Kid Nation: The End is Near
The two most beautiful words in the world: Season Finale! Yes, the long awaited end to our collective misery is next week. We made it. Almost.
But even we have to admit that this week had a moral to the story. Honest. More about that later.
As you may recall, or perhaps you just try to block it like we do, the Council of Bonanza City had appointed Sophia its first sheriff. Sophia's been a fairly consistent, helpful, opinionated, productive citizen. And by and large, well-liked.
So naturally, in keeping with the contrived pattern of this show, as soon as someone is identified for their good qualities, they are forced into a situation where they are shown to be nuts! Sophia, in her first act as sheriff, "roped off" a tiny square of...well...dirt, in the center of town. She announced, from her perch inside the square, that anyone crossing the borders of "her" property, would be charged a fee. The response from the others was pretty much a universal cry: "Sophia's gone off the deep end." They accused her of being power hungry and selfish. This was an odd thing, even for Bonanza City. Sophia seemed to want to prove that people can be manipulated into doing anything. If she still needs proof, she ought to watch herself in reruns.
This odd storyline never got resolved. Once the scene took place, the show went to a commercial break, and when it returned, we were back to Sophia, the wise and benevolent leader. (One more episode, one more episode.)
The Council, upon reading the Journal, decided to take a hike. If only. To their utter amazement (cue amazement soundtrack) they discovered a tribal society, living well, just over the hill, beyond sight of Bonanza City. They were welcomed with customary dance, song and campfires, and hoped to learn about leadership from the tribal chief. The chief offered wise counsel: "Lead by example". Wow. There's a revelation. "The young ones will look up to you. Take care of them. And remember the smart ones. They are the future." The Council members looked genuinely rapt, which leads us to this question: How did they get to this age and not know these basic concepts? But perhaps the producers finally felt that adults should make an appearance, and offer the only sound advice all season.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Sophia, in a contrived parallel to the tribal wisdom, had whipped Bonanza City into shape. She was clear and respectful with the kids - do your chores, quickly and well, and we'll all have fun together in the arcade. She went around town encouraging people, even sharing a hug with Taylor, the resident pageant-queen-brat-dishwasher-chicken-lover-problem child. When the town completed their regular chores, Sophia gathered them in the town square, stood on a balcony and delivered her heartfelt thanks. "I'm so proud of all of you," she said, "Thank you. You've earned your arcade." The town went wild, felt genuinely respected and rewarded for their hard work, and Sophia was once again lauded for her extraordinary leadership abilities.
Sophia herself observed the transformation among the kids this way: "I'm not getting any crap because I'm not giving any crap." She could be the tribal chief!
Taylor, of course, had the line that only Taylor could have - her own special brand of compliment: "Sophia is doing such a good job I hope that Greg is eaten by coyotes." (One more episode, one more episode.)
The Council was meanwhile ruminating on the way in which gold stars are rewarded, remembering the words of the Chief, and decided this week to honor and acknowledge intelligence over brute strength. So they turned their focus to thoughts of Alex and Jared, the two kids who seem to embody that geeky kind of "smarts" that gets noticed.
Cut to Alex and Jared, discussing the carbon dating process by which they might determine the age of a cow skeleton conveniently found near Bonanza City. And the subsequent conversation about molecular structure and the ability to convey humans without formal modes of transportation, through the atmosphere, by developing bio-transporters and other related inventions. Beam me up, Scotty.
The Council was conspicuously and thankfully absent from the Showdown, where districts had to un-build, then re-build, a small wooden house, and move it in the process from one location to another. A task that, without the strongest boys in Bonanza, the Council, would prove challenging. They all completed the task, thus garnering the coveted big reward. This time the choice was between a carved monument to the first (and hopefully last) Kid Nation, commemorating their forty days in Bonanza City, or hot air balloon rides for all. Sophia, charged with making the decision herself, wisely chose the balloon rides and off they went. While airborne, the Council returned, and found the town had...well...risen above them. OK, we couldn't resist.
