New Girl: First Thoughts

The TV Month That Was: New Girl

It's Zooey Deschanel, the douche goofball, the love interest, and the not!Coach.

There were quite a number of debuting television shows that I was looking forward to seeing this year than any of the previous years, simply because there were a lot of shaking up taking place—a boob tube icon returning to TV-land, also more reality shows, more sexified dramas, and more movie veterans trying out the small-screen gig for the first time. Excitement!

But, after catching the pilot you end up with only a handful of these that you want to see go the distance. A good three seasons, at the very least. Hey, One Tree Hill lasted nine seasons.

Subtitled: The Series that Refused to Die

One of the few new shows that really made a big impact on its first day was the Zooey Deschanel-led sitcom New Girl on Fox. Yes, from (500) Days of Summer; yes, half of She & Him; yes, Emily Deschanel’s younger sister. What, you didn’t know that last tidbit?

Moving on…

If you want a ha-hee-ha ha, feel good, cringe-fest fix on your sets, New Girl is just for you. Zooey plays the main protagonist Jess Day, a bubbly preschool teacher, who loves to sing to herself and do awkward things in front of guys. The boys from The Big Bang Theory don’t hold a candle to Jess in situations that involve socializing with the opposite sex. Miraculously enough, she was able to keep a model boyfriend for three whole years, although that ended horribly, which was the premise of the entire show, actually. How does one very likable but awkward girl (more awkward than seeing Ellen judge on American Idol) move on from a tragic relationship, especially when she moves in with three single but attractive guys, who also have their own issues with the opposite sex? SHENANIGANS, I tells ya.

SHENANIGANS! Also: Spoiler.

So anyway, not to give away too much about the show (so far, the third episode’s just aired), methinks it’s still kind of riding on the success and momentum of the first episode. This could just be me, but the last two episodes left me a bit underwhelmed by the supposed-to-be funny parts. (A few exceptions would be the driving scene in the second episode and the group chicken dance scene in the third.) Maybe because the first one was just plain hilarious from start to finish. It had the sweet moments, and the flat-out witty ones. 

It may also have something to do with the role-change situation. It’s either Damon Wayans Jr., despite his uber short-lived part as Coach, is as epic a comedy actor as his old man, OR the replacement has not been given the best material to work with. Damn, I can’t even remember him or his character’s name. I mean, a dance-off with an obnoxious kid at a wedding? Come. On. Still not likable at this point, unfortunately.

Still, given the small disappointments, I do think it’s already found itself a growing fanbase, who will forgive them for the little mistakes. Personally, I will still be watching New Girl mainly because of: 1. Zooey Deschanel playing Jess (“It’s Jess!”) is her most lively role YET, 2. Zooey singing is always adorable, and 3. THE DOUCHEBAG JAR.

Probably the funniest thing on the show.

- Soc

As much as Soc and probably quarter of world is falling head over heels over the New Girl, I’m not exactly jumping in the bandwagon just yet. I’m still not feeling the show just yet or maybe I’m one of those boring TV watcher kind – I like my dramas, procedural and my funnies, sitcom-y. Though I give some exceptions to some, I find that I keep going back to the formulaic kind, to keep my mind numb and happy.

When Soc reminded me about this show, I checked it out right away because Zooey Deschanel is in it. I like Zooey. She’s warm and fuzzy like a summer’s day (heh).

Raised expectations towards quirky girls to unreasonable levels.

Ms. Deschanel is going all out with her quirkiness and awkwardness as Jess, which basically means she’s being almost like every other character she plays. (Almost, meaning she’s being quirky and another adjective.) But, I like her all the same. Then we have the 3 guys whose worlds are going to be rocked (I’m assuming) by the new girl – Nick (who is obviously the romantic interest), Schimdt (the only other potentially interesting character), and Winston (who is so not Coach). And lastly, Jess’ best friend Cece, who I’ve decided is my favourite character because she balances the embarrassment moments with her super deadpan expression. Love her.

Cece, save her from too much dorkiness!

