Image Credit: Randy Holmes/ABC FamilyThe Secret Life of the American Teenager wrapped up its season last night with a shocker: Sex-loving-and-proud-of-it Adrian strongly suspected she was pregnant with Ben’s child after the two hooked up once in an effort to get back at their exes, Ricky and Amy (who, incidentally, have a baby from their own one-time stand, which is the basic premise of the series). Not only that, but Adrian repeatedly, eloquently, and unapologetically expressed her intention to have an abortion if it turns out she is (the cliffhanger left that open to question). “I am taking responsibility here,” she said when chastised for not doing so. “I’m not having a baby and ruining my life like Amy.” As Ben’s Christian friend Jack said upon hearing the news, “Holy Schneikes.” It was a gutsy move, to say the least — for the show as well as Adrian.
Secret Life has never topped my list of well-written television shows — the dialogue can be clunky (see above) and silly and preachy, and inexplicably, riddled with detailed accounts of legal requirements (for child custody, for weddings, for driving on a permit). But what it lacks in finesse it makes up for in no-nonsense talk about sex aimed straight at teenagers, its clear target audience. There’s no sense in shielding kids — who are clearly having as much sex as ever — from this stuff. And TV dramas can be a great place to give them information — studies have proven it.
To be clear: That’s not a call for more teen abortions on television shows. But the sensitive portrayal of girls struggling with every agonizing decision that a real-life pregnancy entails — even this controversial option — shows the heartbreak involved instead of shrouding it in mystery, which could have the opposite effect, making termination seem like an “easy” way out. Here, Secret Life is taking a cue from MTV’s riveting, wrenching reality show 16 and Pregnant, which does the exact opposite of glamorizing teen pregnancy by showing every harrowing bit of what being with child really involves (sketchy boyfriends, irritated parents, labor pains, late nights, and all).
While teen TV shows have occasionally mentioned the A word, often the character in question will decide to keep the baby and/or suffer a conveniently plotted miscarriage that’s forgotten by the next week. The late, great Everwood featured a guest character who got an abortion, and Degrassi: The Next Generation went there with a major character — though its network, The N, declined to air that episode of the Canadian show at the time (it later included it in rerun cycles). This is a daring move for Secret Life. The show might still exist in a bit of a fantasy world where boys are thrilled to date girls who just got knocked up by someone else, but Adrian’s pregnancy bombshell shows it’s got grit and guts beyond what it’s shown us so far.
The cliffhanger ending, which showed Ben looking forlornly out an upstairs bedroom window at his father’s wedding reception in the yard below as Adrian took a pregnancy test, also happens to be the first time this show has choked me up. I don’t think that’s a coincidence — it reflects the enormity of such a decision, and the power of effective drama.
What do you think, PopWatchers? Did you watch the finale? What did you think of Adrian’s dilemma?
if I was pregnant at 16…I wouldn’t get a show, I would get a woopin’
…just saying…
Please give credit where credit is due and mention Friday Night Lights. They have an abortion plot this season (I wont say who as it has yet to air on NBC) but that show portrayed it real, honest, full of options, and showed the outcome for all it effected after the characters decision, on whether or not to keep the, baby was made. I applaud shows for tackling this subject, because much like the real choice, it isn’t easy.
Agreed. And it was brutal and heartwrenching and beautifully portrayed and acted. I have said this many times, but FNL is one of the greatest shows on tv, and it has proven many times that it is not scared of looking at big issues.
SPOILER ALERT for Friday Night Lights fans without DirecTV, but I thought they handled Becky’s storyline marvelously this season.
i mean it will probably end up that she’s not pregnant or that she doesn’t actually get an abortion
General Hospital featured a teen character on the show, Lulu, a few years ago who got an abortion. It was very moving, but not manipulative at all.
I’ve never seen “Secret Life”, except for clips (almost weekly) that make it onto “The Soup.” I’m not THAT removed from being a teen (still in my twenties), but my jaw drops open every time I see a scene from it. THAT is on ABC Family?!?!
Yeah, the name is totally misleading. A lot of programming on ABC Family isn’t really family-oriented. At least not for family members under the age of 18.
I watch clips from the Soup too, and I watch the show. Though, I highly doubt she is pregnant because then they might as call it “The Not-So-Secret Life of the Pregnant America, PS: High School Sucks.”
Degrassi led the way back in 1989/1990, when one of its main characters had an abortion. That is one of the earliest depictions that I can remember in a teen show. And even then, while the episode aired uncut in Canada, PBS chose to chop off the ending in which the character entered the clinic for the procedure. I was aghast when the N made the similar decision to not air the Degrassi: TNG episode–at least 15 years later! Even the original 90210 never dealt with an abortion (Andrea had her baby, Kelly had a miscarriage). Kudos to Secret Life for tackling such a sensitive issue, and I hope they don’t chicken out with the storyline. Teen shows should be able to deal with this subject honestly and realistically. Many teens do.
