I never read article comments, but this guy hit is spot on. Also, I Heart The Situation.

This show is an incredible cultural artifact, and for some reason seems (to me) to be resonating with people in Texas more so than other places. Is this because we have our own, markedly different brand of douche to deal with on a daily basis? Whatever it is: amazing.

This show is a cultural phenomenon. This is the most compelling reality TV in ten years, and I despise reality TV. I turned on the two hour premiere at 11pm with the intention of catching fifteen minutes…and was up till 1am.

Let me first of all say, Troy’s description is accurate—these people are certainly guidos. On the surface, they all seem like one dimensional Jersey trash. Except for three things: 1) they are about 40% self-aware 2) they actually do have quasi-distinct personalities, just like real people 3) when they interact, there are real synergies, man.

I listened to a Bill Simmons podcast before watching where he somewhat unbelievably compared this show to an Altman film (like Nashville), but I now think that description is entirely correct. The character-driven story lines are multi-layered and complex (they would have to be because there really is no plot-driven story line outside of their purported employment at a beachside t-shirt store). For example:

Is it appropriate, or even possible, to bring ‘whorebags’* back to the house in the face of Angelina’s ‘cock-blocking’ or JWoWW’s** seething, resentful hostility? Will Snooki’s Lady Macbeth-level paranoia be her undoing? How many random female groups of three will be brought back by Pauly D*** to the omnipresent hot tub/outdoor bed before Hazmat teams have to come in and decontaminate the area? Is it really a good strategy for Mike aka ‘the Situation’ to start flicking off the girl he likes (she’s at best a ‘6’) because she does not take an immediate romantic interest in him? Does ‘the Situation’ refer to him or the situations he’s creating? (He seems to imply both, and the audience is left to infer)

Anyway, this week I received a facebook invitation to a Jersey Shore theme party—this party is taking place in Texas mind you—so the genie is already out of the bottle. The ants will soon be here. As Angelina ‘Jolie’ (a self-applied moniker if there ever was one) said at the outset of the program—“if you’re not a guido, you can get the f*** out”.

We are all guidos now.

*the random whorebags are, by comparisson, classically beautiful, which makes the guidette moral outrage all the more galling to the males—“so who gets to decide which ones are classy” Denny puts it as if arguing before SCOTUS

**not a typo, three total Ws in the nickname

***By far the biggest guido in appearance, but, ironically, the most normal character on the show

— Bentoniani

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Dec
12

I never read article comments, but this guy hit is spot on. Also, I Heart The Situation.

Notes

Recent comments

Dec 12

Notes

Recent comments

Dec
12