So, I liked the first episode of the New Girl in a finger-curling-oh-my-god-somebody-please-hit-her-over-the-head kind of like. Maybe, I’m just not into those shows which centralize on a constant stream of embarrassing moments. I like those situations in small dosages or else I’m going to be rendered incoherent from so much 2^nd hand embarrassment, which this show is proving to be good at starting at episode 2. But, I’m giving this show a very wide berth because after all, it’s just been 3 episodes and I don’t think it’s fallen into a good rhythm yet.

New Girl is the kind of comedy that I probably wouldn’t get into as fast if I wasn’t watching it real time and, I’m not waiting in anticipation for it to warm the cockles of my non-heart. As for now, I’m just waiting for it to let me watch without curling my fingers every other second.

- Tula

Friendly Exes (?)

Ex-boyfriends are probably one of the most fun topics to talk about when I’m not talking about my ex-boyfriends. Rather than the bitterness that I may or may not have on them, it’s because those topics are better left in the past or bludgeoned until it screams for mercy. Er... I mean that they’re just better kept in the past.

Yes, right.

So, ignoring my last statement, let’s talk about having an ex-boyfriend as a current (close) friend which probably any self-respecting girl has tried to achieve at a certain point in time. Because, you know, it’s the logical thing to do if the break up was not vying to be the next screenplay for a Star Cinema movie.

 I mean, what do they talk about? They're sexing it up and you're fishing. What?

(Photo: Vanity Fair)

This idea about having your ex as a good friend is all good and nice, except that it’s usually a bad idea. He became an ex for a reason and that will hang in the air between the two of you (and of your significant others, if any) for the rest of the time that you aren’t married to other people. I don’t know if I’m alone in this, but I think there will always be lingering feelings for exes even if you’ve really moved on and it doesn’t necessarily have to be love; it can be like murderous contempt or something.

(Mind, this does not reflect on me or my relationship with my exes, it’s just to prove a point. Moving on.)

This doesn’t mean that I object to being friends with an ex, but anything beyond civil friendship baffles me and I admire people that can do that. I don’t believe that it can happen but congratulations if you can do that, though I always have a sneaking suspicion that all of it is a defense mechanism of some sort. I’d only believe it when you’re 80 (or mature or senile enough) and have worked your way to turning those lingering feelings into a quiet acknowledgement of something you both shared.

Anyone can admit that there is always an awkward air on seeing someone you valued so much. Going back to what you were before you had a relationship is not as easy as sitcoms/series have you believe. Heck, even How I Met Your Mother brought the topic of Robin being the ex of both Ted and Barney into the spotlight.  And the Robin and Ted thing was like four or five seasons ago. Don’t even get me started on shows like Gossip Girl, Melrose Place or 90210 where they have like a relationship round robin for their whole run.

Seriously, this only happens in TV.

I wouldn’t stop anyone who would want to attempt it, though. Not because I don’t believe in it doesn’t mean that it absolutely cannot happen. I have an open mind. But, if you’re my friend and you come running to me, remember that I would only give you a snort for your efforts. And probably a pack of tissues. All the alcohol would have to be provided for.

-          - Tula

And because we’ve recently found out the obvious instinctive partiality of our dear awesome readers (both ladies AND gents) toward relationship topics (the sudden climb of the number of hits at our site just brings us over the moon and back, though it’d be more awesome if we get an actual comment from you cats, but what the heck, we’re happy), allow us to delve deeper into this foolish subject we can’t help but obsess over.

Next stop: ex-boyfriends. Whoopee.

CLEARLY, I’m excited. Nothing brings me more joy than when discussing the not-so cute, often bitter past. I mean, we might as well have puppies and cotton candy right now. That’s sarcasm, in case you haven’t noticed.

Anyway, yes, the case of the ex. I’ve had my small share of that phenomenon and when I say ex, I do mean mention-his-name-to-my-face-again-and-I’ll-cut-you. Kidding (not).

Soc, I know this is how you feel. - Tula

Let it be known though that I do admire girls who can let things pass and just allow maturity to prevail when dealing with their exes, most especially, if the girl is the hurtee, not the hurter in their once happy relationship as a romantic couple. It takes a bigger person to look at the once bane of her existence straight in the face and smile at it—I mean him. So it really is amazing and what-the-hell, fantastic to sustain the bullsh*t, I mean friendship between an ex, let alone three.

