Television – My Own Twisted Reality
Now some of you may not think Desperate is a really inappropriate show – others will be shocked (Hi Mum!). However, if you grew up as I did – a 70’s and 80’s child; in the bush with no “real” TV (read colour and offering something other than ABC) until I was about 13 years old; with a mother who is brilliant and literate and fairly high-brow in her entertainment tastes (with the vivid and unexplainable exception of The Bill) – then you will see how the naughtiness and vulgarity that is DH would be an aberration.
But back to DH. God I love it… and I adore Susan over all others – she is an extremely anorexic (and very glamorous) version of me. All elbows and good intentions and disaster. And I love, love, love the fab one-liners. And the insane storylines. (“For heaven’s sake, who in their right mind would do THAT?” Mum asked one day, as she endures DH on a sleepover. “Has anyone seen any NEWS around here lately?”)
The poor thing rolls her eyes when I implore during an after-dinner phone chat: “Can you call me back later Mum – Desperate is on” (have you ever watched The Bill?), and my father and husband follow suit and bag my choice of TV when she is around. But I am here to tell you a Fact: when they are in my house, and DH is on the tube, they are GLUED. Dad (my burly, alpha-male, old school Bloke of a Dad) has been even known to enquire off-handedly: “When are those Desperado Women on?” Ha!
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One of my other faves is McLeod’s Daughters. At first glance, to the uninitiated, this would seem like the totally appropriate show for a girl who has returned (voluntarily) from the City to the Bush. It’s about girls, and the Australian country and animals and fashion…
MD has lots of glam womenfolk and lots of horseflesh, 
some appealing man-flesh (Alex (above) with no shirt is a real feature of this show!), 
romantical storylines, gorgeous houses and fab scenery… it has it all.
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But any self-respecting Bushie will tell you the show is the biggest load of garbage – the storylines just don’t hold water. (Does anyone see a common theme in my chosen shows?). They ask in consternation: But surely you can’t watch that – it’s outlandish. It’s ridiculous. It’s NOT REAL! (Damned straight, I think, that’s why I love it! But I am not quite game to say it out loud)
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So I must try and hide my fascination with McLeod’s wayward but sartorially splendid Daughters – in their ludicrous mustering outfits, their fully made-up faces as they shear sheep, their insane decisions to ride a horse to the nearest neighbour rather than take a vehicle (how on earth can they ride off with tresses flowing, into the sunset to impress the neighbouring hunk otherwise?). I love it that at least half of them clearly cannot ride a horse (a noticeable lack of shots with both face and legs of the actresses). This is half the fun – it’s a comedy as well as an “Australian Drama”. Double the value, I say…
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And while I am on a roll, did anyone ever hear of Last Man Standing? It was a wonderful, witty Aussie drama/comedy set in Melbourne starring one (or two) of the cute dudes from McLeod’s:
Yummy!
(Not as yummy as you SSB, if you are by some bizarre chance actually reading this!)
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It was sort of like an Aussie Sex in the City with blokes in the main roles. Of course, I and about three others were the only souls who found it before Channel 7 (or was it 10?) buried it so late at night that only shift workers could watch it!
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There is one other disturbing link between my Completely Inappropriate TV Shows. They are all either cancelled or in their last season.
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I’m not quite game to say that my other CITVS is Grey’s Anatomy. Shhhhh. Don’t tell ABC.
And don’t tell my Mum.
2 Comments
debby
Grey’s Anatomy is Cara’s favorite show. The other night there was a kid with a pencil sticking out of his eyeball. BB, that was just a little too much realism for me. Gak!
What to do? Twisted reality vs. too much reality…gah! I’ll go read a book.
jeanie
ha ha – so you caught it? You failed to mention the truly sad fact about McLeod’s Daughters for the non-Australians playing along – how many actual Daughters of McLeod still ride the range in the show?