“Kudos to Secret Life for tackling such a sensitive issue, and I hope they don’t chicken out with the storyline. Teen shows should be able to deal with this subject honestly and realistically.”
Hear Hear! Avoiding the subject helps no one. We need more realistic, sensitive portrayals of difficult situations such as this. Well done, Secret Life!
It has always entertained that as much as people (often Canadians ourselves) tend to downplay our television industry we have had some amazing shows, not the least of which is Degrassi in all of it’s incarnations. Imagine, a teen show in the late 80′s realistically dealing with teen issues such as depression, drunk driving, addictions, teen pregnancy, abusive relationships, eating disorders, casual drug use, not to mention the story line of a heterosexual teen male contracting HIV from his girlfriend, in the freaking 80′s. They used to show us episodes in Jr. High health class for goodness sakes, and they were worth showing. Degrassi not only was and still is willing to tackle these issues, the american run of the show never aired many of them. Including an incredibly well done story about a school shooting. Wonder why teen pregnancy in the States is the highest in the developed world? You need to actually deal with issues facing teens, not ignore them when they make you uncomfortable.
I can’t STAND Secret Life. It was my guilty pleasure up until this season…when it got too ridiculous for me.
The dialogue is atrocious, the storylines are contrived, and I think the show is offensive to women in terms of the way the male characters treat the female characters.
For example: Ricky treats Adrian horribly. All he wants her for is sex, he cheats on her even though he knows that she loves him…and she goes back to him every time.
I don’t think the show is in any way “good for teens” in terms of helping them understand healthy relationships.
Exactly. I always watched it as a guilty pleasure, but with the dialogue (definitely preachy and full of statistics), acting, and story lines worse then ever I just lost all interest. I’m not rooting for any relationship (especially not Ben and Amy or Jack and Amy’s redhead friend), the parents act more immature then the teenagers (Molly Ringwald looks great this season, though) and it makes the characters on Gossip Girl seem like average teenagers. I actually enjoyed the way they handled Adrian’s decision. In a way it reminded me of the first season.
Actually, except for some of the dialogue, I think it shows exactly what teens go through. Not every teen is in a perfect relationship in HS, and actually I knew ALOT of boys just like Ricky. Even Jack, who seems to pressure every girl he is with for sex! And if teens are watching TV to help them understand healthy relationship, that is wrong. If that were the case my husband would want us to be like porn stars. TV/Movies don’t dictate how we should live our lives, only depict, in some cases, how life is led by others. Parents/Siblings/family members should be the person influincing the lives of our kids.
to be able to understand “good” relationships, it also helps to know what a “bad” and unhealthy relationship looks like. Just my opinion.
I totally agree with this article. I’m happy that more shows are taking on this issues and showing all sides and how difficult any decision you make will be. I think the lesson to be derived from all the shows dealing with teen sex/pregnancy/abortion/adoption is that it is not easy and if you aren’t ready for the consequences you should protect yourself (either through abstinence or protection).
i think it is great that she is pregnant because now she has gotten a taste of reality whereas she had sex continuosly and never thought anything of it
i absoultely LOVED this season of the secret life! i have seen lots of shows where teen pregnancy is depicted (i.e Degrassi) but this show has done the most accurate depiction thus far. although the dialogue between the chracters can get confusing and a bit repetitious it flows; they don’t waste time getting to the valid points. having the issue of abortion appear in the series is also a commendable action. while other shows have touched on the topic i believe that secret life will portray it better. this show has done a great job of keeping it real. girls like sex as much as guys do which is present through adrian, being a christian but still wanting to have sex which is shown through grace. i could go on and on but i think you get my point. i see no reason why this shows ratings won’t increase for season 3 b/c that stare btwn ricky and ashley must definitely be addressed…oh yea and adrians pregnancy. p.s. she definitely is!
Out of all three seasons, this one has driven me crazy, and the key example is that “stare down” between Ricky and Ashley. I’m done watching it because that CANNOT happen and it’s beyond over-the-top. Hooking up with the sister of the girl you impregnated is never good, never sexy, and rarely plausible. Good riddance.
If you look at the British television series Skins one of the major characters has an abortion. It is even discussed for several episodes. It does not glorify abortion but it truthfully depicts a teenage girl having to make that decision (regardless if you think it is right or wrong). If only American television was more honest, maybe numerous teenagers would think before acting.
