Kid Nation (spoilers)

[MarleysGh0st]

Spoiler

Chickens!

Yes, chickens! Since two were butchered in episode two, we've seen neither feather nor drumstick of a chicken. But here they are, still a big bunch of them (although we're not given a census to determine if any have gone "missing" in the meantime). And Taylor thinks they're cute! At least, the pretty brown ones are. She doesn't care about the ugly ones, giving us a pearl of beauty queen philosophy, "You can put make-up on an ugly person, but you can't put make-up on an ugly animal. I know--I tried with a dog!"

Annie, you may bite Taylor now. Greg will saction your action as "tough love".

But there's trouble in Bonanza City, as Sophia and Greg decide they need to butcher some more for a good meal. Like maybe ten of them. Taylor hears about this and goes beserk, until she succeeds in getting the pretty brown ones pardoned from the selection process.

And I'm afraid there's bad news for the fans of the revolution: The council makes another reading from The Book.

To be continued...

[MarleysGh0st]

Spoiler

The Book suggests that they think about education and conveniently provides four copies of a booklet, The History of Bonanza City, tucked into its back cover. Color-coded for the four districts and everything! And the council observes that what The Book talks about often becomes the subject of the upcoming Pointless Challenge--err, Showdown.

Still, Blaine has a bad feeling about how his district will react to a suggestion of studying. "If I don't come back from my bunk, don't come looking for me!"

Of the two recurring sub-themes ("Greg is a bully" and "Taylor is a brat"), they're repeating "Taylor is a brat" this week, so she stomps off to the chicken coop, refusing to study. So does her sidekick, Laila. But Laila knows just when to relent to escape punishment, while Taylor remains stubborn. So the council passes sentence: Taylor won't share in this week's reward (if any).

The Showdown is a multiple-choice quiz from that booklet, dressed up as a slingshot contest. Three balloons show the choices for each question, and the teams must shoot out the two incorrect answers, while conserving enough ammunition to fill a bowl and win the reward. The Green District wins, with the help of Hunter's eagle-eye shooting, and they get their reward. As usual, they have the choice of a responsible reward, a library of books; and a fun one, an arcade of games.

Taylor wishes they pick the books, since she doesn't care about them anyway, but they confound her by picking the arcade! The first fun reward of the season!

And now, faced with her punishment, Taylor faces a momentous decision.

As a crescendo of music builds (I think it was Aaron Copeland's Fanfare for a Common Beauty Queen), Taylor faces a pile of dirty dishes.

Taylor picks up a sponge.

Taylor washes the dishes!

And the council rewards her by letting her into the arcade.

To be continued...

[MarleysGh0st]

Spoiler

The Arcade has a predictable effect on this entertainment-starved town. Sophia finds herself alone in the kitchen, trying to cook for 37. (Why she didn't just cook for herself and enjoy the peace and quiet, I have no idea.) Sophia says, "I'm a thirty-year-old in a fourteen-year-old body." See! There are some of us who are born MAWGs! In her youth, she did underestimate the threshold for MAWGdom, though.

At the town meeting, Hunter wins his gold star. Zach was presented as the alternate candidate, solely on the strength of his speech to Taylor that miraculously got her to work. Zach will likely get his star next week.

And, finally, the council agrees to padlock the arcade until work is done each day, appointing Sophia as "sheriff" to see that it's done.

The preview for next week shows the council going off on a hike somewhere, leaving the sheriff in charge. All the other kids shudder.

[christie1111]

While watching this show, I began to wonder about being Taylor's parent.

How would you react to her behaviour? How much would you think was editing vs attitude?

Would you change some things when she got back home?

Or is this all okay for you?

I do like Sophia, but she does need to lighten up a littel. Busy day or I would write more. Maybe later!

[MarleysGh0st]

A reply! I got a reply! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!

While watching this show, I began to wonder about being Taylor's parent.

How would you react to her behaviour? How much would you think was editing vs attitude?

I presume her real parents believe she's wonderful and write it all off as unfair editing casting her as the villain. You can find her defenders on other websites (perhaps her parents, undercover...or her agents) who say as much.

If you're asking if I suddenly discovered I was one of her parents, it'd be a different story.

Given the ironclad contract of confidentiality and the lack of an objective team documenting the documentarians, we'll never know.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Is the show almost over with?

There have been people who have come back from Reality Shows and killed themselves.

I think that it's irresponsible for the producers to edit a child to be such a villian, because it will probably follow Taylor around forever.

[MarleysGh0st]

Is the show almost over with?

I believer there will be two more episodes. I don't know if the finale is scheduled for December 12 or if they're delaying it for a better time.

There have been people who have come back from Reality Shows and killed themselves.

I think that it's irresponsible for the producers to edit a child to be such a villian, because it will probably follow Taylor around forever.

Which is why people have been questioning the judgement of the parents who sent their kids to this show. Particularly with Taylor, who's already a beauty queen and has had so much air time (even if in the role of the villain), we can speculate that her parents are hoping for a Hollywood career to follow from this. Even though that has its own dangers.

