The Case For Cam & Jori

I never even knew what shipping was before I got into the iCarly fandom. But Carly and Sam balanced each other's personalities out so perfectly, I had to ship them, once I found out I was supposed to choose sides. Then in Victorious came Jori, the spitfire couple with the classic antagonist chemistry and overflowing romantic tension. It's such a great pair that they've become the #1 most popular ship in Victorious. Plus, since I can be a bit of a misandrist and a heterophobe at times, I tend to ship almost exclusively gay and lesbian couples...

But of couse, we all know those will never happen on a kid's network like Nickelodeon. That's what we all say. And we're probably dead right. But to everyone who says that it specifically can't happen on Nickelodeon, I would contest that. It's a long shot, it's unlikely, it'll probably never happen and nobody in their right mind denies that. But it's not strictly unthinkable, and it's not beyond the realm of possibility, no matter how slim the astronomically small chance is.

The Dynamics of Television Evolution

After my recent trip down memory lane with Ren & Stimpy, I'm particularly well aware of the way TV boundaries evolve over time. As a matter of fact, TV boundaries have been habitually pushed back for a while now. The examples are numerous. Today words like "bitch" and "shit" are a-okay to say on TV, in the past this was not so, no matter what a show's demographic was. In the 90s the Xena girl/girl almost-kiss was considered groundbreaking, but today we've seen more than that even on Nickelodeon.

And the best example is with adult cartoons: in the 90s Butt-head became forbidden from saying the word "fire" after a kid burned his house down. But today Peter on Family Guy can blow up children's hospitals, kill people and things, an endless parade of gruesome things. Though, to be fair, the genre of adult cartoons has taken a specific amount of concentration on and delight in pushing boundaries, so they've evolved at an excellerated rate. The point is that the boundaries are being pushed and thereby lessened.

When it comes to gay civil rights, there may never come a day when everyone is accepting of homosexuality. But just like with interracial marriage, there will come a day when the open express of dissent will be socially and culturally shunned. Today there are interracial couples on both Nick and Disney. Some day there will be gay couples on Nick and Disney. There is no question of whether or not it will happen, the only question is when.

When we look at how much hatred and ignorance is still alive and well in our country, it's clear that we probably won't see a gay couple on Nickelodeon for quite some time. Braindead religious housemoms would be in an uproar over it, and it might hurt Nickelodeon's ratings. Nobody here is saying that Jori is going to happen on Victorious.

All I'm saying, is that it's not enitrely inconcievable. Because the fact is, this is a boundary that will eventually be struck down. Someday, somewhere down the line, a kids' TV writer will decide to put gay characters in their show, and network executives will decide to air it. It's easy to think that it can't happen just because it's not okay for it to be shown on a kid's network yet, but the way that it will eventually become okay to show is by it being shown. Could Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon be the ones to do it? Yes, potentially, if they make that choice.

Reasons why Nick could decide to break this boundary:

- A Nick companion network, called The N or Teen Nick, created and showed for three seasons an original drama called South of Nowhere. Groundbreaking not merely for a Nick affiliate but for TV in general, it was the first program to feature gay teens as the show's primary main characters. While Teen Nick shows a vast plethora of things that would not be okay on Nick, the existence of South of Nowhere proves two important points: (1) That the corporate powers behind Nick are not categorically apposed to showing this type of content, and (2) that those same forces are, in fact, interested in pushing those boundaries (as SoN did not just for Nick, but for TV in general).

- While the threat of boycott is troubling, controversy also makes for unending publicity and ratings. Breaking this boundary would unquestionably bring accolades to Nickelodeon from the LGBT community. I could envision Dan Schneider seeking a place in history with this move. Even in the most cold-hearted executive terms, homosexuality is becoming more "popular;" more palattable and more profitable in the entertainment sector, as well as in public opinion at large.

Examples in the past of Nickelodeon (the main network, not Teen Nick) taking controversial steps in the right direction:

- In the Drake & Josh episode 4-1 "Josh Runs Into Oprah," Drake and Josh kiss. It's for comedic rather than romantic reasons, but these are not only two men but also brothers!