But actually, that was the moral of the story. The kids did far better without the Council, at least this particular Council. And respect begets respect. Bonanza City ran smoothly this week for the first time. There were no hysterics over chores, because no one was being bossed into doing things. No one was belittled and bewildered. They just did what they had to do and got appropriately rewarded for their efforts. And we extend our sincere congratulations to Sophia, often a kind of moral compass in Bonanza City, who pulled the town together and demonstrated what was possible when you treat people the way you'd like to be treated yourself.
It's too bad that it took the series almost being over for one of the kids to rise to that level of leadership and clarity, but it certainly got the attention of the pioneers. They might have even learned the most valuable lesson yet on this show.
Back to the Council and their award deliberations. Greg, quickly forgetting what he learned from the Chief and reverting to his disrespectful nature, laughed at Zack when he came to plead his case about why he deserved the gold star himself. This caused Zack great anxiety and tears of frustration. And it was in sharp contrast to the environment of mutual respect Sophia had spent time creating, demonstrating once again that a lack of respect creates pain and heartache. DK called Greg on his behavior and it was clear that the Council was back - and the party was over.
The gold star was awarded to Alex, the oddly-toothed but adorable little boy, who described feeling "bubbly inside" about his good fortune. He called his parents; his mother didn't recognize his voice, but he got past that. We didn't, but he did.
So here we are, one week from the finale...did we mention one more episode...?!...and we wonder what all of this is about. Perhaps the best way to describe how we feel is to borrow the words of this week's gold star pioneer, Alex. He was describing to the kids that while he was overjoyed about the star, he realized that its intrinsic value was relative to fluctuating market conditions, and that the investment in his future, while valuable on some level, nonetheless would prove a drop in the bucket of a long term investment strategy. He concluded that his win was something of a paradox. And as the pioneers squirmed, not knowing what the heck he was talking about, we felt he summed up the whole shebang:
"A paradox is something that is, and not is."
One more episode, one more episode.
(c) Scott Rothstein. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: Kid Nation, TV, Safety4Kids
But even we have to admit that this week had a moral to the story. Honest. More about that later.
As you may recall, or perhaps you just try to block it like we do, the Council of Bonanza City had appointed Sophia its first sheriff. Sophia's been a fairly consistent, helpful, opinionated, productive citizen. And by and large, well-liked.
This odd storyline never got resolved. Once the scene took place, the show went to a commercial break, and when it returned, we were back to Sophia, the wise and benevolent leader. (One more episode, one more episode.)
The Council, upon reading the Journal, decided to take a hike. If only. To their utter amazement (cue amazement soundtrack) they discovered a tribal society, living well, just over the hill, beyond sight of Bonanza City. They were welcomed with customary dance, song and campfires, and hoped to learn about leadership from the tribal chief. The chief offered wise counsel: "Lead by example". Wow. There's a revelation. "The young ones will look up to you. Take care of them. And remember the smart ones. They are the future." The Council members looked genuinely rapt, which leads us to this question: How did they get to this age and not know these basic concepts? But perhaps the producers finally felt that adults should make an appearance, and offer the only sound advice all season.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Sophia, in a contrived parallel to the tribal wisdom, had whipped Bonanza City into shape. She was clear and respectful with the kids - do your chores, quickly and well, and we'll all have fun together in the arcade. She went around town encouraging people, even sharing a hug with Taylor, the resident pageant-queen-brat-dishwasher-chicken-lover-problem child. When the town completed their regular chores, Sophia gathered them in the town square, stood on a balcony and delivered her heartfelt thanks. "I'm so proud of all of you," she said, "Thank you. You've earned your arcade." The town went wild, felt genuinely respected and rewarded for their hard work, and Sophia was once again lauded for her extraordinary leadership abilities.
Sophia herself observed the transformation among the kids this way: "I'm not getting any crap because I'm not giving any crap." She could be the tribal chief!
Taylor, of course, had the line that only Taylor could have - her own special brand of compliment: "Sophia is doing such a good job I hope that Greg is eaten by coyotes." (One more episode, one more episode.)
The Council was meanwhile ruminating on the way in which gold stars are rewarded, remembering the words of the Chief, and decided this week to honor and acknowledge intelligence over brute strength. So they turned their focus to thoughts of Alex and Jared, the two kids who seem to embody that geeky kind of "smarts" that gets noticed.
