My So-Called Life: "So-Called Angels"

Premiered December 22, 1994.

"What is this big thing about Christmas? Everyone talks about it like it's the Second Coming, or something." -Brian Krakow

(Regular readers may recall that last Christmas, we reviewed several Christmas episodes of shows that were cancelled after one season or less.  Life gets in the way of our blogging sometimes, so we're celebrating Christmas In July by finishing up our reviews of short-lived series that produced Christmas episodes)

It's Christmastime in snowy Three Rivers, PA.  The Chase family is talking about their upcoming Christmas celebrations.  Angela (Claire Danes) asks her parents Patty (Bess Armstrong) and Graham (Tom Irwin) why they hardly ever attend church.  

The next day at Liberty High School, Angela is shocked when she notices that her friend Rickie Vasquez (Wilson Cruz) has cuts and bruises on his face.  Rickie says it happened when he slipped on some ice.  When Angela expresses skepticism about Rickie's story, Rayanne (A.J. Langer) says he has a tendency to get beat up, but doesn't like to talk about it.  Meanwhile, the whole school seems filled with holiday spirit. 

Their classmate Sharon Cherski (Devon Odessa) plans to spend Christmas Eve answering phone calls on the teenage help line.  

She's very upset when Brian Krakow (Devon Gummersall) backs out of his commitment to work the help line.  Brian's more agitated than usual and says people always ask for his help because they presume he has nothing better to do.  

While confiding about her holiday stressors to Rayanne, Sharon realizes that Rayanne is a good listener and wheedles her into volunteering in Brian's place.   Rayanne says that she's got nothing better to do seeing as her mom is more interested in her "low-life, sex maniac boyfriend" than her.  She feels her mom won't even notice if she's not around for Christmas. 

We learn that Brian will also be alone over Christmas.  His parents left for a cruise and asked Angela's parents to look in on him.  While Brian initially looked forward to time alone, he's not so sure at this point.     

Rickie stops by Angela's house unexpectedly, fairly late at night.  Angela tells her mother that she doesn't think her friend has anywhere else to go and wants him to stay the night.  

Patty isn't sure about this and points out that they know nothing about Rickie's family or his living arrangements. When Rickie overhears this, he leaves the Chase's home.

Rickie later runs into Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto), who can tell Rickie's been beaten up and shares about similar experiences with his father.  Jordan offers to take Rickie someplace where he can stay - in this case, an abandoned warehouse full of homeless teens.

The next day at school, Angela runs into a mysterious girl (Juliana Hatfield) playing guitar and singing a song.  The girl recognizes Angela and tells her she is looking out for Rickie.  Angela notices that the girl's boots are worn out and full of holes.   

Jordan later tells Angela that he knows where Rickie is staying and offers to take her to him.  The warehouse is unlike anything Angela's ever seen.  It's very dark and full of kids who have no place else to go.  In addition to seeing Rickie, Angela also sees the girl she met.  She leaves her new boots for the girl before leaving the shelter.

Angela asks her mother if Rickie and the guitar girl can join them for Christmas Eve festivities.  Patty quickly vetoes the idea of bringing a stranger into their house.  They have a very heated argument about this and Angela runs away to the warehouse.  

Unbeknownst to Angela, her parents have (somewhat inadvertently) tipped off the police about the warehouse.  When Angela arrives, she encounters a police officer.

Will Angela and Rickie spend Christmas in jail?  Will Rickie find somewhere safe to live, or be homeless for the holidays?  What is the secret of the girl with the guitar?

(The rest of this post contains some 23 year old SPOILERS)

J.A. Morris says:

My So-Called Life is one of my favorite series of all time.  It captured a moment in time and its portrayal of teens felt very accurate and realistic.  However, "So-Called Angels," just like MSCL's Halloween episode, takes the series into the realm of the supernatural.

We learn that the homeless girl who looks out for Rickie is actually his Guardian Angel.  This is hardly "realistic," but I've never had a problem with it.  At this blog, we generally believe that "anything can happen in a Christmas episode," so why not have angels show up in Three Rivers during the holiday season?  

On a more realistic note, it should be noted that "So-Called Angels" deserves kudos for its subject matter.  Rickie is both Latino and gay and he wasn't the sort of character you'd see on many TV series when this episode was produced.  It's not uncommon for Christmas episodes to feature characters volunteering at soup kitchens or performing another charitable act.  But we rarely see scenes of homeless teens squatting in warehouses.  

One of the tropes of MSCL was parallel plots and dialogue and we see those in this episode.  Brian has a much more stable homelife than Rickie, but he is shown to be just as alone in some ways as Rickie.  There's a nice moment where the two boys look at each other and express their friendship without words.  