- In the iCarly episode 3-18 "iPsycho" the recurring villian Nora grabs a girl at her party and kisses her on the mouth. This was also shown for comedic reasons, but Nora's motivation for the kiss is unexplained, it seems to be some level of romantic interest would be the logical conclusion.

- Dan Schneider's shows make frequent and often unambiguous allusions to same-sex relationships. They habitually feature cross-dressing, as well as often pair same-sex characters up in fantasy scenarios like plays and skits.

Again, I'm not saying Jori will happen. It almost definitely won't. But is it possible? Yes. And the longer Victorious continues, the stronger (however slightly) the chance gets, as society continues towards making homophobia a culture-wide taboo.

On our end, we've been trying to coax Dan Schneider to acknowledge the large gay fan constituency for his shows. So far he has unfortunately declined to comment, despite commenting on damn near every other trend iCarly or Victorious scores. But getting Jori to trend worldwide is still a victory for us Jori shippers. Here's the trend we got last night, we even got it pretty high.

Classic iCarly Lineups

One of the many amazingly wonderful things about iCarly is that Nickelodeon shows at least a few episodes each day. So it becomes this exciting little game each day, what episodes are they going to play? It's a lot like listening to the radio, you root for your favorites get played, and for the eps I don't own or haven't watched a lot. It's pretty cool, sometimes themes arise, like a day of shipping episodes, or a day of season 1 episodes, or a day with an ep from each season.

I remember a couple perfect weekend lineups they had a month ago. But more recently, Nick has been playing some relatively weak lineups. It doesn't help that House of Anubis drained the weekday schedule and left it with less iCarlies per day. But now with Best Player coming up and House of Anubis over (I think), iCarly is back in full force and the first two schedules this week were so great I wanted to preserve them for posterity.

Monday, March 7th, 2011

4:30 -- iDon't Want to Fight
5:30 -- iWas a Pageant Girl
6:00 -- iGet Pranky
6:30 -- iTwins

Commentary: This is about as all-star of a lineup as possible. It's a hearty four eps, which is as much as you can get on a weekday. It perfectly represents one episode from each of the show's 4 seasons. iWas a Pageant Girl is among the top eps from Season 3 and iGet Pranky could well be Season 4's crowning achievement. And it contains two of the all-time most novel eps, the one with Sam's glorious twin sister, and iDon't Want To Fight -- what I consider to be the pinnacle Cam episode. Plus they're (intentionally) all Sam-heavy episodes, which is always most welcome (and perhaps quite preffered).

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

4:30 -- iPromote Tech-Foots
6:00 -- iBigfoot
7:00 -- iSam's Mom

Commentary: Few things could compete with the Monday schedule but this was still a fantastic lineup. Again it starts off with a Season 1 ep, this time another of my faves, the hilarious iPromote Tech-Foots. Then another of my all-time favorite season 3 episodes, iBigfoot, finished with Season 4's iSam's Mom which isn't really one of my favorites but is fantastic none the less.

My Turn

Picking favorite episodes is very diffuclt for me. I don't allow myself to overplay iCarly, so that it stays fucking amazing and keeps blowing me away every fucking day. As a result I don't have encylopedic familiarity with each ep, so ranking them is difficult. The quest is "burdened" further by the fact that most of the episodes are freaking fantastic, and the others are still pretty good. But I can extrapolate some themes. Here are, using the same weekday format from above, my picks as would-be Nickelodeon programming director.

"Ship Day"

4:30 -- iDon't Want to Fight
5:30 -- iKiss
6:00 -- iThink They Kissed
6:30 -- iSaved Your Life

"Season's Bests (more or less)"

4:30 -- iWanna Stay With Spencer
5:30 -- iMust Have Locker 239
6:00 -- iHave My Principals
6:30 -- iSell Penny Tees

Fanfiction Fruition

The number of new and exciting venues of entertainment iCarly has opened up for me is staggering. I've been a superfan of various things since... well since I discovered that things exist. But I could never get into Fanfiction until now. So for no good reason I'd like to give you my thoughts on a few of the fanfics that have truly impressed me, starting with the one that was the first I successfully read, and the one which staggers me the most.

It might seem nonsensical to compose such a vast summary of a story that is itself very short. One would be expected simply to read the source material, why bother with this summary? But I feel the need to express the key points of this story in my own words, so that you may see it as I see it.

