Charm School and the Unnecessary Recap

“Charm School” and the Unnecessary Recap by Roxanne McDonald

Production decides to recap what we have seen thus far (in “Charm School’s Wildest Moments” episode)…before the show has finished.

And I add to the redundancy.

From what I recall of my Shakespeare studies, the bard would repeat material, because the audiences were so loud and rambunctious the chances were pretty good they would miss something the first time around.

But as fun to watch as “Charm School” is, it aint Shakespeare…and we are not the ones who need the recap.
I know, I know, it is a strategic decision on the part of the producers—to either stall (I think) and drag out the season or to hype the upcoming finale.

How many times we need to see chicks fighting or hear an expert in etiquette admonish them is in question…though the one redeeming effect of the retrospective (and hence my saving grace concession) is that it includes never-before-seen takes.

Week One, Commandments I and II
We get to hear additional lines from the girls, such as how Becky’s goal is to stay BuckWild but be a better BuckWild, and how Saaphyri will never be homeless again.
We get to see how the mixer foods didn’t appeal to the students, so Mo brought in pizza and chicken instead.
We get to watch the girls get down on the camping trip, but not knowing how to cook over a campfire, bring the camping cookery to a melting point.

Week Two, Commandment III
After revisiting Collette Swan, we get to hear other comments made at the luncheon the girls have to cook for. For instance, Mo asks Becky where the black girl is, and Becky’s response, which includes how black girls have more fun, elicits a dead silence and lots of fearful looks…until Mo laughs, says “I heard that,” and puts them all at ease.
We get to hear early on what we have inferred: Brooke interviews that Leilene does not have a mind of her own, is easy to persuade, and is so stupid.
We get to witness the foreshadowing of Larissa and Shay’s impressions of each other, with each calling the other more spoiled.

Week Three, Commandment IV
We get additional critiques from Mo regarding the fashion show, wherein Darra and her team worked Mo’s nerves, she says, not only using her curtains but using them to make Darra look terrible.

Week Four, Commandment V
We get the recap of the debate with Dr. John Bruske as advisor, but we also get an after-debate look at the drunken debacle that is Larissa mimicking Leilene as a stripper

(reinforcing how this somehow intimidates Larissa as she brings it up a lot) , that is Brooke, drunk, peeing in a bottle on the short bus, and that is the continuation of drinks and fighting (NOT debating) back at the mansion.

Week Five, Commandment VI
We get to re-visit the fragrance-selling challenge and see how there were some issues between Brooke and Leilene, now—besides seeing again how Brooke, Larissa, and Shay argue over who they get to have on their marketing teams—and we get Brooke challenging one of the candidates for not wanting to be on her team when she is the one with the marketing degree…which she repeats several times.

Week Six, Commandment VII
We get to re-visit the painful letting go that Saaphyri and Leilene have to do during the charity clothing challenge. And we get reminded of the lesson, here—to be unselfish. It was a real challenge of character, reminds Mo.
We also get to see that who picture/sabotage deal, again, but this time also hear Shay admit her conscience was killing her.

Week Seven, Commandment VIII
We just get repeats of the New York interviewing the girls, New York being catty and cruel, and Becky, especially, feeling like a failure after thinking she had done so well but had, says the mentor, sung like a canary, had taken the bait.
We also get some additional insight into Saaphyri, who besides talking Becky out of leaving prematurely is seen as being pretty damned sharp. When Shay is heard to say she is like Lil Kim when it comes to disclosing secrets–she went to jail because she refuse to rat, says Shay—this only tells Saaphyri that Shay therefore must know something (about those damned pics).

It is very possible Saaphyri will take this competition.
Week Eight, Commandment IX
And we get to see Brooke in action, appalling all her classmates; get to hear Leilene say how so many thoughts are going through her head after so many others have tried to manipulate her voting—thinking she has very few thoughts in her head; and get to hear Mo say how Brooke’s true colors shined through.

I see the possibilities so much more clearly, now! LOL. Not. I still see Saaphyri as a potential winner, as one having done the most growing. Though I still put my vote on my favorite, BeckWild!

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