In addition to Rickie's story, "So-Called Angels" also gives other characters some great scenes.  AJ Langer gives a great performance in the scene where Brian (unknowingly) calls her on the teen help line.  Is Rayanne's behavior acceptable?  No, but it works in the context of this episode, and she does succeed in making Brian feel better.  

Some viewers may not like "So-Called Angels" because it injects spiritual and supernatural elements in to an (otherwise) very realistic setting.  However, it's treatment of homelessness and abuse is very well done and still an issue that this country is facing today.  I think it's a great episode and highly recommend it.  

J.A. Morris' rating:

4 candy canes.

RigbyMel says: 

I was a bit late to the party (so to speak) in terms of My So-Called Life -- I didn't see any of it until the mid-2000s.  As J.A. Morris says, it's a generally excellent series and has one of the best TV portrayals of being a teenager that I've ever seen.   It's also (at this point), kind of an amazing time capsule of the 1990s.  The inclusion of Juliana Hatfield who both acts and sings in this episode contributes to the 90s time capsule vibe.   Hatfield's folky song "Make It Home" is very thematically appropriate for the episode.

This episode's themes of homelessness and child abuse are quite heavy and the writing is ... not subtle about making sure those themes are hammered home.  That being said, they're important issues year round, and making use of an episode set during the "season of charity" to highlight these issues was probably a bold choice for a mid-90s show aimed at a teen/young adult audience. 

It's interesting to note that the writers weave multiple versions of A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life  into the narrative.   We see Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol as well as the 1935 Seymour Hicks version of the Dickens tale as well as It's A Wonderful Life on in the background on TV at the Chase home.

This rings very true to life and also highlights Patty's Scrooge-ish reluctance to let Rickie and the unnamed homeless girl come to Christmas Eve dinner in tandem with her George Bailey-esque run through the snowy streets when she "sees the light".   Additionally, like A Christmas Carol,  "So-Called Angels" is a ghost story!  It's a nice homage that dovetails nicely with the message the episode conveys.

The multi-layered writing with intertwined stories of multiple forms of homelessness at the holidays (Rickie, Brian, Rayanne, the homeless girl/ghost/angel), plus general feelings of confusion about what we think the Christmas season is supposed to be like as opposed to what reality sometimes brings crashing down on us during the season makes for very satisfying television. 

"So-Called Angels" is a great holiday episode, but probably not a great first episode if you're new to the series.   But My So-Called Life is definitely worth your time to watch.

Rigbymel's rating: 

.5


3 and a half candy canes

My So-Called Life: "Halloween"

Premiered October 27, 1994

"When I was little I, like, worshipped Halloween. And truthfully, part of me still does. 'Cause it's your one chance all year to be someone else. I wanna be someone else, but to wear, like, an actual costume to school is too scary." -Angela Chase

Angela looking through a jack o'lantern - or is the jack o'lantern looking through her?

At the beginning of this episode of My So-Called Life, Angela is thinking about how much she loved Halloween as a kid. She also is feeling a bit self-conscious about doing the whole dress up thing at school this year, though. Little sister, Danielle had planned to be Catwoman, but now says she can't because another girl in her class is already dressing up in the same costume. Their mother, Patty suggests her old flapper dress as a possible costume option for both girls. Neither is the least bit interested in their Mom's suggestion.

Patty is having issues with a problem employee and talks to her husband Graham about it. She then remembers that they've been invited to a friend's costume party and laments the fact that she forgot to get costumes for them. Graham suggests Patty wear the flapper dress. Patty rejects this notion too.

Later that day at Liberty High School, we see lots of people getting into the Halloween spirit. We see Angela's classmate, Sharon dressed in a catsuit. Her classmates mock her for wearing a "ratsuit". In English class, the teacher Ms. Lerner (dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi!), asks where Jordan Catalano (the "bad boy" Angela has a crush on) is and if anyone knows him. Ms. Lerner asks Angela to deliver a message to Jordan: If he doesn't show up to the next English class, he will be expelled.

English teacher in Obi Wan Kenobi gear for Halloween - "You want to read new books. You want to study."

Between classes, Angela's friend Rayanne (dressed as a vampire) is shaving her legs in the girl's restroom. She spots Brian (a socially awkward "bookish" boy who lives next to Angela, whom he secretly crushes on) scoping her legs as the restroom door swings shut. Rickie (a boy who normally wears makeup) shows up dressed as "Brian" for Halloween. He's followed by Angela, who is carrying a library book for the English class reading assignment. Rayanne has decided that Angela needs to dress up for Halloween too and has some 1960s era clothes for her. They talk about Nicky Driscoll, a Liberty High student who died at the school on Halloween night in the early 1960s. Rayanne, Rickie and Sharon all tell different urban legend-ish tales the about cause of Nicky's untimely demise. Rayanne shares that her aunt once rode on the back of Nicky's bike when she was in high school, and tells Angela her "costume" consists of clothes that once belonged to the aunt. It also turns out Angela's book had once been checked out by Nicky Driscoll!