This weirds us out the most. All the Jonas Brothers exes in one photo. 

What do they talk about?

I won’t declare that I don’t buy certain cases. I know several girls who show great pride in having such a special bond between their ex-boyfriends, but I guess it’s really hard to imagine it being not complicated. They say that what makes it work is that they really don’t dwell on their past, instead they build on what came after that. They also say that it really shouldn’t be hard as you once shared a true, strong connection together. It’s just a matter of forgetting (the often sad and/or cruel past), and if push comes to shove, dealing with what cannot be forgotten as simply part of life that is ever-so growing old and tired of all the drama. They also say that I look like Scarlett Johansson.

I’d like to think that in time I’ll have that ex-boyfriend-turned-friend in the future. I should learn how to “unblock” a few people on Facebook first, though. 

- Soc

In which When Harry Met Sally Makes an appearance again

Harry couldn’t have explained it better to Sally and to the rest of the world. According to him, a single, unattached guy and girl can never be just friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Sure, there was a time in between when Harry and Sally looked like they were on their way to keeping things platonic between them.

But we all knew something had to give; in this case, when Sally started realizing her insecurities from her past serious relationship with another guy, Harry, being her shoulder to cry on, was forced into a tricky situation where he was left with little to no choice. Basically, Sally was a wreck one night and so they ended up sleeping together, thus, supposedly ruining the supposedly non-sexual relationship that they once treasured together.

This got in the way.

When I say a single guy and a single girl being friends, I do mean they can hang out just them two, share secrets together, confide with each other, BFF-type of stuff.

Now you might say that my fictional Harry-Sally example is completely irrelevant, but I was in a slightly similar situation when I was in high school. I had a “best friend” who was a guy. We’re friends for four solid years, but I had to admit I had a slight crush on the dude—sometimes… It’s convoluted. So anyway, come senior year I found out that a friend of ours—a girl, just started hating on me and would say not so nice things behind my back. It was a little later when I found out that she and “best friend” were sort of an item and I was apparently in the way of their happy ending, me being the unideal best friend and potential relationship wrecker. Sheesh.

The lack of best friend-y third party pictures in Google Images forced me to use this photo.

Also, Ian Somerhalder. (Rawr.)

So really, when Harry said that “sex” always gets in the way of that type of friendship, he wasn’t only being literal, but actually also meant another member of the opposite “sex,” however applicable.

After that, I have vowed never to have a guy for a best friend, unless he isn’t straight. And c'mon, even if I weren't remotely attracted to him that way at all, looking back it's kind of certain that it wouldn't last. The world will deny us of that peace of mind. To anyone who's currently in the same boat, the mere fact that you or him or some of your friends would not allow it to just sit there and would keep bringing the possibilities up every time, is the world denying you of that--it's always a thought that crosses your mind before you sleep, while you spend time with your other friends instead of him and while you watch some friendship-themed TV show. 

I’m thinking long and hard for an exception, but nothing’s coming. That’s probably because they don’t exist. I have a few guy friends and I can say that it's very far from turning into something else we all might regret, maybe because there's a mutual imaginary boundary that we've subconsciously created for ourselves. Or maybe all don't want to ruin what little we have. We just are and we're fine with it. 

By the way, the dude and the girl are now married to each other and are now raising two lovely kids together. By Harry's standards, we could rekindle the friendship because at least one of us is already with someone else and it would work this time. But honestly, I really just have no time. 

-          - Soc

From the top of my head, I can’t think of a TV show or a movie that can solidly support my argument here. It has always been two friends falling in love or in a one-sided love affair, and I don’t want to know if this is actually a foreshadowing of how much of a failure my part of the debate will be. 

God, even they ended up together. Ugh.

Let’s see me try, shall we?

The way I see it, having a guy best friend — for the most part — is probably the best thing in the universe next to bacon. Sure they wouldn’t be the best shopping companions but, I find that they are more honest about things. You know what I mean, we girls love to go beating around the bush and it usually takes forever to get to a certain point.  I’m not generalizing but from my experience, it has always been that way. Big plus, a guy best friend is way more honest than a boyfriend when you ask for their opinion on how you look.