I love this show (even though they weekly drive me up the WALL with whatever key phrase they focus on for the week!) b/c of the way it conveys sex to teenagers. I work with a group of high school girls, and that’s one thing we’ll talk about. It’s such a great example for exactly WHY you should wait. Who on that show is happy? The only people happy on that show (Ben’s friends Alice & Henry being the exception, although even that was misery at first) are the ones abstaining from sex! Actually, come to think of it, no one on that show is happy. And if Ashley decides to w/ Grant, I will be VERY upset!
I follow this show as a guilty pleasure, but I have to say that this does not show pregnancy at all in a real manner. I think that it glorifies pregnancy. Most girls in high school are labeled as a “slut” or are looked down upon for being pregnant. A lot of their friends do not help them out and most mothers do not have the opportunity to work and have the baby. In some cases, teenage mothers are kicked out of their houses. And…their boyfriends (like Ben) are not ok with the relationship between the father and the mother (if they are not together).
I do commend it for having the message at the end about teenage pregnancy, but it gives a contradicting message when they are saying that all the teens are having sex. Yes, I do understand that teenagers have sex and talk about it, but the rate that everybody knows is ridiculous. Parents, for the most case, are not that involved and do not know everything from their eyes. I do think that the show has gone a little overboard with its drama. I do hope that they do a good job with the next season. It has been good enough to go for two seasons, so hopefully they can continue on for the next season. I hope the writers don’t try to get Grace pregnant as well. People will get board with that storyline.
Lets get to the nitty gritty with this. Your comment is very uneducated. If you had followed the show from the very beginning you would know that as a matter of fact many people did look down on Amy. Her “friends” constantly talked behind her back and still do. The people in the school called her names of all sorts and that was something that she had to deal with, and thats when she found her strength in Ben. Do you remember the girl that came in and interrupted the relationship between Ben and Amy? The young lady that was pregnant? Ben was going to date her and it made Amy jealous. Don’t you remember them telling her story? She had got kicked out of her house and forced to live on the streets. Her boyfriend that got her pregnant was long gone. You remember that? And…sometimes the boyfriends are okay with the whole situation. You have to look to the maturity level of a person before you go to judging them. Ben’s father raised him to be respectful of a woman and honest about his feelings. Thats exactly what Ben has done. He is being honest about his feelings and although he holds resentment against Ricky for having sex with Amy, Ben knows that this was all done before he and Amy even met and in a way dealt very well with the situation when he was in it and is still concerned about lil John and wants to still be with Amy and Lil John now. Thats VERY REAL from a teenage point of few. They have depicted the life of a pregnant/mother teenager. Because they have Ricky who is the un-caring father but comes around. Ben who is the loving boyfriend that wants to stick around but gets pushed away..and now is facing fatherhood. And they have Jack the football jock who thinks any woman would be lucky to have him and all he wants is sex. Either oral or just plain sex. He doesn’t care. All three of those guys exist in the real world and in teenage life.
The message about teenage pregnancy is very real and becoming more real every day. You can go to any given public highschool and see someone pregnant. When I was in highschool there were three girls that I knew of that were pregnant and this was during our senior year. Although I couldn’t phantom the idea of being pregnant, it could have happened to me, because I was having unprotected sex and didn’t feel comfortable going to my parents for any type of advice. If there was a show out there then that could have touched on the issues in which this show has touched on I think I would have been a little more smarter on what I did when I was younger. Lets face it, yes parents should be involved with their children and teaching them the fundamentals of life and sex but if your child won’t come to you because they are afraid or embarrased then who are they to turn to? This show is great when dealing with real issues.
The drama, as you say, is also needed to keep the show going the way that it has. The squabble between George and Anne. . . the problem that Ashley faces with Griffin always being in her business when she is making sound decisions and discussing them with her parents. Lauren and Madison getting to involved with everyones business and making things into what they are not and starting all the gossip, that really happens. Then you have Grace and Jack who are the do-gooders, but not really. To understand this show you have to start from the beginning and be educated about sex and the protrayal of it on the show. Sure they say a lot about sex but thats really all a lot of teenagers think about. They don’t think about college or careers like the Gilmore Girls depicted in their show. The Secret Life is getting real with it and right now this might be the most real and the best show for a teenage girl to watch. It explains how, it shows the struggles of pregnancy and life afterwards and I’m sure its going to show either an abortion or an adoption soon.
I think that Secret Life is one of the few shows that target teens and are open and up front about sex, relationships, and the consequences. It also explores adult relationships and the complications that happen between adults ranging from sex to death to birth to questioning paternity. It also explores the bond between parent and child. I am in my mid-20s and am completely addicted to the show (even with it’s less-than-great dialogue).
Over- the top, unconventional, quirky, bizarre, outrageous… I just call it one of the most amazing and addictive dramas on tv.