Wednesday, September 17, 2014

TV Review: Selfie


***Possible Spoilers Ahead (if you consider what happens in the first five minutes of this show spoilers)***

I am always excited when the new fall TV season rolls around. I look forward to new episodes of my favorite series, and I look forward to viewing the new series that have caught my interest.

One of the new series that I wanted to check out was Selfie. I didn’t want to check out Selfie because of its premise, but because it stars Karen Gillan, who played Amy on Doctor Who. And we all know how I love me my Doctor. Though I was not a big fan of Amy’s character on Doctor Who, nor too fond of Karen’s acting at first, I grew to like her at the end. So, I was curious to see how the ginger-haired Scot would fare doing comedy, and an American accent. I was also curious to see what the show would have to say about social media. I have very mixed feelings about social media, and I wanted to see how a modern sit-com would deal with the quite ubiquitous phenomenon still very much in its infancy.

When I found out that the pilot for Selfie was available to view online prior to its premiere on network television, I thought I’d take that sneak peak. I watched about the first five minutes of the episode and I’m ready to write it off already. When I have to watch the main character throw up twice into two barf bags on board an airplane and then walk down the aisle of the airplane carrying said barf bags and then watch as the bottom of the bags break, spilling the vomit all over the said main character, then I am done. That, to me, is not comedy. It’s just gross. So far I don’t like Karen’s character, which is where I was with Amy – but she was on a series that I already liked, so I kept watching. So far, for me, Selfie has nothing to recommend it. 

I have not finished watching the episode, and I’m not sure I will. I like my comedy to be clever, non-childish, non-vomiting, and entertaining. 

To sum up - I have no idea what Selfie says about social media - I just couldn't get past a girl walking through an airplane, covered in her own vomit, while everyone laughs at her. What does that say about our society? Nothing I'd like to acknowledge or watch in a television show.

Unless I hear that the show has gotten rave reviews by critics and audiences alike, Selfie is off my viewing list.