Bacon > Guy best friend.

(He said that I had elephant legs for arms which earned him a good view of my jiggling “elephant arms” and earned me a good view of his horror-stricken face.)

Anyway, this whole guys and girls cannot be just friends idea has been wholly absurd to me. I don’t know if I am just blind or in denial about it because a lot of my friends have shoved it in my face that you just can’t be just friends, and I’ve also been treated to the whole When Harry Met Sally discourse (I’m looking at you, Soc) and I still don’t get why.

By now, you’ve probably guessed that I have a guy best friend right now (but, I wouldn’t declare that to his face, I’d rather keep it that he was the one who declared that while I looked at him stupefied), which I do and he’s just lovely like a princess, and yes, he’s straight. I think it’s best if I discuss the point Soc raised in her piece. And hope that it doesn’t bite me in the ass because I sincerely believe that two single people can truly be just friends.

The sex part getting in the way  

I agree on the whole opposite sex thing getting in the way because we have been subjected to jealous tirades from our then significant halves about spending too much time with each other (no, we didn’t) and placing each other so high on our priority list (no, bacon and Nutella were higher). After everything has wrecked itself out of proportion, we were convinced that they were just clingy, insecure people who did not deserve our time which we then concluded with buckets of beer. See? Fun!

But let’s get down to the whole gritty sex thing.  True that it has come up in conversations but, the only sex we really cared about was SEx (Sinangag Express for those who don’t know) and their lovely tapsilog. Sex would only get in the way if you let it get in the way, right?

Probably the best sex you'll ever have.

I’m all for the whole sexual tension thing among friends because I’ve tried to fix a lot of my friends together in an attempt to be the matchmaker from heaven and be thanked in a toast when they get married. But, the thing is, the sex gets in the way only when there is sexual tension. I think a lot of people haven’t really thought about there not being sexual tension or the sexual compatibility just doesn’t match so there’s just nothing there but platonic love. And surely, there's this thing that we are just fine with it.

I don’t know if I’d like more convincing about this topic because I’ve already heard long lectures about it but, I’d welcome a nice, healthy debate.

-          - Tula

They Should've Been Together

You know that time when you’re reading a book (or watching a movie/series), you decided that you have a favourite character and that character would be perfect for the lead character. Like you’ve pictured it in your head and hope that by the end of the story that you’d somehow be correct – not necessarily on how it’ll get there but it better have your OTP get together goddammit.

For those who don’t know, OTP means One True Pairing and doesn’t automatically mean the two lead characters that the author deemed perfect for each other but who you deem perfect for each other. Sure, some fans can argue that it’s not canon and we will suffer in knowing that our pair will never ever be together but, I say that’s the thing that makes it more exciting. And I can argue back that what was written will be end of their OTP while I can let my OTP’s million possibilities explode in my brain.

(That, of course, only if I know that my pair would never happen in the story. However, if my pair was the destined pair in the story, whoever says otherwise can just deal with it.

This is fangirling 101. Rationality is thrown out the window.)

For example, my favourite being Draco and Hermione from the Harry Potter books. (Can I hear a whomp whomp from Dramione fans?) The conflict is so classic – the star-crossed lovers - that it’s not hard to pair them together and, it didn’t help that the actors who portrayed them are very, very good-looking. I mean, Tom Felton was totally not the Draco Malfoy I envisioned described in the books, he was supposed to be nasty and snooty-looking not hot and just slightly snooty-looking, and don’t even get me started on Emma Watson.

Dramione brought to you by this lovely fanart from a Google Images search.

Anyway, there’s something so juicy about forbidden love and the fact that JKR confirmed that Draco had the hots for Hermione made my imagination go into overdrive. The angst, the what-ifs, what-could-have-beens are so irresistible, it made my head hurt. Hermione needed something to drive her away from her too strong of a loyalty to Harry and Draco needed salvation – it’s a perfect setting. But then, when you think about it, if JKR went that way, it would’ve stolen a bit of Harry’s spotlight and would probably need another book for a side story.

They were the biggest what-if, admit it.