Spoiler Warning: This blog entry extensively details the plot of the fanfiction story iGo to The Beach.

iGo to the Beach

God, iGo to the Beach is a work of art. If I could get it in paperback, I would. I've considered listing it on my Facebook under "favorite books." To think that a fanfic could have caused such emotion in me, it solidified the idea in my head that fanfics can be real works and not just idle fancy.

Bittersweet reverie hangs in the air as the end of another summer looms before our beloved iCarlies. Sam and Carly are having a de facto funeral for the end of another break, the way youths often do, because the end of summer can feel more like the departure of a friend than the changing of a season. So it's a "girls' day" at the beach, no Freddie, just them.

Sam harbors a secret heartfelt love for her best-friend Carly. And though her nerves prevent any confessions on this day, she manages to steal fleeting moments of intimacy with her dear love. Carly accepts these idiosyncratic advances quizzically but without contest, with good humor, familiar as she is with Sam's every peculiar habit. They forgo the popular and crowded beaches because they want to be alone, a friendship of this caliber craves the type of unabridged synchronization that comes only with solitude.

Everything is innocent and cute and waggish, until they go for a swim and become caught in a rip-tide. The seclusion of their chosen beach now condemns them. Carly disappears into the turmoil, and Sam is dragged, screaming, against her will out of the water by onlookers who've come to the rescue. To imagine... to comprehend.... what Sam must have been feeling at that moment, to suddenly have lost Carly in the sea, to be helpless and dragged away, with no knowledge of what has happened to her bosom love... it's nearly unbearable, but terrifyingly beautiful to behold. Rescue efforts stall and the bloated corpse of Carly Shay washes ashore a few days hence. iGo to the Beach indeed.

It is at this point in the story when I felt I had been had. The kind of terror which befell me at this moment was profound, and I believed I had been set up, that a sick and twisted individual had devised this story as a means to harm me, or for the perhaps more likely motive of brutalizing iCarly. Indeed, when there exists something pure and light-hearted, some seem to delight in tearing it down and bringing it into the muck with the rest of humanity.

But eventually, I read the rest of the story, and discovered that despite its grim content it maintains the heart and soul of the source, and indeed wields brutality as a means to crafting even more beautiful warmth.

Next there's this one particular scene, barely a handful of words, that I find excruciatingly meaningful. Sam returns to the Shay's apartment, and Freddie's apartment is directly across from it, as always. Sam glances at Freddie's closed door and reminisces how Freddie won't speak to her after what happened, how he blames her for Carly's death. And it's so incredible because it means Sam has no one left.

Sam and Freddie were never bosom buddies, they were more or less held together by Carly. But there was a connection that touched beneath the surface. Despite their shared antagonism, they were close friends. If even just as an affect of sharing Carly's time and love, they came to rely on each other in subtle ways. So when Freddie turns his back on the grieving Sam, it's like she hasn't just lost her dearest friend, but all of her friends. The one other person on the whole planet that she could count on, and the only person alive who could come close to empathizing and understanding the loss of Carly, refused to commiserate, or reciprocate, or care.

So Sam is left here, the apartment with which she shared her time with Carly, the residence that was more a home to her than her mother's house ever could have been; good memories marred by grim realities. Noone left in the world, she mourns with Carly's much older brother. Petty secrets meaning very little in this shattered, post-Carly world, she confides to Spencer her true feelings for Carly. Spencer responds by showing Sam something he discovered on Carly's computer... a love note of sorts, reciprocating Sam's love in earnest.

The revelation of this mutual love is daunting, for although it is an expression of love, it adds unbearable new hardship[s to the loss of Carly. They both secretly loved each other, too timid to speak up. And that means all the lost moments... every moment they spent together in life, and every moment they could have spent together had Carly not died, could have been as lovers, and not merely friends.

