|
|
Post by DonnaJo on Oct 16, 2009 19:31:11 GMT -5
Was that "Faith Yancy" playing the Real Estate secretary? I thought so at first, but a poster at another site thought it was the crazy AT&T commercial Mom (rollover minutes). Are they the same person? I never realized....
I thought this episode was refreshingly fun, yet the crime story kept me interested. A clever combination of Jon & Kate with Octomom. And I loved the Arthur Branch mention. Heehee. McCoy's appalled reaction was priceless!
I was touched by Anthony Anderson's short film, which played instead of one commercial. Very well done, and I liked that Sisto was in it. Shows that they get along well off screen.
|
|
|
|
Post by annabelleleigh on Oct 19, 2009 13:56:09 GMT -5
Well-suited to the talents of Ed Zuckerman who wrote the teleplay with Luke Schelhaas.
What a baklava of an episode! With its satiric tone and delicious layers "Reality Bites" departed from the usual straightforward L&O gravitas but was just as effective and filling.
I chuckled throughout as I watched some of my favorite fictional characters comment on the unreality of reality TV.
I especially enjoyed the witness stand confession that reality shows are actually scripted (an ongoing Writers Guild issue). Yes (I thought) "reality" is scripted and yet doesn't convey a scintilla of the verisimilitude found in TV's longest-running drama.
Side note: I was glad to see that Rene Balcer was able to milk considerable publicity for this episode in its connections to "Jon & Kate + 8" and Octomom -- especially since the script was such a gem. I had feared the show might be as embarrassing as CI's similar headline-ripping, celebrity-exploiting attempts with astronaut diapers and Anna Nicole Smith. Thankfully "Reality Bites" was a sophisticated confection; the CI Season 6 episodes were just crummy.
And in the news, on the heels of "Reality Bites'" original airing -- Balloon Boy! When I heard the stunt was allegedly all about his parents' desire for a reality series I had to watch this L&O episode again. Art imitating life imitating art imitating life, etcetera and ad ridiculum.
Bravo to Messrs. Balcer, Zuckerman and Schelhaas. You captured the insanity perfectly.
AL
|
|
|
|
Post by DonnaJo on Oct 19, 2009 15:41:04 GMT -5
Wasn't the ending priceless, AL? The producers asking Arthur Branch be the judge on a reality show with the two murder suspects (sept-o-mom and special needs dad) where the audience participates in determining who murdered special needs mom?
It sounds ludicrous, but what we actually have on TV isn't much better than that.
|
|