Angela in her 1960s costume doing a bit of research on Nicky Driscoll

While walking up the stairs, Angela sees Nicky...or thinks she does(?). Jordan appears in the same spot where Nicky was standing. She tells Jordan he needs to show up at class or he's expelled. He tells he he doesn't care and walks away.

Meanwhile, Angela's parents visit a costume shop, it's Halloween, so there aren't many left to rent. The shop owner suggests Rapunzel for Patty and a Pirate for Graham. They're reluctant, but they don't really have a choice, because they waited until the last minute.

As school is letting out for the day, Rayanne tells Angela that she talked to her friend Tino about Angela's book. Tino has agreed to meet them at school that night to help them stage a seance and contact the soul of Nicky Driscoll! Rayanne thinks this is a perfect Halloween pastime, but Rickie thinks it is a bad idea. Brian overhears them talking about the seance and wonders if he's invited.

Back at the house, Danielle has put on one of Angela's flannel shirts and is imitating her voice and mannerisms. She's found her costume! Later that night, Sharon stops by to pick up a dish, she ends up going Trick Or Treating with Danielle.

Later that evening, Rayanne is drinking alone outside the school while waiting for Tino. Brian shows up and startles her. He is soon followed by Rickie and Angela. Tino never shows, Rayanne determines that they should break into school and write "Nicky Driscoll Was Here" on the gym floor as a Halloween prank. Rickie takes off, he's had enough. Rayanne discovers that Brian knows a "clever chess club" way to get into the school without setting off the alarm.

An assortment of scenes from the episode - Vampire Rayanne, Danielle as Angela, 1960s Angela, Cat/Rat Sharon

Once the three teens get inside the school, they become separated and spookiness ensues ... you'll have to watch the episode to find out what else happens!

RigbyMel says:

I must admit that I was a bit "late to the party" where My So-Called Life is concerned. I never had a chance to see the series until a couple of years ago. Having watched it though, I agree with a lot of what fans of the show raved about - this is a richly textured show with a lot going on and is also one of the more sensitive portrayals of what it is actually like to be a teenager. There is so much going on in the show, that I've found it a bit hard to review as a "stand alone" episode.

That being said, I love the way that Halloween and growing up are dealt with in this episode. Angela wants to participate in Halloween like she did when she was younger, but feels constrained by her teenaged self-consciousness. Sharon goes trick or treating with Angela's kid sister because she (Sharon) wants to feel like a kid one more time. Rickie tries on the role of "good kid" (i.e., Brian), while Brian tries out a "bad boy" persona. Little Danielle both resents and wants to be her big sister/to grow up. There are parallels between Nicky, the bad boy who died young and Jordan, the bad boy in danger of expulsion. It even shows how Halloween can allow older folks (like Angela's parents) an opportunity to let their hair down. There is even a bit of a magical realism "ghost story" element to the plot. The show really captures a lot of different aspect of what makes Halloween fun.

My only reservation about declaring this a "classic" Halloween show is my doubt as to whether it stands alone without people having to watch the entire series. However, it really is a fun episode and a great series that deserves to be watched in its entirety, so maybe my doubts don't matter much.

My rating:
3.5 jack o'lanterns


J.A. Morris says:
I'll admit that I'm a huge fan of this series. I watched the premiere of the Pilot episode back in the Fall of 1994 and I was hooked. I had just graduated from college, I wasn't the same age as the main characters, but Angela, Rickie, Rayanne & Brian reminded me of people I knew. Their dialogue still sounds believable, right down to the frequent use of the word "like" as a conversational space-filler. I counted 25 uses of "like" in this context during 'Halloween' (Brian:"My hobby is photography, so I'm, like, trained to notice stuff."). It stills feels like the most true to life depiction of teenagers in the history of television.

But this episode is a bit of a departure. Angela may or may not see and talk to the "ghost" of Nicky Driscoll. Do the writers want us to believe "Nicky" is real or just a dream? This is odd for a show that's all about "realistic" portrayals of suburban teens. It used to bug me, but now I think of this as a case of "Anything can happen in a Halloween episode".

RigbyMel mentioned the role-reversals of Brian & Ricky, I'll add Rayanne to the mix. She spends most of the series picking on Brian and acting like a devil-may-care party animal. But when Rayanne and Brian are forced to spend time together (some of my favorite scenes of the whole series), she treats him with respect (okay, a modicum of respect) and shares things with him about her life that she normally wouldn't share with anyone. The scene where she coaches Brian through a lie to his mother on the phone is priceless! The acting talents of AJ Langer (Rayanne) and Devon Gummersall (Brian) really shine through in 'Halloween'.

My rating:
4 jack o'lanterns