Justin on Brothers and Sisters. Nate’s dad on Gossip Girl. Mike Delfino on Desperate Housewives. Seems like a drug addiction is the go-to plot device of the current TV season. Yet I am decidedly not addicted to these story arcs: Not the war vet on vicodin, the NYC hot shot snorting coke, or the plumber poppin’ painkillers. Maybe it’s because of the endless risk of relapse, causing symptoms of plot-digression and déjà vu.
I mean, exactly how many times did we have to watch Charlie stare longingly at yet another bag of heroin on Lost? Will that figure be surpassed by the number of times Nora holds and rocks Justin on Brothers & Sisters, or Susan stares suspiciously/brokenheartedly at Mike between now and the end of the Housewives season?
What do you think? Are you hooked on the current trend of drug-addicted characters on TV dramas? Or do you want your favorite shows to go cold turkey by the holidays?
i was glued to the set for justin’s intervention but i do think it is time for him to do something else….i mean we did the whole drug addict last season with his character already. and i do agree….if i see nora coddle him while crying one more time………. as for mike and susan on DH, im already over this stale storyline. it was so obvious he was going to go back and get the pills from the drain….i mean cmon he is a plumber!! hopefully the upcoming tornado will blow this story away.
i do like that nate’s dad is the one on drugs on GG. it gives nate a storyline and a chance for us to see how moronic these parents are……plus it’s juicy drama when a father punches his son out in the upper east side. (damn i watch too many soapy dramas; if ugly betty and ANTM introduced drug storylines i might go crazy!)
You forgot the recently revealed revelation that Matt and Kimber are drug addicts on “Nip/Tuck.”
Still, I wouldn’t exactly call this a trend and, when done well, it can either make for a brilliant arc or it can add another layer to a character. The storylines didn’t seem to hurt Christopher on “The Sopranos” or House on, well, you know, where it’s a major part of his character.
However, since I only watch “Desperate Housewives” out of the three shows mentioned, I fear it’s going to be botched mostly because James Denton is an absolutely terrible actor.
I second Ceballos’ comment with regards to James Denton being a really terrible actor. I also don’t see snorting coke and taking painkillers for a couple of weeks(Mike really does have a bad shoulder) to be in the same drug league. Susan holding up a bag of naproxen and yelling “I can’t believe you’re doing THIS” was just kind of hilarious. Plus, if I were married to Susan, I’d be killing my pain too.
mike – Ugly Betty already had a drug storyline. Remember Daniel was on pills and Alexis was driving him to rehab in last years finale!
The problem with James Denton is the problem with Ben Stiller. Their acting ability seems to be one dimentional. I’d like to see James do something that is not as mechanical as Mike Delfinio. Secondly, I have been on Vicadin for surgery. How anyone can be addicted is beyond me. Lets just say that if you just had bad Chineese, Vicadin is the perfect drug to eliminate the food from your digestive track.
Brothers & Sisters handled it the best of the three I think because it felt more honest. I disagree with the notion that they need to progress Justin’s storyline because in real life, it’s not something that goes away. I’d much rather deal with an arc that progresses realistically than deal with a plot like, say, Meredith Grey dying in one episode and then moving on like nothing happened.
mmmmmmm, i’m just hooked on HotJunkieJustin period, it doesn’t matter what ridiculous, repetitive scenarios he goes through… and word, maya – that susan line caused some derisive snorts in my household, too.
Ms. Hansen, you’re a little late in the game. The Sopranos, Brotherhood and Futurama (Bender’s electricity addictcion), Andromeda (narcotic eye drops), Drew Carey, Ugly Betty and Nip/Tuck have already given us plenty of junkie episodes. But this isn’t new. “Welcome Back Kotter” did one too.
Frankly, I wish there’d be a few more shows where drugs aren’t viewed as a cheap plot device to show people ruin their lives. Entourage quite nicely shows how it’s possible to responsibly use drugs (well, pot) and still lead a productive life. Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse shows what “dysfunctional” stoners are really like. How I met your mother had an ep where the characters smoked pot and it didn’t ruin anyone (wait, it was just a “really good sandwich”). Roseanne and Dream On were cool about drugs in the 1990s, so why’s everyone on tv an instant addict nowadays?
Unfortunately, I think there are so many plotlines dealing with drug addiction because addiction is so prevalent in modern society. It’s not just for rock stars and street people anymore… I have seen many seemingly “normal” families destroyed by drug abuse. So to me, this is just “art imitating life.”
Jesse Spano approves.
F.T.:
Yes, I was going to suggest that too. “I’M SOO EXCITED…I’M SO SCARED!” lol!
I also think the drug storylines are tired. Especially on Brothers and Sisters. It all just feels very “been there, done that” in terms of storylines. Addict steps cautiously into a room, camera scans the morose and pained faces of family members. Shake and stir. Yawn. And yes, how many times can we see Sally Field crumble? Give this woman a day at a spa!
I was surprised to see Gina, Niki’s ‘new alter ego’ on “Heroes”, using cocaine last episode, especially since they’ve already gone that route with Season 1′s Isaac Mendez. I’m pretty “meh” about drug storylines in general: on one hand, drugs are part of reality, and I like shows that portray my reality. On the other hand, it does tend to lead to circular plotlines, and those, I do not care for at all.
One point, EP Santo: the majority of the programs you just mentioned are cable shows. Read the title of the post.
hey Taylor, apparently you haven’t been watching B&S because Field’s character went to a spa about 4 episodes ago!
I don’t know if this type of plotline is really tired (cause really, what plotline HASN’T been done at this point), it’s all about how it is presented through the show’s characters and, for B&S it’s working wonders, and allowing Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, and Dave Annable to show that they all deserve to be Emmy winners.
My favorite druggies: Bill Fichtner on Prison Break; Sarah Sharai on Life; and Ted Danson on Damages.