Kid Nation: The Verdict
Last night marked the end of the first season of Kid Nation. And what a season it was! If you've been reading our blog, then you know we're not exactly fans. OK, actually, we think it's pretty awful.
But in reflecting on the series, and trying to get a little perspective on these kids and what they've been through, we have come to this conclusion: it's a pretty awful show. But by and large, these are good kids trying to make something work.
This episode began in much the way they all began, with some contrived circumstance in which our fateful "pioneers" would have to rally strength, energy, interest or all of the above. In this instance, Mike, one of the kids who figured prominently in the show, was unable to sleep, reflecting on the good times (?!) and pondering the notion that he might never again see his new friends. But Mike soon discovered that the "job board" was on fire. In his characteristic cut-to-the-chase style, Mike exclaimed, "That's insane." (We often agreed with Mike.)
Mike ran through Bonanza City, waking up all the kids and bringing them to the job board to see for themselves. Pails of water were thrown at the flames, but the job board burned to the ground. And lo and behold, who shows up...Jonathan of course...always the bearer of strange news intoned in a particularly cloying manner. This time was no different; in fact, we felt, a little worse.
Jonathan informed the pioneers that the fire was "no accident." No kidding. He went on to tell the kids that for the rest of their stay, there would be no jobs, no Journal to guide them--just time to do with as they please. So what do you think 37 kids who have been fairly deprived of almost every kind of treat did with this news? They ransacked their own town, carting away massive amounts of candy and dry goods, hoarding everything they could get their hands on, and gorging themselves on sweets.
Kids running the candy store? You bet. In their own words, "We've all decided to go mad!" But perhaps the most telling comment of all came from Taylor's cohort, Leila, who expressed the majority opinion:
"We need to be kids for once!"
There was, thankfully, a group of kids who did not partake of the looting--kids who have already emerged as leaders. Zack, DK, Sophia and a few others were thoroughly disgusted by this utter disregard for property and propriety, and began to clean up the town themselves. The next morning, perhaps seeing the error of their ways, the kids rallied and cleaned up Bonanza City. They seemed to feel ashamed of their behavior and were ready to make amends.
Once the town was in better order, Jonathan showed up to announce that there would be no "showdown" but that the Council had to decide, right then and there, to whom the final $20,000 gold star would go. After brief deliberations, the star was awarded to Zack, deserving, humble, and grateful. He wept and expressed his overwhelming emotion at the prize. We like Zack and were pleased.
It wouldn't be Bonanza City without the requisite side stories that have characterized much of this series. Taylor and her chicken-obsession--this time she brought all her favorite chickens (you remember, the pretty ones?!) to her bunkhouse; the same Taylor-lead group asked Emilie, a sensitive young girl, to leave for the final night so the original core clique of yellow district girls could bond...with their chickens...causing Emilie great distress. Migle, who lately has emerged as a big-sister-calming-influence, settled the screaming girls and everyone went back to their corners.
One of the things we will miss the least about Kid Nation is Jonathan's voice screaming, "Pioneers, Gather Up!" But gather they did, for their final day. Jonathan informed the kids that while the Council had given out their last $20,000 gold star, they now would have the difficult task of awarding three HUGE gold stars, each worth $50,000. The awards would be made at the final town hall meeting.
The final task was laid out for them: they would have to work together, as a town, as a community, as a cohesive group, to complete the last challenge and win the prize--a party! There were three obstacles to overcome, involving cleaning, cooking and erecting picnic tables for the event. They did it, without incident. In the words of the ever-wise Laurel, "It was nice to see this town finally coming together."
Jonathan announced that special guests would be attending the party, known, oddly as "The Bonanza City Bonanza." And in a special, heartfelt moment, all of the parents came running over the hill toward their children. The kids went wild, there were tears and hugs and leaping into waiting arms. (We were trying to catch a good glimpse of Taylor's folks, but there wasn't much singling out.)
The kids gave their folks a tour of the town. The parents got to see highlights such as "the chicken feet from the chickens we chopped up", (Seriously, CBS could get a call from the chicken lobby), experience the living conditions, and yes, use the outhouse. They also got to have some of that tasty food. All in all, it was a successful visit.
