e624f0e8 | type |
Suspiciously Specific Denial | |
My So-Called Life / int_e624f0e8 | comment |
Suspiciously Specific Denial (combined with You Just Told Me): In the heat of an argument with Angela, Brian indirectly and very much inadvertently confesses to his role Playing Cyrano in a Love Letter Lunacy. As is typical of the series, it's at least as much a Tear Jerker moment as a comic one. | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_e624f0e8 | |
My So-Called Life / int_e6ab61d | type |
Magic Realism | |
My So-Called Life / int_e6ab61d | comment |
Magic Realism: Most notably in the episode Halloween and the Christmas Episode So-Called Angels. | |
My So-Called Life / int_e6ab61d | featureApplicability |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_e6ab61d | |
My So-Called Life / int_e8b295de | type |
PlayedWith | |
My So-Called Life / int_e8b295de | comment |
Played With. Danielle both admires and resents Angela, but Angela finds Danielle annoying. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_e8b295de | featureConfidence |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_e8b295de | |
My So-Called Life / int_eb8ec7c8 | type |
Jerkass | |
My So-Called Life / int_eb8ec7c8 | comment |
Jerkass: While no one in the series is completely evil, among all the characters, the closest is the principal who tries to expell Brian just to save the school from a PR problem and doesn't even seem to care about catching whoever really brought the gun to school. | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_eb8ec7c8 | |
My So-Called Life / int_ec40626 | type |
Love Martyr | |
My So-Called Life / int_ec40626 | comment |
Love Martyr: Angela and Brian are both in the thrall of unhealthy love. For Angela, Jordan is unconsciously her project, someone that she thinks she can change, and her devotion to this hopeless cause leads her to sacrifice her self-respect (and common sense,) on several occasions. Brian is in love with a girl who barely gives him the time of day. While it's true that there is some underlying tension between Angela and Brian, her obsession with Jordan Catalano means that Brian hasn't a hope in hell, and he knows it - but he clings on regardless, even sacrificing a potential girlfriend in the form of Delia Fisher, hoping that Angela will come to her senses and notice him. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_ec40626 | |
My So-Called Life / int_ecc643 | type |
But I Would Really Enjoy It | |
My So-Called Life / int_ecc643 | comment |
But I Would Really Enjoy It: Angela's deeply ambivalent about having sex with Jordan Catalano. So much so that she can go from one extreme to the other mid-paragraph. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_ecc643 | |
My So-Called Life / int_f0fc8518 | type |
High-School Dance | |
My So-Called Life / int_f0fc8518 | comment |
High-School Dance: The World Happiness Dance in Life of Brian. | |
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My So-Called Life | hasFeature |
My So-Called Life / int_f0fc8518 | |
My So-Called Life / int_f4b1129f | type |
Anger Born of Worry | |
My So-Called Life / int_f4b1129f | comment |
Anger Born of Worry: A mostly-low-key and non-romantic example would be Patty's and Graham's reaction when Angela returns from a night out looking as if she might have been attacked. (In actuality, she just slipped in the mud.) | |
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My So-Called Life / int_f4b1129f | |
My So-Called Life / int_f7883b17 | type |
Love Makes You Dumb | |
My So-Called Life / int_f7883b17 | comment |
Love Makes You Dumb: Even if you're a Teen Genius, like Brian. Worse yet, the characters usually fully realize even in the moment that they're being dumb and just can't help themselves. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_f7883b17 | |
My So-Called Life / int_f8600b | type |
Cool Big Sis | |
My So-Called Life / int_f8600b | comment |
Cool Big Sis: Played With. Danielle both admires and resents Angela, but Angela finds Danielle annoying. Sometimes Angela's friends (and former friends) take on this role with Danielle — during which times, Angela quietly simmers with a jealousy she can't explain to herself. This is also Angela's initial reaction toward Rayanne's mother. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_f8600b | |
My So-Called Life / int_ff251a68 | type |
Doting Parent | |
My So-Called Life / int_ff251a68 | comment |
Angela's kid sister Danielle often feels this way, because Angela is so much better at getting attention. But in reality, her parents dote on her. | |
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My So-Called Life / int_ffa0483f | type |
Cut Short | |
My So-Called Life / int_ffa0483f | comment |
Cut Short: It received a Season Finale, but then it was canceled. | |
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My So-Called Life |
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