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Anyone who's ever been a teenager knows that period is one of wild mood swings, sexual confusion, and inexplicable behavior. A trio of TV adolescents has suddenly begun to act in such out-of-character manners.On Party of Five, the once-headstrong Julia (Neve Campbell) has shown illogical loyalty to her abusive boyfriend, Ned (Scott Bairstow). Dawson's Creek has seen Jack (Kerr Smith), the beau of Katie Holmes' Joey, floor his family and friends by announcing he's gay. And Faith (Eliza Dushku), formerly Sarah Michelle Gellar's comrade-in-arms on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has seemingly turned sociopath and cross over to the dark side. Are these abrupt left turns believable depictions of teen turbulence - or just glaringly inconsistent writing?
By far the most disturbing of these developments has been the victimization of PO5's Julia. She's always been the most independent-minded of the Salinger sibs - for instance, delaying college a year to marry grease monkey Griffin (Jeremy London) against her older brothers' wishes. So why would she now allow herself to become Ned's physical and emotional whipping girl?
Domestic violence is certainly an Important Issue in the PO5 tradition. Yet unlike previous arcs devoted to Bailey's alcoholism and Charlie's cancer, this feels like a forced attempt at social significance. And by stretching out this story over several months, with Julia defending Ned in jaw-dropping monologues ("So you get angry and you don't know how to control it- that doesn't make you a bad person"), PO5 runs the risk of delivering a dangerous message to viewers who might not tune in weeks later for Ned's inevitable comeuppance.
Now comes word that the heretofore hetero Julia will flirt with lesbianism in May sweeps. I hope that'll be more convincing than Jack's coming-out party on Creek has been. Unless I missed his lustful glances at Dawson, there wasn't a hint of his homosexuality before his secret was revealed during February sweeps. I'm not asking for an Ellen-esque season-long tease, but why are we now to believe Jack is gay - because he dated a girl named Joey?
This may be less fault of Dawson's writers than of Kerr Smith, a singularly inexpressive actor. Rather than a soul-baring catharsis, his "Dad,I'm gay!" speech came off more like a constipated snit fit. His limited range stands in bold contract to his TV sister's. As Andie, Meredith Monroe has etched a multilayered potrait of a depressed teen desperately trying to paint a happy face on a dysfunctional family.
Ironically, the most credible adolescent about-face has been Faith's on Buffy - the least realistic of these three shows (it is about vampire slayers). Even as she joined Buffy's anti-undead crusade, the seeds of Faith's destruction were being planted by the writers. She seemed a little too turned on by violence; her hotel-room romp with Xander (Nicholas Brendon) redefined the phrase jumping his bones.
With her heavy eye makeup, biker-chick wardrobe, and plentiful tattoos,Faith's always seemed like a bad girl. So when she heartlessly killed a civilian in the heat of battle, then offered up her services to Sunnydale's diabolical mayor, we were shocked - but not necessarily surprised - to find out what a bad girl she really is.I just pray she doesn't become so evil that Buffy has to slay her- after all, you've gotta have Faith.
Reprinted from Entertainment Weeekly - March 12, 1999