The students at Kennedy High, including Brooke (Leslie Bibb), Sam
(Carly Pope), and Harrison (Christopher Gorham), experience
another year of romances, breakups, intrigue, illness, and
sometimes hilarious antics as their junior year unfolds.
CRITIQUE
From 1999 through 2001, the WB aired a teen drama that turned out
to be unjustly cancelled. Popular's first season began when
enemies popular Brooke McQueen and unpopular Sam McPherson were forced
to adjust to becoming sisters. Various dramas made this touch and go.
Throughout the second season, I think the quality of the show deepens
as the focus becomes less the popular vs. unpopular and shifts to the
interpersonal relationships the audience has come to care about.
The tone of this series as always been moments of almost startling
reality contrasted with outrageous comedy. This continues here, but
the overall plotlines take a move into the more dramatic than before.
The creators wisely pulled the character of Harrison, the best one of
the bunch, more to the forefront.
Harrison is given a battle with leukemia and he gets a delicious
episode where he acts like über-bitch Nicole (Tami-Lynn Michaels)
after receiving her bone marrow as a treatment for the cancer. Not
only does Gorham do this all well, he is the show's most gifted
performer. The Christmas It's A Wonderful Life-esque episode titled
"The Consequences of Falling" centers completely on him and he will
break your heart, he's so gifted. You will relate to him and want him
to get everything he deserves.
The main plot of the series becomes apparent throughout this season
as well: the Sam-Harrison-Brooke triangle. It is believably developed
that there are feelings between both sides, as
Harrison has always loved Sam but becomes close to Brooke while
they're both in the hospital (she has an eating disorder relapse).
Slowly but steadily the plot points come and go, well-written, until
they ask Harrison
to choose in the finale.
Aside
from the cliffhanger of Nicole running over Brooke and the fact that
Harrison's choice was revealed to the players but not to the audience
yet, this end will make you wish the series had gone on because you
know that no matter who he chose, whatever breakups and makeups the
writers inevitably planned for later, in the end Harrison and Sam
would end up together and you want to see that moment. Other things,
like the Josh (Johnson) and Lily (Tamara Mello) romance and the
development of Nicole's character through the bone marrow donation and
finding out she's adopted, work surprisingly well. And, you can always
turn to Mary Cherry (a hilarious Leslie Grossman) and horrible
chemistry teacher Bobbie Glass (Diane Delano) for laugh-out-loud-hard
comedy.
Bibb and Pope inhabit their characters well, though you feel
there's room for improvement. Michaels really creates a character,
Johnson may surprise some with his talent at certain moments, and
Mello and Sara Rue as Carmen are solid throughout. As I said, though,
Gorham may become the crux of the show's
appeal for some.
THE VIDEO
The style of the series isn't revealed with use of color but with
the tone of the writing being expressed through the direction like
camera work, which comes through in this fine transfer.
THE AUDIO
Dolby Digital makes all the great dialogue come through and there
are no problems with sound throughout. No subtitles or languages
offered.
THE EXTRAS
Audio
Commentaries:
There are commentaries on only two episodes: "The Shocking Possession
of Harrison John" and "The Brain Game." The first features cast
members Bibb, Johnson, and Gorham, the other with Bibb and Johnson.
They both have a nice fun repartee, with a lot of laughter and praise
for people but also some interesting behind-the-scenes tidbits, like
the way the mirror scenes in the girls' bathroom were filmed. On the
downside, Johnson leaves partway through the second commentary.
Are You
Popular?:
A quiz game that tells you which character of the show you are after a
series of questions. There are also periodic show plot recaps called
the Daily Buzz that you get extra credit questions on. It’s quick fun.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Popular
is an overlooked gem of a series that creates the world of high school
with realism, surprisingly touching emotion, and wild comedy. The
characters will remain in your memory and you'll wish there were more.
The extra features are too slim, but the series sells itself.