Or how about Harry and Hermione? The-love-that-shan’t-be-explored? To be honest, this felt like it had more potential than going the way of the One Big Happy Weasley Family. If I were being brutally honest, I'd think that Ginny ended up with Harry just because she looked like Lily Potter. I mean, what was that? Turning suddenly into a super heroine by the time the series was nearing it's end. 

Sigh.

How she could resist those abs is something I wouldn't understand.

And, Twilight? (Yes, I’m talking about it because I have this sort of morbid fascination about it.)  All you readers out there secretly know that Jacob is way better for Bella. I mean, Edward? Come on, he’s just sparkly.

As for television, show writers have this way of making awesome second lead characters and leaving viewers like me clutching at my pillow and heartbroken.

Three words: Damon and Elena. This is one pairing that is so close to happening but I feel that won’t happen anytime soon or ever. Those who are watching The Vampire Diaries would know that Stefan was actually the worse of the brothers when they’ve just became vampires. Damon didn’t ask for it, really, he was content being in love with Katherine and that was it. Now that Elena comes into the picture, Stefan is the saint and Damon is the devil.

Well, at least, they ended up together in real life.

Oh dear lord, why? Can’t Damon just get redemption? He’s too hot for unrequited love.

Warewolves have such epic abs.

And True Blood, you’re making my belief firmer that in a werewolf-human-vampire triangle, werewolves deserve the human better.

Screw you, Eric Foreman and Hyde's conscience. 

How about Hyde and Donna from That 70's Show? Hyde struggling with his feelings for Donna is so much fun to watch, I wondered why it had to be Jackie that he had a relationship with. Imagine the drama it would've brought to the show! But alas, there is a reason that the show is a comedy and not a drama.

-Tula

I have to admit, when Tula brought this topic to my attention, my mind went blank for a minute. I don’t really keep track of OTPs or at least my mind isn’t wired to think collectively like that.

At least, they ended up together in real life (?).

There’d be a few that I thought deserved a cult following—I’d have to agree with her on the Hermione-Harry bit—man I’d join that ship in a heartbeat. And there’s also that overtly-explored love triangle in One Tree Hill once upon a time (raise your hand if you were a fan before that show went haywire-boring after season 4). But I did imagine how’d be great to see a Brooke-Nathan hookup. Sadly, the writers never considered. Man, forget that James Lafferty can’t act for the life of him; his gorgeousness deserves the equally hot and husky Sophia Bush, but whatever. I read the show’s in its 9th and final season. There goes my college life, whuuut.

If only he wasn't gay.

If there’s One True Pairing in film off the top of my head that I totally rooted for during its time, it would be from the badly ended chick flick My Best Friend’s Wedding. I don’t think it needs any further explanation. The character Julia Roberts played was meant to end up with her guy best friend (played by Dermot Mulroney). And they say that one of the film’s charms is that the girl surprisingly doesn’t end happily ever after with her love interest. Her gay friend (played by Rupert Everett) doesn’t turn straight for her either. (Rats!) And it was supposed to be a feel-good movie, gaddammit. AND PLEASE, even if it went down to a contest on who had the bigger mouth, Julia would still beat Cameron (Diaz) by a long shot. C’mon.

And more than 10 years later, you can still feel the chemistry.

In the small screen, the only thing that ever really caught my attention would be the abusive and obviously doomed-from-the-start relationship between Buffy Summers and Spike a.k.a. the vampire who’s the spitting image of Billy Idol in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even before the rest of mankind got into the whole fascination over the vampire romance angle, there was that epic Buffy series from the late 90s to early 2000 that paved the way. Buffy was a badass slaying vampires yet she fell for the broody bloodsucker Angel at first. Didn’t go crazy over THAT pairing but that's that. Eventually though, the genius that Joss Whedon is, he must’ve seen the chemistry between Buffy and Spike loud and clear that another pairing had to happen. Alas, like all dark fantasy dramas, or at least the ones I’ve seen, the “love” part of the show had to end a tragic ending. But the show kicked ass, nonetheless. And Spike didn’t even have to sparkle. And he was very ugly when he turned into vampire mode. And he wasn’t brooding, for chrissakes. And so he was pretty special even though he turned to ashes in the end. Poof!

