I always have told my kids things haven’t changed much over the years, really.  I know they think Mom is clueless most of the time.  There was no better way to illustrate the fact that yes, I do have a clue, than to sit down and watch Square Pegs with them.  I started watching this series again after seeing it come up recommended in my Netflix queue, but stopped.  I just thought this was so cool I had to watch it with my kids.  So does a show that my friends and I worshipped for one season in the 1980's translate as well today?

The story centers around two freshman high school girls who are trying to fit in and become popular.  Lauren (portrayed by Amy Linker) and Patty (portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker) each have their own issues.  Lauren struggles with her weight and Patty is really skinny and wears glasses.  Their friends are Marshall (portrayed by John Femia) and Johnny Slash (portrayed by Merritt Butrick).

The tone for the series is set from the opening credits, although it’s not heard in the pilot, where Lauren vows they will be popular “even if it kills us.”  To this end, most of the episodes focus on schemes she comes up with to make them more popular, or get them into a popular party or gathering.  They are regularly dissed by those in the popular crowd, particularly Jennifer (portrayed by Tracey Nelson) who is the ultimate “Valley Girl” and her friend LaDonna (portrayed by Claudette Wells).  Jennifer thinks nothing of referring to Lauren as “that fat chick” and in general acts like she has no use for them until there’s something specific need for them.

One of the thing I could remember at the time and still felt watching it again now is that the girls cannot see what's right before their eyes.  Lauren and Patty actually have a couple of really good friends.  Heck, all my friends and I loved Johnny Slash and thought he was the coolest.  Johnny really likes Patty and seems to pine for her a bit at times.  It seems like they could be so happy in their own little world, and being popular isn’t really all it’s cracked up to be.

The show is funny, however.  Though usually not physical comedy, the show does get pretty funny at times.  It’s set up usually with the crazy plots devised by Lauren that the audience knows won’t work the way she plans.  Another bit of comic-relief comes from do-gooder Muffy (portrayed by Jami Gertz) who always seems to have a project she’s working on and tries to rope her fellow students into it.

One of the trends I could see by the end of the lone season of the show was the tendency to focus on Johnny too much.  By the end of the season, this quirky character had become incredibly popular.  He was transformed from the beginning of the show as well.  At first he seemed to be someone who had his own niche and was mature beyond those he was beside in high school.  By the end of the year, at times he seemed to be a neurotic mess who was the butt of many jokes.  I think this reliance on his character to act like this would have grown tired, fast, had the show seen a second season.  The plus is that this gives a great look at the very short acting career of the talented Merritt Butrick.

One thing I saw when I watched this for the first time in twenty years was just how dated many of the references are.  A hot guy is referred to as John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone and the Fonz all rolled into one.  The kids talk about the Budweiser taste buds which were a popular commercial back in the day.  There are a lot of Saturday Night Live references (many of the crew on this show were veterans from that show).  Pac Man had just come out and it's shown in the cafeteria during one episode.  If you’re watching this with your kids, I can pretty much guarantee that they won’t get that Marshall is dressed like one of the McKenzie Brothers in the Halloween episode.

The plus here was the music.  Bands like The Waitresses and Devo appeared on the show.  However, the show has lost most of the original music for the era and it’s been replaced by generic background music.  I mind it less here than on some other shows where they’ve done that, but it’s worth noting.  Other guest stars include Father Guido Sarducci, John Densmore, and Bill Murray.

The extras here are to die for.  There are interviews with the entire surviving cast which rather surprised me.  Rather than wanting to forget her origins like many other actors who have gone on to bigger and better things, Sarah Jessica Parker is here talking about the parallels she sees between Patty and Carrie from Sex in the City.  I loved listening to the cast reminiscing about Merritt Butrick.  At first I thought they were avoiding the topic (Butrick died in 1989 of AIDS-related complications) but once they did get comfortable enough to talk about him, what they say is absolutely wonderful.  I was wondering how they would handle it.

So what did my kids think?  Well, I had to explain a lot to them.  But my 14 year old was really surprised to see that many of the same issues she’s come up against in middle and high school were there back in the 1980’s as well.  Still, I can’t see them picking up the discs and watching it for themselves.  Personally, I would like to add it to my collection on a future date, but unlike other shows, I don’t feel a pressing need.  It’s one of those that I remember so well, but doesn’t hold up as well to the test of time as I’d thought it would.  It’s not the fault of the actors, who are all wonderful and spot-on.  The show itself is just terribly dated in many of the references they use.  Couple that with the removal of the original music from the era in the soundtrack, and I don’t feel as much of a drive to own it.

I think those who remember the series original run will do well to watch it again and see if it speaks to you.  Rent it before buying and then decide if it’s something you need.

I'd still rather hang out with Johnny Slash than the "popular" kids...


Episode List:

Disc One:

Square Pegs
A Cafeteria Line
Pac-Man Fever
Square Pigskins
Halloween XII
A Simple Attachment
Weemaweegate

Special Features:

• Weemawee Yearbook Memories with Sarah Jessica Parker, Tracy Nelson and Claudette Wells, Jami Gertz

Disc Two:

Open 24 Hours
Muffy's Bat Mitzvah
Hardly Working
A Child's Christmas in Weemawee: Part 1
A Child's Christmas in Weemawee: Part 2
It's All How You See Things
Merry Pranksters

Special Features:

• Weemawee Yearbook Memories with John Femia, Steven Peterman, Amy Linker, Merritt Butrick

Disc Three

It's Academical!
The Stepanowicz Papers
To Serve Weemawee All My Days
No Substitutions
No Joy in Weemawee
The Arrangement

Special Features:

• Weemawee Yearbook Memories with Creator and Executive Producer Anne Beatts




© 2009 Patti Aliventi

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD