Samantha Who? Or maybe “Samantha, Why?” is a better question
There’s a moment, early on in the first series of Samantha Who?, where someone says to Samantha that “Amnesia doesn’t exist – it’s just a lazy plot device.” And after watching quite a few episodes, boy, was that a self-fulfilling prophecy!
For those of you not in the loop, Christina Applegate plays the lead character, Samantha, a super-bitch who loses her memory and her identity in a hit and run. So each episode seems to revolve around Samantha finding out a little bit more about her former self. It’s all rather like that Harrison Ford movie where he loses his memory, realises he was a complete arse and that’s why he got shot at in the first place and…er…that’s it.
Now, before you all shout at me for slating Samantha Who, please bear the following two pieces of information in mind.
- I’m a big fan of Christina Applegate from Married With Children to Friends to the chick-flick The Sweetest Thing.
- I’ve taken the time to watch a number of episodes just to give this a fair crack of the whip.
My biggest problems with the show are
- The uncomfortable chemistry between the characters makes it hard to enjoy the show. Some character ideas are well-conceived but poorly implemented. For example, Samantha’s friend Andrea is like the cartoon devil whispering into her ear, while old friend Dena’s warmth plays toward Sam’s post-amnesia personality.
- I look forward to those brief interchanges between Sam and the doorman to her building, Frank. Which is quite sad, because they amount to about 5% of any given episode.
- How far can a show about amnesia go? Seriously – will Samantha remember everything and revert to being a bitch, or will she remain the newly-nice girl? Just how many scrapes can she get into with people from her past before the story gets tired?
- Oh, and I don’t like those Frasier-style titles between scenes. More often than not, you can guess what’s about to happen by guessing what’ll be crossed out and replaced at the end of the scene.
In the interest of balanced opinion, I ‘interviewed’ my couch partner Lisa who’s been watching the show with me. She likes the show. Here are her comments:
- “I like the contrast between her being a quirky character now, but knowing she was a complete bitch in the past.”
- “It’s a very funny show.”
- “I like her fat friend (yes, she said fat friend), who’s a nice girl, but seems like a bit of a stalker at the same time.”
So there you go, inconclusive opinions on this show (which has won awards and is admittedly rather popular). Is it a strictly chicks-only show, or should I keep watching it, waiting for it to get better?
Over to you for opinions…
- Gerard McGarry's blog
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