I've been meaning to write about this for quite some time - one of my recurring thoughts on Shake It Up that inspired the blog in the first place - and saw a tweeted image (from "Wild It Up") that worked beautifully as a starting point.
The "CeCe has issues with her Spanish grades" running gag appears in quite a few other places on the series as seen below:
Break It Up - As CeCe's mom tells her about the hospital staff will "do the best they can" for Rocky, she once again anxiously laments the situation, flailing about while retorting, "They'll do the best they can? I thought I was doing the best I could in Spanish and I got a C minus!"
Three's A Crowd It Up - The new kid in town that Rocky, Tinka, and CeCe all pine over for that episode's duration introduces himself en Espanol, to which CeCe continually convinces herself that "his name is 'me llamo'" somehow.
Heat It Up - CeCe's mom is convinced that her daughter and Flynn trying to act all gracious and kind is one giant act, and CeCe spills it all after a brief query, admitting she "failed Spanish, broke a vase, and lied about passing Spanish."
On its own, the in-joke is pretty amusing, and overall fits with the general perception of the CeCe character as somewhat less than bright.
There's an underlying subtext though outside the realm of the show that entirely changes the focus of this recurring topic. In a previous entry, I noted how Bella Thorne's own strong faith beautifully incorporated itself into Break It Up. I also have noticed (though haven't yet blogged on it) the biographical nature of Add It Up, where CeCe reveals she has dyslexia - which Bella has had to deal with her entire life.
During her heartfelt video from this summer talking about her experience being bullied in grade school, she mentions two factors in her outcast status growing up: her dyslexia making it hard to catch up in classes...and her Cuban heritage with her only knowing Spanish much of her early life, only to unlearn it in order to fit in with the other English-speaking kids. She's since responded by tirelessly helping out StompOutBullying and raising awareness both on the Internet and in person.
With that background, suddenly the constant "not doing well in Spanish" references for CeCe take on a whole new shade: as hints to the struggle Bella had trying to cope with unkind peers not accepting her, either personally or culturally.
I also think of it as a small sign of perseverance and courage too: that it's something she's willing to bring up over and over, through those scenes. Maybe it's a reminder of how badly she does want to relearn her mother tongue and recapture that aspect of who she is and where she's from.
Maybe it's also a measure of how much Bella's been able to overcome a real obstacle in her life and can look back at it with so much confidence and hope.
Showing posts with label shake it up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shake it up. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
a summer of FUN
The obvious centerpiece of "Break It Up" - the second to last episode of Season One - is CeCe's prayer monologue at the hospital, when she prays to God for Rocky to be healed, on the condition that she herself instead go back to the night before and take on her best friend's injury.
Ranking as probably the most serious moment on the show (with the Add It Up stair scene not far behind), CeCe's mix of vulnerability and silliness to me represents the series' core right there: a mixture of boundless, optimistic energy...and an understanding of the insecurities and longing that come with getting older.
And in its own way, this nod to Bella Thorne's Christianity is way more daring than it purports itself to be. It's honest. It's poignant. Moreover, it's one of several times on SIU where I do wonder if it's not so much acting on Bella's part...as it is thinly veiled recollection and biography, a reframing of real experiences and faith that add much heft.
(Another of those moments occurs minutes earlier in the episode, when CeCe's mom attempts to reassure her daughter that Rocky's surgery will not be too difficult...but that's for another post!)
I absolutely treasure that scene and never get tired of seeing it when it airs, I've reconnected to my faith in the last year so it's a source of much inspiration.
Beyond that, the other appeal of Break It Up appears in a way that may not be noticed by most...as its reference point comes not from 21st century television, but from a 90s classic that predates some of those in the cast!
---
As CeCe concluded her hospital scene, cast and all...before thanking "the big guy" for answering her prayer, she repeats the recurring motif of Break It Up to Rocky:
"Summer of fun, eh?"
On its own it's funny enough, after the trials everyone's been through in the "remote" world of no cell phone reception (but clearly some sort of traditional wall phone - how would Rocky have ordered a pizza otherwise?!).
It's a nod though to a classic penultimate-season episode of Seinfeld, "The Summer of George." The similarities between the two cannot be denied, as I realized while watching Break It Up with a friend (two days after watching that particular Seinfeld)
- most obviously, CeCe hashing out "summer of fun" as she looks forward to the rural adventure she and her friends are about to experience...like Costanza's excitement for the "summer of George" after his severance from the Yankees.
