"This life has been a test. If this had been an actual life, you would have received instructions" (My So-Called Life)

Member Name: bamamo

Product:	My So-Called Life
Date:	29/12/08 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's just like being a teeanger again

Disadvantages: It's just like being a teenager again

Angela: My parents keep asking how school was. It's like saying, "How was that drive-by shooting?" You don't care how it *was*, you're lucky to get out alive.

This quote pretty much sums up the series.

I first saw My So-Called Life on TV probably about 10 years ago, they were showing the series an episode a day during a school holiday and I adored it. I then completely forgot about it until while browsing Amazon I spotted they had it on DVD. Onto the wish list it went, and Santa brought me it! I've now watched the entire series (about 15 hours long!) while being struck down with this awful flu bug, and remember why it made such an impression on me at the tender age of 13 or so when I first saw it.

The show first came out in America in the summer of 1995, and I really don't remember if it was ever aired here at that time, or just re-run like I remember it in the holidays, but it didn't do as well as planned in the US due to a competitive airtime slot and such an abundance of other teen dramas at the time such as Beverly Hills 90210.

Starring a fresh-faced young Claire Danes (Romeo and Juliet) as Angela Chase, the series follows her and her classmates at Liberty High as they tackle the trials and tribulations we all remember from our teenage years - and some which, if we're lucky, we don't. As the series progresses and we get to know the characters better, dilemmas such as "oh my gosh, I have a terrible spot on my chin" and "will he ever kiss me?" are replaced by more serious problems such as teenage alcoholism, runaways and homelessness, issues with sexuality and school violence.

Not issues to be taken lightly, but the show remains compulsively watchable and entertaining. Even now at 23, I find I can relate to Angela's life. I too can barely look at her mother without "wanting to stab her repeatedly" (more on that later). I think I may also be a little, okay a lot, in love with Jordan Catalano.

Yes, playing alongside Claire Danes is the very gorgeous Jared Leto (Fight Club, and band 30 Seconds to Mars). Where were the boys like this at my high school? And since when did girls like Angela - normal girls, who hang out with the weird kids at school - end up with him? I practically jumped for joy when he finally holds her hand in public, is this weird?

Other key players include Rayanne Graff, Angela's self-centred best friend who, quite frankly, is pretty much the most annoying person I have ever seen in a teen drama show. She has a wild, irresponsible mother and a drinking problem, and overacts everything she says. I realise this is what she is supposed to do, but it gets a little tired. Once we know her better towards the end of the series, the vulnerability is a welcome change and she becomes far more likeable, although I still haven't forgiven her for a certain something..

Ricky (Enrique) Vasquez, Angela's other good schoolfriend, appears to be some kind of Prince wannabe. Yes, early 90s fashions we not attractive, but he and Rayanne both go all-out, and that in itself is entertainment. Despite his poor dress sense, Ricky is vulnerable and actually really sweet.

And then there's Brian, Angela's wet blanket neighbour who is so blatantly in love with her. But he's just so...yuck. He's like the kid who goes to tell the grown-ups you're doing something you're not supposed to, only he's always there. Sharon, Angela's former best friend, is a bit of a goody-goody but she has her own issues, mostly with boyfriend Kyle.

So Angela's family, yes they drive her crazy, but really they turn out to be not so bad. Her friends would probably trade any day as we are constantly reminded. I think I find her father strangely attractive (hey it's okay though, Rayanne does too). But her mother...you know, towards the end of the series either I got a lot more understanding or just grew to like the characters more, because I wished bad things on her a lot less frequently. I still did, though. Yes, I realise how hard it must be for her to raise a teenage daughter whose friends keep landing their troubles on her front doorstep, but she was annoying way before that happened. If anything, these things made her less annoying. When she cut all her hair off, I was happy when her husband wasn't thrilled, because now she looked stupid as well as BEING STUPID.

As you can tell, I have really got into the mindset of Angela having watched the entire series back-to-back pretty much.

Each episode is about 45 minutes long, and the refreshing thing is that there isn't always a moral to the story. Yes, you might learn about a certain issue or become aware of one, it may make you consider things you didn't already, but this isn't a preachy, after-school-special kind of show. We dip in and out of storylines but, despite not being such a fan of teen romance movies or such, I did find myself hoping to see Jordan Catalano show up, just like Angela probably did.

The series ended on a cliffhanger and I am so sad they didn't make a second season. This was far better than the superficial drama shows at the same time and after (Dawson's Creek the main comparison I can think of). It has enough grit to keep it interesting and enough familiarity for any teen to relate to.

What's more, it was accompanied by some really great music. I looked up the official soundtrack so I could download some tracks and I noticed that my favourite, stand-out track was missing. Fortunately, lots of Amazon users had noticed this, were also not impressed, and said which track it was - Late At Night by Buffalo Tom. This is the song predominantly featured in the "why won't you just admit you like me, Jordan Catalano, you gorgeous, gorgeous asshole?" episode, and I adore it. Also missing were some other good tracks like Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes and I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones, which are among those I remember most from the show.

You can buy the complete series (19 episodes) on DVD from Amazon.co.uk for £17.98 at the time of writing. Unfortunately there aren't any special features. Buy it and remember your youth, misspent or not, this is nostalgia at its best.

Summary: My ultimate favourite teen drama series and I so wish there had been more.