Awkward finally returned last night for the start of its double-length third season, ‘Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes’ and ‘Responsibility Irresponsible’. To mark the occasion, Jenna and co., along with the world in which they reside, turned a little towards the dramatic – but thankfully didn’t leave the comedy behind in the process.
Both of these episodes were top-notch examples of why we’ve all fallen love Awkward over the past two seasons, blending the dark with the irreverent and the silly with the poignant. We begin after summer, with Jenna having spent the last few months disappearing into her relationship and Tamara returning from Europe with Jake. The girls aren’t as close as they used to be (Ming gets completely sidelined in this two-parter), and Jenna begins to get worried that their friendship might be irreparable.
But there’s nothing like a tragedy to bring them back together – and that comes in the form of Ricky Schwart ’s untimely demise. The second episode follows the various reactions to death from students and teachers, but the spotlight is on Sadie. She hasn’t lost her bad attitude over the summer, but rumor has it that she may have gained a baby. She denies the pregnancy, citing stress and pressure at home for her frequent vomiting in the girls’ bathroom, but I wonder if there’s a bulimia story brewing?
If that doesn’t sound like something Awkward would normally deal with, then it shows how much the series has changed. Season two went to some deep places with Lacy and Jenna but, now with 20-episodes to fill, there’s going to have to be a lot more for viewers to grab hold of. That might be why, instead of a campy love triangle, Jenna now has to deal with a pregnancy scare of her own. She and Matty haven’t been one hundred per cent careful, and now she has to face the consequences.
It’s too bad that, after she confirms that she isn’t carrying an unwanted passenger, Matty doesn’t react in the most ideal way. This storyline did give us some wonderful scenes between Lacy and Jenna, however, with the initial shock giving way to joy that she might become a grandmother. She was demoni ed last season for writing that letter to Jenna, and now it looks as if she’ll get her chance to be a great mom. Even if she did read those wise words about women and contraception from a poster, it was still kind and thoughtful advice to pass on to her daughter.
It seems as if the writers might be trying to backtrack on Jenna’s decision at the end of last season, as there isn’t really anywhere for them to go if she and Matty are happy and in love. I just hope that the Matty/Jenna/Jake thing doesn’t make a return, as I’m really kind of enjoying seeing Tamara and Jake together right now. Her reali ation that, while Ricky taught her that she could love someone, she thinks she might have found the real thing in Jake, was super-sweet. The whole second episode was a really interesting look at how sensationali ed grief has become – which is impressive for a 20-minute comedy on MTV.
What did you think of the episode? Are you glad to see a new (and improved?) Awkward back on our screens? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Awkward Season 3 Review “Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes” & “Responsibly Irresponsible”
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