Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire

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Why I think TOWER PREP is made of raw awesome. Seriously.

So I watch a lot of television. I know people who look at my schedule and word counts and laugh at this claim, like "Ha ha, Seanan is being droll and pretending to do things other than slave away like a weird robot-alien-pod plant," but the fact of the matter is, I probably under-report my television-watching, because it's nobody's business but mine a lot of the time. I use television as a way to wind down once my word counts are achieved.

This doesn't mean I don't consider television an intellectual exercise. I mean, witness the fact that I have essays in multiple books of critical analysis of television programs. I think TV is hugely important in our culture, and that a lot of the time, it does more to influence the way people think about story than anybody else.

I am a television omnivore. I watch dramas, I watch science fiction, I watch comedies, and I watch things that are supposedly aimed at children. I can explain the social structure from Wizards of Waverly Place, identify more than fifty Pokemon on sight, and am eagerly awaiting Unnatural History on DVD. Shows for kids are actually more devoted to plot arcs and character development than anything else currently on the air...except, maybe, for some of the high-concept science-fiction dramas.

Which brings us to the point of this entry: I am head over heels in love with a show called Tower Prep. It airs on the Cartoon Network. Here's the Wikipedia page. You've only missed three episodes. But you should really start from the beginning if you can, because Tower Prep is a mystery series. Not a procedural; not a mystery of the week, although there are weekly plots and challenges; a mystery series.

We begin when our POV character, Ian, passes out at home and wakes up in a strange boarding school called Tower Prep, one that's designed to "nurture and develop" his special abilities. No one knows where the school is, or how they got there. No one knows why they have their abilities, or what they're honing them for. But Ian, and the friends he quickly finds, know that they're afraid.

The writing is sharp. The mysteries are engaging. The plots are complex enough to hold an adult, simple enough to be viewed as "kid friendly" by the network, and just scary enough to have that enthralling edge. The dialog is snappy, the characterization is consistent. And really, that's why Tower Prep is awesome. The characters.

There are four main characters in Tower Prep: Ian, our protagonist, whose ability allows him to see certain things before they happen; Gabe, whose ability allows him to talk anyone into anything; CJ, whose power lets her act as a "human lie detector" and borderline psychic by reading all the minute changes in people; and Suki, whose ability lets her mimic the voice of absolutely anyone.

Two girls, two guys. While Ian's ability could be viewed as stereotypically "masculine," especially since he uses it in fights, he comes to the attention of the school for stopping a bully for beating up a weaker kid. And while CJ is sort of the "team psychic," which is often a female role, most people would reverse Gabe and Suki's abilities, since "persuasive" is often viewed as feminine, and "mimicry" is often viewed as masculine.

All four of them are smart, but Suki is the computer genius, and Gabe is the social butterfly. CJ is perfect, but not cookie-cutter pretty. They are, in short, actually people, rather than being "the hero," "the heroine," "the sidekick," and "the best friend," as they would be in so many other settings. Of the four main characters, only Suki is distinctly non-Caucasian, which is about the only criticism I have...but there are a great many non-Caucasian students and teachers on the campus, providing a slightly better balance to the show as a whole.

Tower Prep is a show I want to watch over and over again. I want to have a viewing party of the whole first season when it's done, and pick the mysteries apart. And I want to give it to every kid I know, because it says, without saying, that gender doesn't have to matter when it comes to solving mysteries and being smart and having superpowers. Also? Neither CJ nor Suki wears a bikini and calls it a uniform.

It's made of raw awesome. If you haven't checked it out yet, you totally should.
Tags: geekiness, too much tv
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  • 40 comments
I have watched the first two episodes and think the writing is great too. Lots of decent SF tropes. I like the guy with the persuasion powers geeky as he is. Kind of a Fargo character.
Gabe rules.
Created by Paul Dini, executive produced by Glen and Darrin Morgan?? That DOES sound promising. Invite me to that viewing party.
Will do!

sleary

6 years ago

themysteriousg

November 3 2010, 06:02:31 UTC 6 years ago Edited:  November 3 2010, 06:02:51 UTC

I could look this up myself but how young a kid are we talking about? The small fry is really getting into sf/fantasy and this warms my heart. She is my child:)
I would say it depends entirely on the kid. There's nothing too "adult themed" for a seven or eight year old, but if The Fry scares easy, some scenes in the pilot especially might be a bit much. A nine or eleven year old who likes the sci-fi, I would have no hesitation.