Cut to Alex and Jared, discussing the carbon dating process by which they might determine the age of a cow skeleton conveniently found near Bonanza City. And the subsequent conversation about molecular structure and the ability to convey humans without formal modes of transportation, through the atmosphere, by developing bio-transporters and other related inventions. Beam me up, Scotty.
The Council was conspicuously and thankfully absent from the Showdown, where districts had to un-build, then re-build, a small wooden house, and move it in the process from one location to another. A task that, without the strongest boys in Bonanza, the Council, would prove challenging. They all completed the task, thus garnering the coveted big reward. This time the choice was between a carved monument to the first (and hopefully last) Kid Nation, commemorating their forty days in Bonanza City, or hot air balloon rides for all. Sophia, charged with making the decision herself, wisely chose the balloon rides and off they went. While airborne, the Council returned, and found the town had...well...risen above them. OK, we couldn't resist.
But actually, that was the moral of the story. The kids did far better without the Council, at least this particular Council. And respect begets respect. Bonanza City ran smoothly this week for the first time. There were no hysterics over chores, because no one was being bossed into doing things. No one was belittled and bewildered. They just did what they had to do and got appropriately rewarded for their efforts. And we extend our sincere congratulations to Sophia, often a kind of moral compass in Bonanza City, who pulled the town together and demonstrated what was possible when you treat people the way you'd like to be treated yourself.
It's too bad that it took the series almost being over for one of the kids to rise to that level of leadership and clarity, but it certainly got the attention of the pioneers. They might have even learned the most valuable lesson yet on this show.
Back to the Council and their award deliberations. Greg, quickly forgetting what he learned from the Chief and reverting to his disrespectful nature, laughed at Zack when he came to plead his case about why he deserved the gold star himself. This caused Zack great anxiety and tears of frustration. And it was in sharp contrast to the environment of mutual respect Sophia had spent time creating, demonstrating once again that a lack of respect creates pain and heartache. DK called Greg on his behavior and it was clear that the Council was back - and the party was over.
The gold star was awarded to Alex, the oddly-toothed but adorable little boy, who described feeling "bubbly inside" about his good fortune. He called his parents; his mother didn't recognize his voice, but he got past that. We didn't, but he did.
So here we are, one week from the finale...did we mention one more episode...?!...and we wonder what all of this is about. Perhaps the best way to describe how we feel is to borrow the words of this week's gold star pioneer, Alex. He was describing to the kids that while he was overjoyed about the star, he realized that its intrinsic value was relative to fluctuating market conditions, and that the investment in his future, while valuable on some level, nonetheless would prove a drop in the bucket of a long term investment strategy. He concluded that his win was something of a paradox. And as the pioneers squirmed, not knowing what the heck he was talking about, we felt he summed up the whole shebang:
"A paradox is something that is, and not is."
One more episode, one more episode.
(c) Scott Rothstein. Image from BigStockPhoto.com
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: Kid Nation, TV, Safety4Kids
4 Comments:
sounds like you don't like this show. one question. why watch it?
What happened to, oh, I don't know, actually discussing medical-based shows? You know - House, Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, Nip/Tuck, ER? Three out of the last five shows you commented on were Kid Nation, which never claimed to be a medical show. I understand you're concerned about the children and their environment, but maybe another blog would be better for it?
This one is being taken off of my subscriptions...
this show is really not about very much. at least, if you read all the previous posts, the kids' health and well being are discussed. it's hard to find anything substantive to say about a show that has so little substance. at least it's amusing to read!
Jennifer:
You ask a good question. There will be posts on Nip/Tuck and the others. Unfortunately the writers' strike has effectively put these shows on hiatus or forced them into reruns of shows we've already covered, but we are working on catching up on the ones that were new that we missed.
We're all crossing our fingers that the writers are able to resolve their differences so we can once again write about a variety of shows here.
Kid Nation, though not specifically about medical issues, does concern issues that we are concerned about here on WebMD (as are our members) -- kids' safety and welfare. I appreciate the time and effort (and humor!) that Safety4Kids has put into watching and offering their perspective on it.
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