The Gastineau Girls
Okay, so we haven't really thought about it too much, but we've developed a sudden and inexplicable fondness for Lisa and Brittny. First of all, Lisa is really fun to watch, and she has that husky sort of voice we love. And she's a "cool" mom in a rich-version of Lorelai Gilmore sorta way. Brittny, despite being "spoiled" and not as immediately likeable as Lisa, also really grows on you. She's sort of goofy and oblivious and spoiled and not really grown up yet, but she has this really amazing hair and we think the way she spells "Brittny" is hip.
But besides those things, we think there may be some real substance to our affinity for this show.
1. This show is about women, and we always like that. It's title -- Gastineau Girls -- even sort of sounds like the title of one our very favorite shows, The Gilmore Girls. The focus of the show is the relationship between the two women, which is truly supportive and loving. And, like the Gilmore Girls, it is interesting because even though Lisa and Brittny are mother and daughter, their relationship also resembles that of two sisters or two best friends.
2. These women want things, and they talk about what they want and they go after it. What do they want? Fame, Fortune, and Love. Of course those things are probably much easier to come by when you have truckloads of money to keep yourself impeccably groomed and outfitted, but still.
3. They have dogs.
4. So far, I haven't seen them take one bit of shit from men. In another wildly popular show about single women in new york city, the protagonist of the show perenially ate shit from one man over the entire course of all seven seasons. ugh! It was just gross. Anyway, while the GGs like men, it doesn't appear that either of these two is going to settle for some yuppie asshole prick. Well, at least that is what we hope.
Of course the jury is still out; we are very fickle, and we've no doubt that if we were to spend much more time thinking about it we'd have a hard time celebrating the amount of money these two drop on fur (ick) and diamonds (ick) when, well, you know, half the kids in nyc probably don't have schoolbooks. But for now we're willing to put those thoughts aside and appreciate the genuine entertainment we get from wathcing these women sashay through the "reality" that is The Gastineau Girls.
2 comments:
My opinion of Sex in the City is certaily complicated, but the short version is that I ended up thinking the show was pretty overrated. Mostly because of the Big Story line, but also because of SJP's annoying lack of emotional maturity. I heard an intereview with the writers once, and that also sort of turned me off (they were all men, and I'm not sure if that was true for the whole series, but at least every one in this interview was male) because it sorta seemed like they looked down on their own characters. Like ha ha, isn't it funny when women talk about sex? so outrageous! Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that there was a show in which women could talk frankly about sex, and have multiple lovers if they felt like it, and stay single forever if that's what made them happy. And you're right -- the female friendships were indeed the center of the show. I especially liked that the women were pretty different from one another. In the end I just cared so much more about Miranda and Charlotte. I was sort of neutral on Samantha, but I became increasingly frustrated with Carrie. I think I *wanted* to relate to her, but she just came off as increasingly self-absorbed and bratty -- almost as though she was in some sort of arrested development. What's funny is that I've loved many a character who could be described as such. Cher in Clueless, for example -- LOVE HER. And I find Meadow Soprano and Claire Fisher *totally* fascinating. But wait, those characters are all in high school or college. How old is Carrie?
Mind you, if people didn't keep telling me that I *should* love Sex in the City because it's so feminist, so radical -- then I might've liked it more. I mean, if you ask me, I thought aside from talking about oral sex and stuff, the show was pretty conservative, *especially* in its depiction of gender roles and dynamics. The most "radical" characte, Samantha, was really just a caricature, and those are never progressive because nobody takes them seriously.
I'm sort of on the lookout for representations of grownup women I admire -- fictional or otherwise. I like Lauren Graham (from GG) and Stacy London (from TLC's What Not To Wear). I also like most of the Women on the Wire. And the Williams Sisters. They rock!
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