--Soc 

The Ladies of Romantic Comedies

My favorite female lead characters in rom-coms, in one way or the other, are those whom I can identify with the most. In one way, they usually are a bit like me: quirky and/or awkward; or in the other, they usually are someone I kind of want to be like: someone with shiny hair and who has one hell of a stylish wardrobe.

Those pants.

Annie Hall (Annie Hall)
It is because of Annie Hall that I will forever be a fan of Diane Keaton. I mean, really, what girl would fall for this talkative, all-knowing, neurotic old dude Alvy Singer (Woody Allen), who kept on complaining about their relationship and basically anything about the world. Whatever it is, Annie takes the cake for her candidness and memorable getup that make her one iconic female character, with Diane Keaton becoming one of those lead stars to watch out for fashion-wise in Hollywood. Claaaaahss!

Just like the rest of the female roles that are included in this list, Annie is a puzzle but despite the eccentricity, she and Alvy are matched chemically and intellectually. Anne may not be considered intelligent compared to Alvy, but one of her most desirable traits is her drive to keep in step with Alvy, and her wittiness and rawness charging toward the trials that go with being in a complicated relationship with him. And although the film didn’t end happily, you’re left feeling good about the whole thing and with Annie, in utmost relief for she knew what was and what wasn't in the relationship, and she didn’t even have to drive herself to think too much about it.

Every woman in that restaurant at that time wanted to be her. 

Sally Albright (When Harry Met Sally)
Probably one of the best rom-coms of all time, and Sally (Meg Ryan) mixed well with Harry’s (Billy Crystal) total oppositeness. The way that Sally’s true complexity hid behind her being a little too polite, makes her such a relatable character. The reality is that there are a lot of women out there who’d always try their best to be nice and shiny and pleasant, when in fact they are just like any other person with flaws and insecurities.

What makes Sally so lovable is how she represented for the females in the famous diner scene when Harry insisted that he’s all that in bed. And how she’s branded as “high maintenance but thinks she’s low maintenance” by the way she orders food at a restaurant.

Of course, with the movie being the ultimate rom-com fix, things had to end well eventually between the two leads, which I guess was Sally’s period of enlightenment—realizing and admitting her feelings to Harry, which we’re sure was there from the very beginning, but was only contained due to Sally’s being well-behaved. Although, things would’ve gotten worse if she’d entertained the possibility between them prematurely. A disastrous thought and that's why I leave writing screenplays to the experts.

Hey, look! It's Julia Roberts playing Anna Scott who's suspiciously like Julia Roberts.

Anna Scott (Notting Hill)
At one point in our lives, we've dreamt of becoming a gorgeous and commercially successful Hollywood actress, who just stumbled upon her true love in the most unassuming place, right? No? Okay. Anyway, it's one amazing, fairytale-like mess, methinks. The way Will Thacker (Hugh Grant) was able to win Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) is just a joy to see, in a way, it kinda looked like Anna was the busy overachieving guy who came down from the sky and swept the simple girl off of her feet. We, from time to time like to think that we're the ones who control our destiny when it comes to relationships (oh wait, that happens all the time.) and it's a bit liberating and empowering to see that in Anna Scott. Plus, meeting Will's offbeat family was hella fun.

There was a time when social climbing looked classy.

Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
Probably, the very first classic American film that I ever got to watch was Breakfast and since then, I’ve been in love with the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s eras just as much as the modern ones.

I do think that the charming Holly Golightly film role wouldn’t have been as charming if it weren’t for Audrey Hepburn’s portrayal. Especially the fact that Holly was this social butterfly from the country, but despite that she was able to catch the eye of the rich and dapper-looking Paul Varjak (George Peppard) and was able to win her in the end makes for a happy chick flick night by yourself. Also, that Holly’s black dress had a life of its own made Audrey/Holly a major fashion icon in the industry, thanks to the fact that Audrey had an amazing body frame that sat well with the entire outfit. Do check out Audrey’s massive feet, it deserves a mention as well. Also, Holly singing Moon River—lovely.

Heartbreak is pretty like this. Eff you, Summer.