I'd say Jared, who's always TKNPTB's man when they want a quote from Gandhi or a paraphrase of Shakespeare, also has a good shot at a sitcom.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

Is the show almost over with?

I believer there will be two more episodes. I don't know if the finale is scheduled for December 12 or if they're delaying it for a better time.

There have been people who have come back from Reality Shows and killed themselves.

I think that it's irresponsible for the producers to edit a child to be such a villian, because it will probably follow Taylor around forever.

Which is why people have been questioning the judgement of the parents who sent their kids to this show. Particularly with Taylor, who's already a beauty queen and has had so much air time (even if in the role of the villain), we can speculate that her parents are hoping for a Hollywood career to follow from this. Even though that has its own dangers.

I'd say Jared, who's always TKNPTB's man when they want a quote from Gandhi or a paraphrase of Shakespeare, also has a good shot at a sitcom.

Hopefully Taylor won't have any long-term negative consequences from being on the show.

[tanstaafl2]

I suppose the old adage any pub is good pub might apply if Taylor, or more likely Taylor's parents, are trying to push her towards a career in Hollywood.

You can almost start enjoying it for the campy aspect.

And Jared seems to be one odd kid. Taylor appears to just be a brat, at least as edited, but Jared seems to be out there a ways.

[MarleysGh0st]

And Jared seems to be one odd kid. Taylor appears to just be a brat, at least as edited, but Jared seems to be out there a ways.

He'd definitely get the quirky kid role in a sitcom, like a Danny Partridge or an Urkel...

[MarleysGh0st]

The Los Angeles Times has an article about Kid Nation today:

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-ki ... v-features

In the end, the "Kid Nation" pre-premiere hoopla amounted to much ado about nothing.

The children of Bonanza City never came close to building a new town; the grown-ups who publicly stated they were investigating the production for possibly skirting child welfare and labor laws never got a probe off the ground; and CBS did not get the big hit it was hoping for.

Multiple <sighs> all around...

"Kid Nation" took reality television into another realm by placing 40 children, ages 8 to 15, in a movie ranch near Santa Fe without any contact with their parents for 40 days. Since it premiered Sept. 19, critics have noted that "Kid Nation" doesn't live up to its hype because the children never built their own society. Instead, they followed instructions and suggestions by producers -- in the form of a mysterious journal -- at every turn.

Still, the notion that a reality show is not real is hardly the stuff of government probes.

About time it was, isn't it?

Only one question lingers. Although "Kid Nation" did not grow into the hit the network had imagined, it is unknown if a second group of "pioneers" will be called upon to leave home for 40 days. A CBS spokesman said the network has not decided if it will produce another season, but "there has been casting and other preproduction activity so the show would be ready in the event of a pick-up." The second season application requires that children and parents have passports.

Uh oh--passports! TKNPTB have had enough of pesky state and federal officials poking their noses into this Unreality, I guess.

The season finale is scheduled to air Dec. 12.

Which answers an earlier question. Your nightmare of these ShallowMarley reports will soon be over, PSM!

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

The Los Angeles Times has an article about Kid Nation today:

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-ki ... v-features

In the end, the "Kid Nation" pre-premiere hoopla amounted to much ado about nothing.

The children of Bonanza City never came close to building a new town; the grown-ups who publicly stated they were investigating the production for possibly skirting child welfare and labor laws never got a probe off the ground; and CBS did not get the big hit it was hoping for.

Multiple <sighs> all around...

"Kid Nation" took reality television into another realm by placing 40 children, ages 8 to 15, in a movie ranch near Santa Fe without any contact with their parents for 40 days. Since it premiered Sept. 19, critics have noted that "Kid Nation" doesn't live up to its hype because the children never built their own society. Instead, they followed instructions and suggestions by producers -- in the form of a mysterious journal -- at every turn.

Still, the notion that a reality show is not real is hardly the stuff of government probes.

About time it was, isn't it?

Only one question lingers. Although "Kid Nation" did not grow into the hit the network had imagined, it is unknown if a second group of "pioneers" will be called upon to leave home for 40 days. A CBS spokesman said the network has not decided if it will produce another season, but "there has been casting and other preproduction activity so the show would be ready in the event of a pick-up." The second season application requires that children and parents have passports.

Uh oh--passports! TKNPTB have had enough of pesky state and federal officials poking their noses into this Unreality, I guess.

The season finale is scheduled to air Dec. 12.

Which answers an earlier question. Your nightmare of these ShallowMarley reports will soon be over, PSM!

I just like teasing your about watching the show.

I have a suggestion for a new train wreck reality show:

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. It stars on January 10th, so you will have a month off after Kid Nation.

[MarleysGh0st]

I just like teasing your about watching the show.

Thanks, PSM. It's better than being completely ignored!

I have a suggestion for a new train wreck reality show:

Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. It stars on January 10th, so you will have a month off after Kid Nation.

Nope, I don't care about celebrities. Somebody else will have to submit those reports.