Awkward. Jenna’s Super Bittersweet Sixteen.

September 14, 2011 in off-color commentary by Jenna | 8 comments

MTV’s new show Awkward is, as Tamara would say, P.F.M.—pure freaking magic. It’s a show most teenagers can relate to; what with the unrealistic crushes, crazy school counselors, and even crazier parents. On the most recent episode of Awkward, which happened to air thirty minutes later than usual because of an extended episode of the ridiculous Teen Mom, Jenna Hamilton turned sixteen. When the show started I assumed she was a junior or senior in high school, but—clearly—I was  wrong. This must mean MTV has high hopes for the show and will continue to a second and possible third season. *Fingers crossed*

What I love about this show is how different it is. Normally on a TV characters’ sixteenth birthday there’s an outrageous party that costs more than a wedding or a Jake Ryan-type chasing after the birthday girl simply because it’s her special day. Instead, Jenna experiences several acts of embarrassment that are completely beyond her control: the overly cheerful Valerie raps and presents a cake to Jenna in front of everyone in the cafeteria (might I add, the rap was quite good) and the bitchy Sadie throws a milkshake all over Jenna’s chest. Let me just talk about Sadie for a minute. I absolutely cannot stand her character. Yes, I understand that she isn’t necessarily supposed to be liked, but she is one bully that really drives me nuts. Every time she says “You’re welcome” in that annoying tone, I literally just want to punch my TV. But I refrain …

One thing that truly baffled me during the show was why the football game occured during the day. Where I live, football games take place after the sun goes down. Nobody wants to sit in the scorching heat to watch sweaty guys hug each other to the ground except under one condition—if you are being positioned right between Matty McKibben and Jake Rosati. Jenna was at the advantage here, although it must have been extremely awkward, given all of their past drama. Matty offering Jenna a ride home absolutely made my heart melt, until Jenna had to go all “we’re friends, right?” on him. I mean, c’mon. Nobody would want to be just friends with that!

Toward the end of the episode Jenna brings up the movie Sixteen Candles. It would’ve been too cliché if they actually showed the scene of the movie where Jake Ryan is waiting outside the church, so I was glad they didn’t do that. But out of nowhere Jenna made the conclusion that “hot guys will like you if you like yourself.” Honey, if that were true, there would be a lot more girls with boyfriends seeing how half of the girls out there are self-centered. Anyway, that’s beyond my point. Matty showing up outside Jenna’s bedroom door was the icing on the cake (pun intended) of the episode. FINALLY, the moment we have all (or maybe the moment I’ve) been waiting for: Matty admitting that he wants to be more than just friends with Jenna. It was a perfect end to a lame birthday. I mean, who wouldn’t mind spending their birthday tongue wrestling Matty McKibben?

Related posts:?

  1. Awkward. I told him to take care, and you do not come back from that!
  2. Awkward. (No Diggity) No Doubt.
  3. Awkward. Tonight, I am breaking ALL the rules. And my hymen.
  4. Awkward. At least tomorrow I’ll be sober. For awhile.
  5. Awkward. I will buy you a cat.

Tags: ,

  • http://twitter.com/randiyokota Randi Yokota

    I really love this show. And I love how they somewhat paralleled Sixteen Candles (which V-dogg had given to her) by having Matty show up and say he wanted to be more. That was truly awesome. I was trying to place where Matty was from and he was on Desperate Housewives for awhile as Drea DeMatteo’s son. However, he’s much better (and hotter) as Matty McKibben. Sigh!

    I really hope that MTV keeps this show going because it’s truly amazing. It makes me wish I was a teenager again…but not really because man, was that time awful yet wonderful all at the same time.

  • http://twitter.com/phouse1964 Patty Housel

    How awesome was this episode?  Totally awesome!

    I don’t think that Sadie is supposed to be liked.  I think she is a mean ass bully and the only reason she has friends at all is because she is a RICH mean ass bully.  

    If Jenna is now sixteen does’t that make her a sophomore? So maybe that was a JV game?  Back in the (long ago) days of my HS experience, the JV played at like 4pm and yes, we had to sit in the hot ass Texas heat and “cheer”.  Whatever, I looked at boys.

    I love the development of both Jenna and Matty. I really believe (in my old ass jaded way) that really good people like/love really good people.  But a) as a chick you have to love yourself first because nobody wants to listen to you talk about how much you hate yourself, and 2) eventually (hopefully) guys grow balls and date people they like and not who all their friends want to date.  Because that’s just gross.  Sure you want your friends to like who you are dating but please.  I don’t want my friends hitting on MY man (BB Rachel shout out!) and I don’t particularly want his friends dreaming about me naked doing anything at all.  

    I too hope MTV keeps this one going. They probably won’t and will add some new Jackass Teen Mom show. 

  • Nicole

    Guys, good news! They announced back in August that the show was renewed for a second season. As Sadie would say, you’re welcome. 

