[8.0/10] A lot of good social criticism and commentary in this one. I especially like that the show is empathetic to Bebe. At the end of the day, she’s the victim here, both of the boys’ feral fawning, the girls’ meanness and jealousy, and her mom’s own internalized enablement of the whole thing. The show never turns her into somebody who did something wrong, or anything other than the same girl she was before people started treating her differently for reasons beyond her control.
I’ll admit, there’s places where this one devolves into certain retrograde perspectives, but it’s ultimately pretty solid on that front. There’s something well-observed yet exaggerated as the boys initially just think that Bebe is suddenly cooler for reasons they can’t quite articulate, only to turn straight up atavistic once they’re competing for her attention. It’s silly, but a good reflection of how puberty starts to change the dynamic among peer groups in predictable ways.
I also appreciate the social commentary from all sides of this one, with the critiques of how women in particular are judged based on their appearance. Wendy’s story and Bebe’s mom’s stories are equally sad in some ways, with the former turning to breast implants and the latter having become a “lame person.” The show pulls no punches against either the plastic surgery industry or the societal expectations placed on young women and the damage that can cause.
At the same time, there’s just a lot of straight up good comedy here too. Cartman’s playing “lambs” is demented but hilarious, and his attempt to kick Kyle out of the group, only to get kicked out himself, is outstanding. And the 2001 and Planet of the Apes homages are well done to boot.
Overall, this one has a lot of potent social criticism in it, and mixes it with the comedy nicely. Some of the perspective is a little backwards in places, but the show’s heart is in the right place, and it keeps its sympathies squarely with Bebe.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2019-03-24T16:36:05Z
[8.0/10] A lot of good social criticism and commentary in this one. I especially like that the show is empathetic to Bebe. At the end of the day, she’s the victim here, both of the boys’ feral fawning, the girls’ meanness and jealousy, and her mom’s own internalized enablement of the whole thing. The show never turns her into somebody who did something wrong, or anything other than the same girl she was before people started treating her differently for reasons beyond her control.
I’ll admit, there’s places where this one devolves into certain retrograde perspectives, but it’s ultimately pretty solid on that front. There’s something well-observed yet exaggerated as the boys initially just think that Bebe is suddenly cooler for reasons they can’t quite articulate, only to turn straight up atavistic once they’re competing for her attention. It’s silly, but a good reflection of how puberty starts to change the dynamic among peer groups in predictable ways.
I also appreciate the social commentary from all sides of this one, with the critiques of how women in particular are judged based on their appearance. Wendy’s story and Bebe’s mom’s stories are equally sad in some ways, with the former turning to breast implants and the latter having become a “lame person.” The show pulls no punches against either the plastic surgery industry or the societal expectations placed on young women and the damage that can cause.
At the same time, there’s just a lot of straight up good comedy here too. Cartman’s playing “lambs” is demented but hilarious, and his attempt to kick Kyle out of the group, only to get kicked out himself, is outstanding. And the 2001 and Planet of the Apes homages are well done to boot.
Overall, this one has a lot of potent social criticism in it, and mixes it with the comedy nicely. Some of the perspective is a little backwards in places, but the show’s heart is in the right place, and it keeps its sympathies squarely with Bebe.