The final drama came when Jonathan called everyone to the last Town Hall Meeting, where the $50,000 gold stars would be awarded. The Council conferred and we witnessed their deliberations, as they tried to remember the kids who contributed the most, and in the ways that were not always obvious. We were rooting for Laurel, who in our estimation, was the most consistent contributing pioneer.
Drum roll please. The first $50,000 star was awarded to Sophia, very deserving indeed. She said she was flattered and appreciative and described Kid Nation as, "the best times of my life and the worst times of my life."
The second star went to Morgan, in honor of what Greg described as her ability to bring the town together. In a very sweet moment, Morgan's dad rose to his feet and thanked the Council for honoring his daughter and expressed his great pride.
The final star was awarded to Migle, for being the pioneer who constantly improved and who "contributed kindness" to the town.
A few parents spoke and told the kids that they felt more hopeful about the future as a result of their efforts. No comment.
The final full statement came from Jonathan: "We will miss you. Keep building a better world."
Where do we begin? Perhaps with a few of the lessons that Kid Nation has taught us all:
One last note: All of the final $50,000 winners were female. Three girls chosen by four boys. Perhaps that's the most important way these kids really did make change in the world.
Moral of the story: GIRLS RULE!
(c) CBS. All rights reserved.
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: Kid Nation, season finale, CBS
But in reflecting on the series, and trying to get a little perspective on these kids and what they've been through, we have come to this conclusion: it's a pretty awful show. But by and large, these are good kids trying to make something work.
This episode began in much the way they all began, with some contrived circumstance in which our fateful "pioneers" would have to rally strength, energy, interest or all of the above. In this instance, Mike, one of the kids who figured prominently in the show, was unable to sleep, reflecting on the good times (?!) and pondering the notion that he might never again see his new friends. But Mike soon discovered that the "job board" was on fire. In his characteristic cut-to-the-chase style, Mike exclaimed, "That's insane." (We often agreed with Mike.)
Mike ran through Bonanza City, waking up all the kids and bringing them to the job board to see for themselves. Pails of water were thrown at the flames, but the job board burned to the ground. And lo and behold, who shows up...Jonathan of course...always the bearer of strange news intoned in a particularly cloying manner. This time was no different; in fact, we felt, a little worse.Jonathan informed the pioneers that the fire was "no accident." No kidding. He went on to tell the kids that for the rest of their stay, there would be no jobs, no Journal to guide them--just time to do with as they please. So what do you think 37 kids who have been fairly deprived of almost every kind of treat did with this news? They ransacked their own town, carting away massive amounts of candy and dry goods, hoarding everything they could get their hands on, and gorging themselves on sweets.
Kids running the candy store? You bet. In their own words, "We've all decided to go mad!" But perhaps the most telling comment of all came from Taylor's cohort, Leila, who expressed the majority opinion:
"We need to be kids for once!"
There was, thankfully, a group of kids who did not partake of the looting--kids who have already emerged as leaders. Zack, DK, Sophia and a few others were thoroughly disgusted by this utter disregard for property and propriety, and began to clean up the town themselves. The next morning, perhaps seeing the error of their ways, the kids rallied and cleaned up Bonanza City. They seemed to feel ashamed of their behavior and were ready to make amends.
Once the town was in better order, Jonathan showed up to announce that there would be no "showdown" but that the Council had to decide, right then and there, to whom the final $20,000 gold star would go. After brief deliberations, the star was awarded to Zack, deserving, humble, and grateful. He wept and expressed his overwhelming emotion at the prize. We like Zack and were pleased.
It wouldn't be Bonanza City without the requisite side stories that have characterized much of this series. Taylor and her chicken-obsession--this time she brought all her favorite chickens (you remember, the pretty ones?!) to her bunkhouse; the same Taylor-lead group asked Emilie, a sensitive young girl, to leave for the final night so the original core clique of yellow district girls could bond...with their chickens...causing Emilie great distress. Migle, who lately has emerged as a big-sister-calming-influence, settled the screaming girls and everyone went back to their corners.