Sam is overcome with the intense gloom and cries herself to sleep in Carly's bed. In the morning, she awakes, eyes still wet with tears. Only she's not alone in her bed. Carly stirs beside her. The whole nightmarish ordeal, had been just that -- a gruesome nightmare. Overcome with newfound joy and intimately aware of what she stands to lose, Sam declares her love, it is reciprocated, and Sam tells Carly that she can never, ever go to the beach.

iGo to the Beach is more of an experience than a mere read, and a fanfiction that manages the idyllic balance of sustaining the soul of the source while incorporating brave new territory.

iHost a Mini-Marathon

This weekend I'm meeting Jennette McCurdy! And perhaps to the detriment of my claim that not every weekend is an iCarly weekend for me, I've decided to give myself a little mini iCarly marathon in celebration, composed of some of my favorite episodes and some I haven't watched in a while, including several of the most Sam-tastic, Jennetterific episodes of all-time!

Here's the itinerary:

iHurt Lewbert
iGo to Japan
iDream of Dance
iWant to Date Freddie
iHate Sam's Boyfriend
iWin a Date
iTake on Dingo
iReunite With Missy
iTwins

Also I intend to record a cover of Jennette's first single Not That Far Away. Now all I have to worry about is (A) what the heck am I going to ask Jennette to sign? If they don't have pictures available on-site, I'll have to ask her to sign a DVD case. Her EP isn't available in physical form. And (B) how can I prove I'm a real fan? I wanted to wear this Star Wars hat I used to have ('cause Jennette is a huge Star Wars fan) but it was waaaaaay too small for me and I threw it out like a month ago. I'd be pissed with myself if it wasn't literally too small to wear anyway...

Fave iCarly Episodes

iCarly is a pretty excellent show... it's a lot like one of my favorite bands, in that even the episodes which aren't among my top selections usually have some of my all-time favorite bits or moments which might actually rank above the stuff that is in my favorite episodes. With bands it would be lesser albums with incredible songs. To me the "best" are the ones that are consistent.

But anyway... here are my favorite episodes from the first 50 or so episodes of iCarly (because those are the ones I have on DVD). I took the liberty of categorizing them by greatest strength.

Cammiest
---
- iDon't Want to Fight
- iReunite with Missy
- iPilot

Most intense/emotional
---
- iWanna Stay with Spencer
- iThink They Kissed
- iHatch Chicks
- iKiss
- iChristmas

Funniest
---
- iTake on Dingo
- iGo Nuclear
- iPromote Tech-Foots

Special mentions
---
- iDream of Dance because I wouldn't expect to dig this style of episode but it ended up being really cool and fun. I'd like to see more unique things like this.

- iPie because it was the first episode I saw and the first one I watched on DVD, nostalgia.

- iTwins because Melanie's adorable even though I'm a Samfan.

If I had to pick just one favorite, I'd probably go with iTake on Dingo because it's just too funny.

Carlotta Shay

Up until quite recently, I never really dissected anybody's character on iCarly. Well, maybe Sam, 'cause she was my favorite. And because her personality is transparent... the half that I was familiar with, anyway. But once I cued into the iCarly fan community, I found out there were all these layers I was completely ignoring... I mean, I was taking it completely at face value... Well, now I'm paying closer attention.

First thing I realized was that my original impression of who Carly Shay is, was mostly based on her webshow persona. Turns out she's a pretty decent actress when she's on iCarly... not Miranda, Carly! On the webshow, Carly seems like a fun and bubbly person. And that's not how she acts in her daily life. Mind you... I wouldn't say she's being deceptive or anything. It's just a different side of her that she gets to invoke under those particular circumstances. We can all relate to that if we try, I'm sure.

When she's not in front of the camera, she's actually a pretty reserved person. Not a bad person, just reserved. It's probably a natural reaction to the unbridled wackiness of her brother who is also her guardian. A classic case of the ward having to keep things in order for the free-spirited parent figure (like Rory & Lorelai in Gilmore Girls). In fact, most of the time Carly is playing the 'straight man' (or "comic foil") for her friend Sam, and that's where she has most of her endearing moments. Contrary to her bubbly web-persona, she spends a good portion of her time yelling and screaming in a vain attempt to keep the peace, or scowling at someone (usually Sam)'s irreverence towards common decency (like spitting soda all over the counter, for example).