Summer Finn ((500) Days of Summer)
Have to be honest, the very first time I saw this film, I didn’t become an instant fan. Mainly due to the fact that Summer (Zooey Deschanel) deeply hurt such a cutie-pie in Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and she also put the dating female population on a bad light. Of course, that was me kinda being defensive. Anyway, by the time I saw the movie for the second time, I was able to appreciate the film more, moreover, Summer. Because there really are girls like that—as amazing and as indecisive and as fickle-minded and as disarming as Summer—that any man who’d fall for her would end up badly bruised and broken.

But guys (especially the few good ones) please don’t feel bad or sorry for yourself. These so-called “ones that got away,” which actually ought to be called “ones that had to be let go” instead, are there to teach you a life-long lesson or two. As the cliché goes, what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger and these ladies, the Summers of your lives, although cannot be considered “girlfriend material,” will be one of the best things you’ll ever get to experience and just like Tom, please don’t curse them when you bump into them years after. Rather, thank them for slapping you with the harsh but hopeful reality of love.

--Love, Soc

I have always liked the stubborn, strong-willed leading lady stereotypes in romantic comedies just for the sake of seeing them fall from their high horses and succumb to the equally strong-willed and stubborn man who they desperately try to ignore but can’t get away from. It’s like the universe’s sweet revenge, laughing giddily while the heroines throw everything and just fall. A sort of catch-22 with the characters deciding to be damned together which is infinitely better than be damned apart.

With the exception of Summer (Zooey Deschanel, 500 Days of Summer), I think she was just plain evil. Well, I think I’m just being defensive here but I think I can agree that we all have our Summers who’d throw us off our balance and probably teach us a valuable lesson. Though, I didn’t think that she had to be that evil.

Er... I kind of don’t trust that Autumn either.

I feel awkward talking about romcoms. It’s not that I don’t like them, in fact, I enjoy them immensely. But, too much mushiness and romance makes me awkward. Like, there’s something distrustful about those things.  

*cough*

Moving On...

We've all tried it once, say it with me, Smoooooooooooter.

Melanie Smooter-Perry/Carmichael (Sweet Home Alabama)

Melanie Carmichael has the fairy tale life being a high-powered New York fashion designer engaged to the son of the mayor. That is until she goes back to Unknown-town, Alabama to demand a divorce from her husband when she becomes Melanie Smooter again. She’s great as a Carmichael and she’s ruthless as a Smooter and I love her for that.

Then try as she might to fight for her fairy tale life, she wounds up wondering why she left in the first place when probably the best love stories aren’t as glossy.

Perfect excuse to use this macro.

Margaret Tate (The Proposal)

If it wasn’t for the threat of deportation because of an expired visa, I don’t think that Margaret would ever take a second look at her passive-aggressive assistant Andrew. Sure, he’s hot and all but she’s running a big business and love was just another distraction for her – oh wait, she just forgot how it feels to be loved, being left alone to fend for herself at 16.

Now, these are the people I like. You’d think that they have a big stick up their ass but actually, they’re just teddy bears waiting to be cuddled inside.

Drew Barrymore in possibly the most awesome prom getup ever.

Josie Geller (Never Been Kissed)

Intelligent and pretty but held back immensely by traumas from the past. The courage is there but it’s somewhat spread in the wrong places. I mean, I could not imagine myself going back to where my nightmares occurred and she just did it (sure, it was a work assignment but that’s beside the point).

Out of all the Drew Barrymore romcoms, I think this has to be my favourite one. It’s like an explosion of insecurities and nothing comes easy to the heroine. All throughout the movie, she just struggles and struggles to get rid of her demons and nothing magical really occurs - except for that first kiss.

What started Anne Hathaway in her princess track.

Ella (Ella Enchanted)

Now, this is the complete opposite of the last one. Everything is about magic here, from start to finish. But even with the aid of magic, that doesn’t stop Ella from being so dense about love. Well, that is, until after a night of partying (how appropriate), Ella admits that she is indeed in love with the Prince Charming.

Having been bestowed with a gift of unrelenting obedience, Ella rebelled by being an advocate of elves, giants and ogre rights which in that time and place is quite incredulous. Doubly more for a girl like her. But like every tale, she forges on and ultimately breaks free from the spell and gets her happily ever after in the end – like how every fairy tale should end.

-- xo, Tula