"Last Dance"



A review by Jenni:
I should preface this by saying I find this episode entirely unrelatable.  I went to an all-girls school so I had no "Greg," my parents weren't very conservative so that's out, and I never had a crush on a teacher so...  Not much for me here.  Except Andrew.  :-)

What I love about this episode:
Even though I don't personally relate, this episode does make me a lil nostalgic.  Mostly Katie does.  She reminds me of some of my classmates who did have crushes on teachers and how goofy they were.  As for me... I already had Andrew pics up in my locker.  I do kinda get a kick outta Katie thinking Rafael's only a lil bit older.  She has no idea!

I think it's fun to watch Monica teasing Rafael about Katie.  In a way.  Cause it's a light-hearted, fun moment between angels which is nice.  But I woulda been more comfortable with it occurring in a private place.  Imagine if a student heard that.

I *love* what Andrew says about high school definitely NOT being the best years of one's life.  Cause if those were my best years...  Yikes. 

I like that this episode kinda makes the case for not being super strict as a parent.  Cause I do think that can lead to rebellion.  In school people always assumed my parents were way strict cause I was well-behaved.  But really they weren't and I think that's a lot why I was well-behaved.  There was never a power struggle.

I like that this episode stresses the need to respect one's self, demand that respect from others, and show respect to others.  I'm not sure I would automatically link respect to waiting for marriage as the episode kinda does.  But as a whole, I agree.

"Get over it!"  Sometimes Tess' tough love hits me the wrong way but when she says that to the mothers it's awesome and I want to clap for her.  Cause through out this episode I found myself thinking how selfish and even egocentric those two women were.  Their actions were negatively impacting their children in a big way.  Cracking down on your daughter cause you slept around is demeaning.  She's not you!  Separating your son from his girlfriend cause you have a problem with the mother: selfish.  I think those two ladies needed to take the time to get themselves help instead of just pushing their issues onto their kids.  So, yeah, get over it!  I also like that Tess pointed out that if Liz had stayed with her high school boyfriend then there would be no Greg.  How she hadn't already considered that herself is beyond me.  So I'm glad Tess pointed it out.

What I didn't love about this episode:
Good freaking gosh.  Why do they repeatedly have the angels hiding in backseats and such watching people make out?!?! 

The stupid musack makes it seem like Andrew the DJ has really bad taste in music.  I'm sure it was just cause they didn't wanna pay royalties for a bunch songs but still...  I'm sure Andrew has great taste.  At least "When I See You Smile" is a legitimate song.

I'm irked by a lot of things the angels say in this episode.  Like when Monica tells Tess about God being love and Tess responds "Not to teenagers.  To them love is love."  Gee, thanks for the vote of no confidence.  As a teenager I very much believed that God was there in all love.

It strikes me as a lil naive when Monica says love is "not a secret to be hidden away."  Unfortunately, sometimes that's necessary.  I'm sure there are still a lot of people that fall for people that their families wouldn't approve of and I can see why they'd be secretive.  At least for a while.

 I try to like Rafael.  I really do.  But then there's stuff like this...  Rafael's scene with Katie at the prom drives me up the freaking wall.  First, how dare he tell her she's not really in love with him!  He doesn't know!!!  For one, he's not her.  For another, he's freaking asexual.  Which is fine.  I'm all for that.  I wouldn't want angels to be otherwise.  But that doesn't really scream "So I totally get romantic feelings and when they're real and when they're not."  I mean what sorta way is that to build up someone's self-esteem by basically telling them they don't know what they're saying?  I suppose, too, it's kinda a gender thing for me.  It probly wouldn't bug me quite so much if Monica said it.  But a guy telling a girl she doesn't really know her own feelings just screams throwback to Dr. Freud and female hysteria to me.  Plus, the fact that Liz is still soooo upset about a high school relationship pretty much demonstrates that teenage love affairs shouldn't all be downplayed.  And then he just keeps going...

Next up we have this Rafael gem: "When you're 16 everything seems bigger...  All the small, real moments get lost."  This is like Tess' remark to me.  They're teenagers.  Not insipid idiots.  I definitely took note of some very real moments as a teenager.  Sometimes I seriously think these lines were written by people who were born adults.  They show absolutely no respect for teenagers and just lump them all together.  It's beneath what TBAA is usually about.  Believe me, those of us that felt more serious and more sensitive and spiritual than many of our peers really don't need a show about angels to make us feel more like freaks.

I'm sorry but I burst out laughing when Greg said "This way a part of me will always be touching you" when he gave Jill the necklace.  So corny!!!  But maybe that says more about me than the writing. 

I am totally bothered by Greg getting into his car before verifying that Jill was all the way up to her room.  I get that they were sneaking around but that's just common sense!

It was really insensitive of Liz to blurt out "She could be pregnant!" with Candace and her own son right there worrying about whether Jill would even survive. 

Lingering questions:
I'm left unsure about whether commitment should be encouraged or discouraged with young people.  On one hand, I'm a big fan of monogamy so the idea of telling my child not to spend so much time with one person but to spend time with lotsa potential mates seems odd.  But I guess I do see a point in not wanting your child to make a commitment they'll later regret.  I dunno.  So that's a question I need to settle for myself sometime.

Maybe I'm a prude myself but did anyone else think some of Jill's skirts were really short?  Yet her mom was apparently a prude?

As always, I wanna know do the angels know it for absolutely sure that there is someone out there for their assignment?  Cause Andrew says it to Erin in "The Pact" and Rafael says it to Katie here.  So do they know that or are they, like many humans, saying it in an attempt to be comforting but without any actual knowledge to back it up?

Where are Greg's and Jill's fathers?  I'm all for single moms but I just think it's odd fathers aren't mentioned at all.

Parts that made me feel swoony:
I wanna hug Andrew when he talks about listening to sad songs and then just letting it all our when he needs to cry.  I wanna be there and help him through that...

I am highly amused by the idea that of all the songs from the 70s, our lovely, chaste Andrew chose to play "Hot Stuff."  Ha!  Not that I'm complaining cause he looked so adorable bopping his head to that.  And I love that 70s ensemble!  Swoon!

I wanted to see more of Andrew in his 70s outfit...  I seriously watch this episode just for those brief moments.  I love him.  And if he were real I probly would be in love with him.  And I probly woulda been in love with him at 16.  So Rafael can just mouth off cluelessly as much as he wants.  Andrew is way cooler and nicer and more understanding.

Anyhow...  Andrew's really sweet in the scene after Jill's fall.  Monica says "I tried, Andrew," and then he smiles at her and answers "I know."  See, he's just so affirming and consoling.  Yet, he doesn't always get that back and I hate that.  And I hate that I can't go through the TV and be the person to do that.  Well, to be more accurate, I don't want to go into the TV.  I want him to be outta it.

Random thoughts:
Yeah... I don't think I share Jill's views on romance.  First, I dunno what's particularly romantic about making out in a car.  I thought it was more of a convenience thing.  Second, I've never really got the wedding night in a hotel dream that seems to run rampant.  It's always seemed much more romantic to me to begin one's marriage in the home one intends to spend that marriage (or at least part of it) in.  So unless the hotel had some previous significance, that seems more like a convenience thing to me, too.

I am jealous of TV high schoolers!!!  They always get to listen to the radio over speakers during the school day!  No fair!

Had to laugh at Candace's journal.  Good for her not even bothering to lock it.  Those locks were a joke!  I was crushed when I found out the same key could unlock em all!


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