As a teenager, getting up the nerve to tell your parents that you screwed up is rough. You know they’re going to get mad, and you know that you’re stuck under their roof to sweat out your punishment. But what really kills are those days, hours, and measly minutes before you finally find enough courage to give up the secret. That first shot of Amy (Shailene Woodley) waiting in the dark to tell her mother about her pregnancy gave me a serious case of the queasies.
But at long last, Mrs. Juergens (Molly Ringwald, pictured) knows the truth. As Amy broke the news — about her three, maybe four-month-old fetus? how pregnant is she again? — her mother was surprisingly calm. Or maybe Ringwald’s reaction shots aren’t as expressive as they were in the ’80s? (Woodley, at least, pulled off her character’s emotional breakdown with flying colors.)
The dialogue during Amy’s confessional may have been questionably funny — was I supposed to be laughing at Ashley’s perfectly timed interruption? India Eisley continues to play the monotone, bored-with-this-stupid-life pre-teen so well — but it was touching, too. Amy ended up skipping out on school and mulling the idea of having an abortion, Ashley’s growing pains turned out to be borderline terminal, and Mom tried balancing her divorce with the latest family upset.
In the end, we can probably brand this episode "the political one," since it explored thepolarizing sides of teen pregnancy. Kind of. (I must’ve blinked and missed the moment when the characters time-traveled back to the 1950s, whereunwed pregnant mothers are "sent away" to quietly have their babies.) I mean, let’s get real: Ifwe’ve learned anything from Secret Life (or real life), it’s that secrets always come to the surface in high school (and especially in small, close-knit towns).
So everyone took sides: Adrian drove Amy to the clinic;Grace went bananas and protested at the clinic; Ben pushed for Amy to marry him and have the baby;the Sausage King went from being the coolest parent on the show tobeing mildly deranged, staging a dad-to-dad with Mr. Juergens aboutletting their children get hitched; and Mrs. Juergens pretty much toldAmy that she was a mistake. We know that Amy’s not getting an abortion,but whether or not she’ll raise the baby or give it up for adoption isstill in the air.
The other continuing uncertainty centers around Ricky’sopinion of the baby, but based on the promos for next week’s episode, we’re about to find out. We almost got to hear the tale of Ricky and Amy’sillicit night at band camp, but Brenda Hampton and her writing team held back yet again. Give us the flashback already! Plus, it’d be nice to get some clarification on whether Ricky is simply a misunderstood hottie or actually an awful, conniving creep, another area where the show’s writers (and actor Daren Kagasoff) remain maddeningly vague.
So PopWatchers, pick your sides! Is Ricky sweet or sour? Whatwill he ask Amy to do about the baby next week? Is Ben in love or inanother world? Is Amy making the right decision? Is Molly Ringwaldbetter at being a teenager or an adult on screen?
This show is driving me insane. I get that it’s a schlocky-sweet attempt at a sort of characterization of generic teenage-life, but really? It’s true, I haven’t been a teen for years and years now, but so much of this show still rings false relative to my own high school experiences from so long ago. They thought about sending her away because it would be inappropriate for her to be at school and pregnant? What sort of HS these days hasn’t dealt with teen pregnancy? I also think that the other characters’ opinions re:a possible abortion are completely inappropriate. I get that it’s a political and moral issue for some people, and that the show would never allow for it to happen. But, it felt to me that Amy’s eventual decision was largely based on peer pressure. I think it’s a bit of a dangerous message to send to girls that their reproductive decisions should be influenced by a group.
And, how are the adults (and teens) even remotely considering marriage as the solution to this “problem?” It’s great that Amy and Ben are “in love,” but they’ve only known each other for, what, six weeks at this point? There are so many things about this show that are irrational that it makes it really difficult for me to watch.
I agree with your first comment, Leah. I graduated from a teeny tiny Catholic high school ten years ago–and my senior year, we had two pregnant girls.
Also, in line with your second comment, one of these girls wanted to marry the baby’s father (who was in college at this point) and the parish priest said he wouldn’t do it. That ended up being a really good thing for everyone involved. So yeah, the marriage thing is not exactly realistic.
Honestly, I think this could have been an interesting, realistic show with the right people behind it–but it just seems like a fantastical mess to me.
I am back to being annoyed with this show. I don’t know that much felt authentic in this episode. I did enjoy the kid sister (who usually I want to fast forward through) and her pleas on her sister’s behalf. I think Molly was waaay too calm to be a Mom of a 15-year old who says she is pregnant when she didn’t even know she was sexually active. I also agree that having Amy move is a bit out of the stone age. This show seems to dwell on the melodrama more than actual realistic impressions of how the characters would act.