    Um, this episode was so ridiculously good.  I mean, the Sixteen Candles references alone would have been enough to cause happiness, but everything was great.  Especially Matty McKibben…sigh.  Jesus Christ, I would have filled entire diaries about him in high school. 

    I loved the addition of the cover of ‘If You Leave’ at the end (although it was inferior to the original) – I wonder how many high schoolers are downloading it thinking that they’ve discovered this awesome new song.  Ew, depressing thought…

    Anyway, I heart this show so much.  And I’ve said it before, but I love the Sadie character.  Obviously, I don’t CONDONE her character, but I enjoy her.  She was a little one-note in this episode in order to make Jenna’s birthday truly horrible, but she still cracked me up. 

    What I absolutely CANNOT condone is the idea that we’re supposed to believe that style and trend obsessed Tamara would be attracted to Ricky Schwartz, owner of possibly the worst hairstyle on any television show in recent memory.  It is truly fuggtastic.   

  • Lemonade

    Like the rest of you, I frickin’ LOVE this show!  Even after seeing it a
    bunch of times in the commercials, Valerie’s Long Duck impression still
    gets to me.  “What’s-a-happening hot stuff?!” :D  Brilliant.
     

    And I was so glad to see the return of Creeper Kyle, I really loved his
    first episode and I hope we see more of him throughout the series.  (And
    I heard you can actually buy a “Jenna Lives” t-shirt, I’d so wear one)

    Am I the only one that does not completely believe Tamara wrote the letter?  I mean the revelation was a good surprise last week, and her writing it would be a good twist, but I thought she may have just taken credit for it out of anger.  Or maybe my love for Tamara is just keeping me in denial from thinking she’d do something so mean. 

    I just kind of figured they wouldn’t reveal the writer’s identity so early on, if they were to reveal it at all.  My best guess was that it was somehow sent by Jenna’s future self (hey, it could happen!), with her sending it in the series finale as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy thing, after she realizes how much it has ultimately helped her.       

  • http://twitter.com/hockeybychoice hockeybychoice

    I think I concoct comments in my head after I watch episodes so often that I actually believe that I commented here already. My bad, yo.

    Like my nametwin, I don’t get the sexual attraction Tamara has for Ricky Schwartz AT ALL. Dude is so smarmy and totally does have the worst haircut in the history of everything. AND he plays the clarinet yall. The fucking clarinet. AND the creepy touching of girl’s hair and shit? No. Just, no.

    I love this show so much. Jenna’s new room was actually pretty awesome. But huge! I would have killed to grow up in a room so large. I could have put SO MANY posters of Gavin Rossdale and Rider Strong and Devon Sawa on my walls. Ridick.

    With Jenna’s luck, she should be keeping a change of clothes in her locker at all times. Getting Iced coffee’d and aunt Flo’d in the same day just doesn’t seem fair. 

  • http://twitter.com/onlymystory Melissa Leaman

    So glad you’re covering the show now Jenna!

    Oh my word you guys seriously what the fuck is wrong with Tamara? Ricky Schwartz?! Alaric’s V3 hair isn’t that bad and its a total nazi pedophile do. Like eww times a thousand.

    I am so torn on Tamara writing the letter. I mean, on the one hand, why say it if she didn’t? But at the same time, we’ve had the proof about how terrible an actress Tamara is. We’re really supposed to believe that she’s been pretending this entire time? Also, someone tell me why Jenna wasn’t more pissed at her for writing the letter (true or not)?! Jenna was drugged and drunk and accidentally kissed a guy. Supposedly her bff told her to fall off the face of the planet then pretended to be horrified by the same letter and yet Jenna’s the one being all guilty? That’s such fucking bullshit.

    I will love Matty McKibben forever. Jake’s lovely but those Matty boys own my heart. 

    Sadie should die the way the prince was going to on “Princess Bride”. You’re welcome.

  • Anonymous

    YOU GUYS!  Thanks for not making me be the only grown ass woman obsessed with this show and Matty McKibben!  And thank you, Jenna, for giving us a spot to talk about it!  You did awesome!

    I’m late to the party and I’ll be better next week, but I just wanted to tell you all that I SO MUCH love the hate for Ricky Schwartz’s hair.  He looks like such a fuckin’ buttsniffer!  But something about the look makes me laugh really hard.

    Also, I sometimes giggle to myself when I think of that montage of Sadie (I don’t think it was this episode, maybe one or two back?) giving people bitchy advice and then saying you’re welcome, and then saying something shitty to a latino and then saying, “De nada.” in that same bitchy tone.  Hee!!!!

  • Lemonade

    I loved the “You’re Welcome” montage too, especially the “De nada” part.  But whenever I hear it now, I always think of Jenna saying it as a comeback.  It was such a perfect moment. 

SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline
Better Tag Cloud