I also tend to err on the side of caution with other people's kids. I would've been eating this show with a spoon when I was six.

themysteriousg

6 years ago

When I first saw the ads, I got a bit nervous, as my pentalogy is a boarding school mystery series and I was afraid there's be too much content overlap, but from what I've heard from you and other sources, there's practically none. I feel so much better now.

I should check this shit out. It sounds neat.
Yes, you should.
For posting this! I went in search of Tower Prep episodes and I love it sooo much! It may have to be my new favorite show atm. :D

You rock for many, many reasons turning me towards a show that's actually interesting and fun? (pretty much an urban fantasy for the screen--heck yes!)

One more reason you are awesome.
Awesome! You're totally welcome!
This sounds awesome, but argh, it's November! I don't have time to watch new TV!

*adds to list*
I fully understand.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Weirdly, less than 24 hours earlier, I saw a commercial for TP for the first time, due to a peculiar occurrence in which my cable box stopped responding to all remote input, leaving me with a TiVo of Being Human and Doctor Who that actually turned out to be Cartoon Network stuff. One of these just chanced to be Scary Godmother: Jimmy's Revenge, which of course I had to watch, and there was the commercial. It looked pretty ok, and I was mildly curious, but I didn't think about it again until you posted. I have now downloaded and watched the first three episodes, and set the TiVo to get the rest (now that the issue is fixed; hard reboots work wonders).

I am utterly delighted with it. Thanks!
Awesome! So glad you like it. :)
So you're saying that if you take the Tower Prep premise and transpose it to the Hefner mansion, have an all female (over 21) cast, then a bikini uniform would be okay? Would this show run on Cinemax or make it a comedy and run it on Fox and would it be okay of Hasselhoff was the Villain or Bosley of the show?

All seriousness aside, I caught the first episode of Tower Prep and found it to be excellent.
I'm glad!

As for the bikini uniform thing, that was a bit more "look, refreshingly low sexism" than "because it would be inappropriate in this setting."

bearhand

6 years ago

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

Oh... I forgot to tell ya I got caught up and have been watching! I also enjoy it quite a bit. I'm not quite at shout-it-to-the-hills-viewer-party heights yet but it's refreshing to have a show about teenagers in which the teenagers actually look like teenagers.
Awesome. :)
Paul Dini's name got me to watch the pilot, and it immediately jumped onto "season record" on the DVR. Smart, fun, and intriguing. I'm not completely in love with it, but I like it more than enough to keep watching.

My favorite new show of the fall is, unexpectedly, Mike & Molly. I love the two leads, the writing is sharp, and it hasn't fallen into the traps I feared it would. This week in particular, there were a couple of food-related jokes, but not one single fat joke, and nothing to imply that fat is inherently ugly or unattractive.
I only saw the first episode. I figure I'll get caught up after the end of the first season, when I know that it has a second.
I have heard good things about Tower Prep, but didn't know Paul Dini was involved, and seeing as I'm currently surrounded by comics with his name on them, I should check this out!
You should!
My son (almost 13) mentioned the previews to me, saying it sounded like a show "like one of the books you would read, Mom." I've now put it on my to do list for the family. Thank you!
You're very welcome!
so how soon do you think they will be putting out fanfiction based on the show out here?
Oh, super-soon, I expect.
It's just a wee bit too old to watch with kid today - but when I saw that I was sure you were going to love it.

And well - too old for kid is usually synonomous with 'no, you're not going to see any of it' right now. Oh well.

kyburg

6 years ago

OK, I just mainlined the first three episodes. You're right--an incredibly solid show.
Number four continues the trend.

scifantasy

6 years ago

I recently learned that the actress playing Suki is 29 years old. Granted, when I was 29, people assumed I was a college student, too. But still. She looks awesome.
...whoa.

I am awed.

brightlotusmoon

6 years ago

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago