Has anyone been watching this? I watched a full episode last night for the first time. I dig it. It's something I would tune in to each week probably because (1) Charlene McKenna is a great actress and cute and funny and likable, (2) I used to work in a restaurant and like seeing that kind of setting on screen, (3) I like seeing actual representations of Dublin considering there is fuck all ever on TV apart from the fake Toy Town of Fair City. It's weird to watch a programme and think "oh look, they're walking past the Bernard Shaw", "oh, they're going to a party on South Circular Road" and what not.
I guess when a drama has a time limit (like a specific amount of episodes) everything has to be shoved in in a short amount of time, so things get serious quickly, and there's loads of sex and drugs in each episode without any underlying strong sub plot or developed story. Most Irish TV writing has neon signs in each scene saying THIS IS A YOUTH TV DRAMA YO YO. Raw has an element of that, but is saved from being too cringey.
I still think there is a quality and fun urban drama to be made in Ireland. Raw is good, but the setting is very specific and like most first series of anything, things are quite SERIOUS and DRAMATIC, and the element of comedy and fun dies a bit. I often wonder, where is Ireland's 'This Life' or 'Secret Life of Us' or 'L Word' or 'Teachers'? With so many good writers, it's strange that no really decent TV drama has been written (apart from Pure Mule, obviously.)
I still think there is a quality and fun urban drama to be made in Ireland. Raw is good, but the setting is very specific and like most first series of anything, things are quite SERIOUS and DRAMATIC, and the element of comedy and fun dies a bit. I often wonder, where is Ireland's 'This Life' or 'Secret Life of Us' or 'L Word' or 'Teachers'? With so many good writers, it's strange that no really decent TV drama has been written (apart from Pure Mule, obviously.)
Thoughts?
17 comments:
I skipped the first week as I was out at a gig or something but I watched last night's episode.
Charlene McKenna is a fucking good actress but some of the supporting cast, dreadful, that scene with the couple fighting over her going to the party. Woeful shit altogether, the pair of them, moreso the dude.
It's possible that the reason there's so little decent Irish drama on TV is that there's so few actors that can do it well on screen. Loads of good Irish stage actors but they're two very diferent beasts.
Show itself was alright, might tune in again if there's nothing on. I don't know why it's "controversial" though. Oh wow, tits and drugs, welcome to the bbc nearly 20 years ago.
"Oh wow, tits and drugs, welcome to the bbc nearly 20 years ago."
lol
RE: support cast, I like yer man who was in Bachelors Walk, but the restaurant owner who looks like Gary Lightbody isn't great.
I've watched the last 2 episodes and I'll probably watch at least another one, it's a little cliche heavy and there's not a lot happening in the way of plot that isn't cliched too, so you can see it coming a mile off.
The main cast are pretty good but the supporting cast is woeful, though that might be because they've been written as complete stereotypes, it's like they had some good ideas and then got lazy, or rushed the script. You also get the distinct feeling they are writing about things they've never experienced. Six out of ten.
"I like yer man who was in Bachelors Walk,"
Yeah was alright. I reckon the big thing to come is that Jojo will start riding him but she secretly wants that dude who's nailing the girl with the boyfriend.
Too obvious? Never stopped any sciptwriter.
I was just thinking that today! or in fact where's The OC? or One Tree Hill, Party of Five etc? You're right there's a good script waiting to happen. Let's write one.
Whenever I watch an Irish drama, I'm very aware that I'm watching people acting, so I don't watch them.
I think Irish society is too narrow to let me believe people would act in certain ways.
But there was tits in it, yeah?
Ian, Jojo can't have sex with him because that's her BROTHER! Isn't it? I think so. That's what I got from it, anyway.
@ cw: yes, there were tits.
Yeah, but if the did have sex that would be SERIOUS and DRAMATIC, fill weeks of Joe Duffy and give us a special incest edition of the Late Late Show...
yeah it's weird isn't it, this plays on my mind quite a bit, so many writers, so many actors, so many good films. and then it comes to tv drama and it's cringefest after cringefest, it's so strange. i don't know why it is, but maybe Raw will set a decent example and things will look up. here's hoping :)
I only watched the first episode because I was an extra in the hospital scene. :P
Ian, Jojo can't have sex with him because that's her BROTHER! Isn't it? I think so. That's what I got from it, anyway.
Ah, must have been mentioned in the first episode that.
Though it would be quite controversial. Though she does totally want to jump the bones of that other dude she lives with.
It's woeful. And i know my Tv.
Watched the first episode and hated it. The way it tried to 'grab the viewer's attention' seemed contrived and forced: oh look! doggy-stylesex! Drugs! A chase down a street a la 'Trainspotting'. It's biggest problem is that the characters are deeply unlikeable, even the Charlene McKenna one. She's a great actress but this stuff is beneath her.
It's hard to know why we get it so wrong we TV drama. I think we've all grown up watching superior drama on the bbc so when we try it ourselves it always looks crap cause the BBC have set such a high benchmark. WE don't enough talented writers either. Only 'Bachelors Walk' worked for me as it was funny, brilliantly written and had characters you related to, believed in and, essentially, genuinely cared about.
i'd watch Fair City if Charlene McKenna was in it.
i'd still watch it from behind a cushion, though.
I TRIED to like it, I really did. But it's another flop for me. Now it's hardly as bad as the Big Bow Wow (God, whatever could be?) but to me it was another patronising 'edgy' RTE drama. It's like a bunch of middle aged suits get together and put together a program 'about young people today', reach for the nearest copy of the Herald and draw inspiration from it. Throw in flashy hip production and hey presto!
They need to realise that the average Irish person wants characters they can like or relate to (see Bachelor's Walk or Pure Mule) rather than be told what kind of characters they should aspire to. Just my 2 cents.
Bachelor's Walk was shite too.
There, I've said it.
Anyone else think that Single Handed was deadly? Best RTE drama I'd seen in years.
TV drama is generally shite everywhere- for every The Wire there's a million Grey's Anatomys (anatomies?), for every Life on Mars there's a Hollyoaks.
The stakes are higher in Ireland because we make so few and they're so expensive to do.
I thought Raw was alright, but concur that actress is great.
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