Since tonight’s episode of Greek gave me zero ideas for a lead-in feature and the most important election since “what color should the new M&M be” is fast-approaching, Gone Greek presents…
On the economy: Many characters on Greek are wealthy douche bags who spend exorbitant amounts of money without many repercussions. But Greek takes a very centralist view by showing how terrifying credit debt can be via Ashleigh, forcing people to do terrible things like get jobs.
On freedom of speech: A very patriotic view of the first amendment. The Kappa Tau pledges stand up to the people taking advantage of them…and are quickly attacked for their decision to speak out against a ruling class. LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT.
On foreign relations: Relations with Hotmanistan have never been better.
On gay rights: Dude, they have a gay character. That means they are progressive.
On dependency on oil: If Greek’s constant reliance on the music of The Honorary Title and Plain-White T’s means anything, the show would have no problem sticking with foreign fuel for the next eight seasons.
On Education: Do you see any of these people in class?
Final Judgment: Eh, Bob Barr has his own Flickr page, that’s pretty college-ish. The libertarians win the valuable Greek demographic! When all the high schoolers of today become the voters of tomorrow, prepare for a Paul/Dale ticket.
Summary
Casey and Max start dating, but the going-out is going tough, because Casey has to deal with the political threat of Frannie/her doubts about being better than Max’s dead girlfriend. The Kappa Tau hosts “retirement home weekend,” where the frat stays inside for a weekend to bond. Except bonding in this case means bossing the pledges around, and the pledges are mad as hell and aren’t going to take it anymore. So they rebel. Ashleigh gets a job (the horror!). Evan bribes Calvin’s boyfriend. And, spoiler alert, Casey throws a glass of water on Frannie, and it’s pretty awesome. All of this happens amidst a bunch of political jokes, which tells me the writers of this show might be up on current events.
Representations of College
- Max and Casey go to see a really bad Shakespeare performance as a date. This is great because colleges are bogged down by performances of Shakespeare plays. They also usually suck.
- College kids do love gelato, and I don’t blame them.
- The ZBZ sisters play a game of “never have I ever,” also known as “ten fingers” in college drinking game circles. Well I give them credit for actually referencing this pastime, their representation of said finger game is plain bizarre. All the girls stand in a circle, step forward when they have “ever” done another girl’s “never” and then step back. C’mon ladies, how are we going to find out who the biggest skank is the quickest if you don’t keep track?
Examples of Greek’s Bad Writing in Action
- Actually… I thought this was a well-written episode. Surprisingly solid character development, new storylines and a few moments where I laughed. Bravo writers. But my job is to be a cynical whiner, so a few nitpicks…
- Right near the beginning, Rusty says how the upperclass KTs will “receive his package.” Listen, Arrested Development already perfected the art of oblivious innuendo, don’t mess with it.
- On a related note, Casey uses the stabbing of Caesar as a metaphor for Frannie’s evil plans. I think another piece of media about young ladies beat you to this.
Closing Question – Was that line about being a “bulldog” referencing Sarah Palin? Either Greek just landed a current jab or the writer’s have a bizarre coincidence on their hands.