As someone who has been in this situation, having to tell my parents at 17 that I was pregnant, I was anxious to see this episode. Boy, do I wish my mother reacted as calmly as Amy’s did. I was surprised by the laid back, lax attitude she seemed to have. Shailene Woodley is doing an amazing job as Amy and had me near tears many times last night. But I have to agree with the writer here. Molly Ringwald’s whole performance was completely unbelievable. I would think that she would have been a little been more upset, a little more emotional than she was…even in private, away from Amy she really wasn’t. And do you really think that with everything Amy is going through, she wanted to hear that her now divorcing parents HAD to get married?? You can say that you don’t regret it all you want, things like that stay with a person…especially an impressionable teenager!
Ben’s insistance that he is “in love” without really knowing Amy is very creepy. I feel gross everytime he says it because he was saying it before he ever asked her out or even spoke to her. Also, Amy needs new “friends” as Ashley pointed out. It was nice hearing Amy and Mrs. J talk about what Amy’s fears are at the end and how she is worried that Ashley might be branded because of her mistake. Yes, I work in a high school and that still happens. Although the other poster is right, there really isn’t a shock to teens getting pregnant anymore.
I think that the reason they were talking about sending her away was because Amy asked to be sent away. She didn’t want to face everyone in high school with the knowledge that they all knew about her pregnancy. Although Molly’s character didn’t handle it quite the way I would have, if your husband had just left you and then your 15 year old daughter told you she was pregnant wouldn’t you kind of go into a shell. When the husband came back and said I will move back in he told her she doesn’t handle things well. That is how I took her reaction to it. I too can’t wait to find out what actually happened that night, and totally agree that it is up in the air if Ricky is messed up, a king (although what drummer in marching band is the popular one?) or just a total creep.
Overall one of the best shows on tv right now. Oh and I love the younger sister and her comments. Although I didn’t get what led up to her hating her mom with such passion.
I think that the reason they were talking about sending her away was because Amy asked to be sent away. She didn’t want to face everyone in high school with the knowledge that they all knew about her pregnancy. Although Molly’s character didn’t handle it quite the way I would have, if your husband had just left you and then your 15 year old daughter told you she was pregnant wouldn’t you kind of go into a shell. When the husband came back and said I will move back in he told her she doesn’t handle things well. That is how I took her reaction to it. I too can’t wait to find out what actually happened that night, and totally agree that it is up in the air if Ricky is messed up, a king (although what drummer in marching band is the popular one?) or just a total creep.
Overall one of the best shows on tv right now. Oh and I love the younger sister and her comments. Although I didn’t get what led up to her hating her mom with such passion.
Keep in mind that this show is from “the people who brought you 7th Heaven.” It definitely plays like it — realism (and often good acting) is thrown out the window. I agree the girl who plays Amy is fantastic, though.
For me, the sister varies from hilariously sarcastic to unrealistically robotic. It will be interesting to see how she handles it down the line when she’s involved in her own storylines.
To the nameless person who said Ben’s “I love you” streak is creepy, I think they point they are trying to make there is that a 15-16 year old doesn’t know what love is, and can make misguided statements like that. That his father (the sausage king) would support those thoughts and be in favor of his son marrying a girl, carrying a baby that isn’t his, is insanely unrealistic.
I admit, I watched the uber-sappy 7th Heaven for a few seasons, mainly since there was nothing else good on TV on Monday nights (way before HIMYM). But this show is terrible! The dialog is weak, the characters are types, not people, and Molly Ringwald has forgotten how to act. I was 16 when Sixteen Candles was in theaters, so I’ve seen my share of teen dramas. This one is poorly written and way too much of a soap-opera.
I missed the last 15 minutes, and was hoping the recap would fill me in. What exactly happened after Ben took Amy to the clinic?
After they got to the clinic, Grace and Ricky got there, Grace freaked out and the two of them along with Adrianne were asked to leave. Then Amy had a melt down and went home.
Forgot to say – the only part I do like about the show is the snarky li’l sister. Maybe it’s her attitude or her appearance, but I keep thinking she’s the older of the two girls.
ben is creepy. or kind of an idiot. i see him having to be institutionalized to get over amy (when she inevitably realizes that she’s fifteen and doesn’t have to be with him forever) and then becoming a celebrity stalker. the kind that shoots people to impress the celebrity.