Pilot



Damn, I can't remember much of this series at all and in a way, I'm happy about it. This way, I get to fall in love with the show all over again. I just can't believe how long it's been since it went off the air, which to this day is one of the biggest crimes against humanity. That and Freaks And Geeks. But that's a story for another time.

The Pilot sets up the tone of the series extremely well as Angela Chase (Claire Danes) is looking to find her own identity, one that is not based on what other's want her to be. He statement about what Yearbooks represents couldn't more on point on how they don't represent what and how school made us feel back then when she says it's "...it's not even what really happened, it's what everyone thinks was supposed to happen. Because if you made a book of what really happened, it'd be a really upsetting book." With Angela breaking out on her own, she of course is drawn to the school bad girl Rayanne Graff (A.J. Langer). It's easy to see why Angela who has led a straight-laced life would be fascinated with her. She is out breaking curfew, drinking, hitting parites and socializing. But with it comes consequences of getting into trouble with authority figures and alienating former friends Sharon Cherski ( Devon Odessa) and Brian Krakow (Devon Gummersall) because they aren't "cool" enough to hang with anymore. This of course leaves them feeling really insecure, leaving them to think they did something wrong to be dropped in the manner they are.

Just like Angela is attracted to the idea of doing things not expected of her and being "bad", it's not till she gets "arrested" that the school bad boy Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto), whom she has had a crush on for awhile, takes notice of her for the first time. It's all about perception and the roles we play in High School to build you up to be something your not, which goes back to what she was saying about the Yearbook and what it represents. Even though she reconnects with her Mother, she still feels the need to keep the image going the next day at school by perpetuating the myth behind her "arrest" to attract more kids at school, which it does, expanding her circle of "friends".

If you are a fan of such shows like The Wonder Years and Freaks and Geeks,  this is an absolute must-see for you. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.