One of the things we will miss the least about Kid Nation is Jonathan's voice screaming, "Pioneers, Gather Up!" But gather they did, for their final day. Jonathan informed the kids that while the Council had given out their last $20,000 gold star, they now would have the difficult task of awarding three HUGE gold stars, each worth $50,000. The awards would be made at the final town hall meeting.
The final task was laid out for them: they would have to work together, as a town, as a community, as a cohesive group, to complete the last challenge and win the prize--a party! There were three obstacles to overcome, involving cleaning, cooking and erecting picnic tables for the event. They did it, without incident. In the words of the ever-wise Laurel, "It was nice to see this town finally coming together."
Jonathan announced that special guests would be attending the party, known, oddly as "The Bonanza City Bonanza." And in a special, heartfelt moment, all of the parents came running over the hill toward their children. The kids went wild, there were tears and hugs and leaping into waiting arms. (We were trying to catch a good glimpse of Taylor's folks, but there wasn't much singling out.)
The kids gave their folks a tour of the town. The parents got to see highlights such as "the chicken feet from the chickens we chopped up", (Seriously, CBS could get a call from the chicken lobby), experience the living conditions, and yes, use the outhouse. They also got to have some of that tasty food. All in all, it was a successful visit.
The final drama came when Jonathan called everyone to the last Town Hall Meeting, where the $50,000 gold stars would be awarded. The Council conferred and we witnessed their deliberations, as they tried to remember the kids who contributed the most, and in the ways that were not always obvious. We were rooting for Laurel, who in our estimation, was the most consistent contributing pioneer.
Drum roll please. The first $50,000 star was awarded to Sophia, very deserving indeed. She said she was flattered and appreciative and described Kid Nation as, "the best times of my life and the worst times of my life."
The second star went to Morgan, in honor of what Greg described as her ability to bring the town together. In a very sweet moment, Morgan's dad rose to his feet and thanked the Council for honoring his daughter and expressed his great pride.
The final star was awarded to Migle, for being the pioneer who constantly improved and who "contributed kindness" to the town.
A few parents spoke and told the kids that they felt more hopeful about the future as a result of their efforts. No comment.
The final full statement came from Jonathan: "We will miss you. Keep building a better world."
Where do we begin? Perhaps with a few of the lessons that Kid Nation has taught us all:
- Kids, left to their own devices, will actually behave like kids.
- Not unlike life in camp bunks, kids find ways to get along, weed out the dissenters, acknowledge those who make a positive contribution, and make friends in the process.
- Natural leaders rise to the top; survival of the fittest is alive and well.
- The system of checks and balances is also at work; kids put up with Greg and Taylor only so long, before they were both taken to task and encouraged to change their ways.
One last note: All of the final $50,000 winners were female. Three girls chosen by four boys. Perhaps that's the most important way these kids really did make change in the world.
Moral of the story: GIRLS RULE!
(c) CBS. All rights reserved.
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: Kid Nation, season finale, CBS
2 Comments:
I'd like to start this comment by saying how much I have enjoyed reading these blogs weekly; they have all been insightful and thought-provoking and wise and incredibly funny. Indeed, I often felt that this show didn't deserve to have such wonderful blogs written about it. I will miss reading them.
Given that this was the final episode of the season (and possibly the series), it seems petty to discuss what a terrible show I thought this was; so I will do my best to stick with the positives. It did not come to as a surprise to me, and I doubt I was in the minority, that as soon as the "journal" was tossed and the "jobs" were stopped, the children functioned better than they have the entire season. This is because children are, for the most part, perceptive, capable people with generally good instincts, as long as they aren't put in untenable situations.
The problem all along with this show was that the children were treated as short adults, being asked to do contrived, strange things, things that were so foreign from what they knew. And of course they foundered in that environment. For a show that put children front and center, "Kid Nation" exhibited very little respect for them. And of course it was the show that ultimately came off terribly, not the children.
I'm glad that the final show of the season gave the kids the opportunity to actually be kids, a situation in which they thrived. Now we can all sleep better at night knowing that they're home, far away from the desert of a set that was "Kid Nation."
I totally noticed that all 3 winners were girls and I loved it! Best part of the whole show. Agreed. Girls rule.
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