On the deeper level, I see two sides to Carly Shay's... shall we say soul? Personality? Whatever word you like. On the one side she seems to be a bit overloved, a mildly spoiled young girl. Prissy is the word she uses to describe it, herself (well, after Sam said the same). I think this side of her comes out most in regards to her friend Freddie, who has had a crush on her since they first met. Now, not wanting to go out with Freddie is perfectly understandable and not remotely spoiled or in-the-wrong. But Carly reveals herself when she gets jealous. Contrary to Creddie dogma, I do not believe that Carly Shay has any romantic feelings for Freddie. She's had a million and one chances to be with Freddie if that's what she wants. And if she has no romantic feelings for him, the fact that she gets mad at Freddie when he displays attraction towards others... Well, it seems like she wants to keep him on a little leash, by her side so that she can be loved, but with absolutely no intention of ever reciprocating that love. Of course, who can blame her for wanting to be loved? It's a natural and important thing. But it's still not very nice of her to lead Freddie on like that.

The other side I see of Carly's personality is the other result of her having been a bit overloved, she's a kind and loving person. Sam's the opposite, having grown up unloved has carved her into a strong-willed and rugged person, with unabridged apathy for just about everybody and everything (except towards food, herslf, and Carly, who she is in love with, and/or Freddie, who she may alternatively be in love with). Even Freddie can't be counted on to step up at all the right times. Carly is the character who most frequently steps in and tries to help out whoever's in need. Carly also acts as the group's moral compass, while Freddie sheepishly tries to catch up with Sam's rebellious ways.

Shippin' Fools

Disclaimer: This post is purely in good fun. Anyone should realize that there are a million and one reasons why someone would ship one couple or another, and merely favoring a particular couple has no direct link to any aspect of anyone's personality or their life-experience. Also the "Shippin' Fools" title is just a pun, I'm a shipper m'self.

Truth be known, I never gave a thought to iCarly couples until very recently. It's funny because I look back on the big "shipping" scenes like the ones that "prove" one character likes another. And now I realize how obvious these scenes are, but before I was just totally oblivious, like "duurr... they're just friends." But I guess being oblivious to things is one my objectives in life, so...

Here's what I think about the different (main) couples, or rather... what I think each of these couples MEANS, man. It's deep n stuff.

Carly & Freddie ("Creddie")

People who ship Carly & Freddie are traditionalists in a certain sense. Romantics at heart. They believe that unrequited love can become requited, and that pining for someone over the course of years (in classic Gatsby fashion) is endearing rather than depressing, demeaning, or unhealthy. They're probably people who either have someone they themselves hopelessly pine for (like Freddie), or they dream of having someone hopelessly pine for them, because they're worth it, damn it! (which is, I'm sure, how Carly feels.)

Sam & Freddie ("Seddie")

People who ship Sam & Freddie believe that passion and fire are more important in a relationship than petty little things like being nice or civil to each other. They see through the tumultuous facade and understand that Sam's cruelty is her way of crying out for love and appreciation (potentially). They're quite possibly people who are simultaneously too proud and too shy to let their true feelings out.

Carly & Sam ("Cam")

Camfans value closeness and synergy in a relationship. They see Sam and Carly's close-knit friendship as the ideal building-block to a strong romance. They're idyllic to a fault, falling for the classic concept that best friends make the best couples. They're quite possibly in love with their best friend, or emotionally stunted enough to seek comfort from what's close and familiar rather than venturing out into the wide world of possible romances.

Sam & Gibby ("Sibby")

People who favor the Sam & Gibby pairing are total individualists. They see that Sam and Gibby are both social misfits in their own way. A Sibbster is decisive. They don't bother with complex love triangles, they find love where they can.

Melanie & Freddie ("Meddie")

Meddie shippers are a fickle and illustrious bunch. They're willing to think outside the box, but they prefer things on the safe side. Melanie already likes Freddie, unambiguously. These shippers might be people who like things to be a little special and unique, but not off-putting or adventurous.

I'm a Cam shipper myself. I mean, it's a no brainer, as they're my favorite characters. And aside from their obvious chemistry, they're just the best for each other. They need each other because their divergent personalities balance each other out, without the vicious turmoil you get between Sam & Freddie. However, as I watch the show more, Seddie starts to seem like a pretty good option, they could be very good with each other. Nothing matches Cam, but Seddie & Meddie are definitely decent. Even Creddie's not bad. And ideologically I appreciate Sibby a lot.