- needless to say, what's planned and what actually occurs end up being vastly different, as the Truth or Dare at the camp goes wrong for the kids (and the initial dreams of cell phone access give way to an unwanted Gunter and Tinka visit!), while Costanza falls into a slothful lifestyle.
- although spurred on for different reasons, both end up with leg breaks due to hasty goofiness: Costanza tripping on the invitations that Jerry had him pass out at their building, compared to CeCe falling at the hospital room after seeing Rocky made it out of surgery okay.
- That "summer of" line then reappears once our respective lead characters are stuck on a stretcher.
- Snarky apathy serves as the close-of-episode punchline, though not executed exactly the same: the Shake It Up kids basically ignore Deuce's health after he falls in a quest for elusive cell phone reception, while Jerry and Elaine and Cosmo show no concern for their immobilized friend.
I don't view Break It Up as a derivative of the more famous comedy's episode, bur rather, highly inspired by it...and reinterpreting its basic gag for a younger generation, resulting in the perfect mixture of thoughtfulness and laughs!
One final thought: The dual readings of Break It Up, both at an immediate level, and on its underlying homage...it's a technique pioneered and perfected by Sesame Street, where parodies of TV for older people (Monsterpiece Theatre!) were intentional in getting parents to watch the show with kids. I'm not sure if that's what happened here, I just know it's brilliant writing.
Ranking as probably the most serious moment on the show (with the Add It Up stair scene not far behind), CeCe's mix of vulnerability and silliness to me represents the series' core right there: a mixture of boundless, optimistic energy...and an understanding of the insecurities and longing that come with getting older.
And in its own way, this nod to Bella Thorne's Christianity is way more daring than it purports itself to be. It's honest. It's poignant. Moreover, it's one of several times on SIU where I do wonder if it's not so much acting on Bella's part...as it is thinly veiled recollection and biography, a reframing of real experiences and faith that add much heft.
(Another of those moments occurs minutes earlier in the episode, when CeCe's mom attempts to reassure her daughter that Rocky's surgery will not be too difficult...but that's for another post!)
I absolutely treasure that scene and never get tired of seeing it when it airs, I've reconnected to my faith in the last year so it's a source of much inspiration.
Beyond that, the other appeal of Break It Up appears in a way that may not be noticed by most...as its reference point comes not from 21st century television, but from a 90s classic that predates some of those in the cast!
---
As CeCe concluded her hospital scene, cast and all...before thanking "the big guy" for answering her prayer, she repeats the recurring motif of Break It Up to Rocky:
"Summer of fun, eh?"
On its own it's funny enough, after the trials everyone's been through in the "remote" world of no cell phone reception (but clearly some sort of traditional wall phone - how would Rocky have ordered a pizza otherwise?!).
It's a nod though to a classic penultimate-season episode of Seinfeld, "The Summer of George." The similarities between the two cannot be denied, as I realized while watching Break It Up with a friend (two days after watching that particular Seinfeld)
- most obviously, CeCe hashing out "summer of fun" as she looks forward to the rural adventure she and her friends are about to experience...like Costanza's excitement for the "summer of George" after his severance from the Yankees.
- needless to say, what's planned and what actually occurs end up being vastly different, as the Truth or Dare at the camp goes wrong for the kids (and the initial dreams of cell phone access give way to an unwanted Gunter and Tinka visit!), while Costanza falls into a slothful lifestyle.
- although spurred on for different reasons, both end up with leg breaks due to hasty goofiness: Costanza tripping on the invitations that Jerry had him pass out at their building, compared to CeCe falling at the hospital room after seeing Rocky made it out of surgery okay.
- That "summer of" line then reappears once our respective lead characters are stuck on a stretcher.
- Snarky apathy serves as the close-of-episode punchline, though not executed exactly the same: the Shake It Up kids basically ignore Deuce's health after he falls in a quest for elusive cell phone reception, while Jerry and Elaine and Cosmo show no concern for their immobilized friend.
I don't view Break It Up as a derivative of the more famous comedy's episode, bur rather, highly inspired by it...and reinterpreting its basic gag for a younger generation, resulting in the perfect mixture of thoughtfulness and laughs!
One final thought: The dual readings of Break It Up, both at an immediate level, and on its underlying homage...it's a technique pioneered and perfected by Sesame Street, where parodies of TV for older people (Monsterpiece Theatre!) were intentional in getting parents to watch the show with kids. I'm not sure if that's what happened here, I just know it's brilliant writing.
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