In
addition, many of the episodes were directed by a lesbian: Jamie
Babbit, who went on to write and direct But I'm a Cheerleader
and episodes of Nip/Tuck.
4.
Harrison's Lesbian Mom
Alley
Mills (best known as the mom from The Wonder Years)
plays Harrison's mom, Robin, a lesbian pharmacist who is outed
in Episode 9 ("Wild, Wild Mess"). Harrison's friends
think it's cool, but Harrison's not ready to go public about
his mom's sexual orientation. "It's bad enough I hang out
with three girls and I'm not dating any of them," he tells
his mom. "I don't need the whole damn school thinking that
I'm a queer too. You don't mind people thinking you're a freak?
Fine! I do." But Harrison eventually comes around and supports
his mother, especially when Robin's girlfriend dumps her in
an episode later in the season ("Ch-Ch-Changes").
When
Robin is fired from her job for being a lesbian, Mary Cherry's
mother Cherry Cherry buys the pharmacy and hires her back--with
a few zingers along the way, like this one: "Look at you.
You ain't got a buzz cut and you're wearing a pesto sweater
from Banana Republic. Sorry, I was looking for a lesbian! Have
a nice day!"
5.
Lisa Darr as Sam's Mother
Ellen
fans will immediately recognize Lisa Darr, the actress who plays
Sam's mother in Popular, as the actress who played
Ellen's love interest, Laurie, in the last season of her sitcom
(Laurie was a mortgage broker with a pre-teen daughter who fell
for Ellen). Darr does a good job in this role, too, even if
she doesn't engage in any lesbian activity.
6.
Brooke and Sam's Friendship
The
evolution of Brooke and Sam's relationship as they get to know
each other and begin to see past their misconceptions is one
of the better enemies-become-friends storylines on television.
Their friendship and its disconcerting effect on their other
friendships is explored in subtle, nuanced ways that avoid black-and-white
answers and is realistically messy.
7.
The Rest of the Characters
From
Sugar Daddy to the gender-ambiguous biology teacher Bobbi Glass
("After a nuclear apocalypse, I'll be the only thing left
standing other then cockroaches and Cher!") to ultra-outcast
April Tuna (whom Mary Cherry calls "the black hole of beauty"),
there has rarely been a show which consistently produces supporting
characters who are as odd and strangely interesting as those
on Popular. When April Tuna asks Harrison to a dance,
for example, she puts it in her own unique, April Tuna way:
"Hello,
Harrison John. Though you are not the dream boy I have bondage
fantasies about (that would be the hard-bodied Stone Cold) you
would be an adequate setting for the fiery ruby that is April
Tuna. Please pick me up Friday at eight o'clock with expensive
hot-house corsage in hand."
8.
The Diversity
Although
the cast is mostly white (except for Lily, who is Latina), Popular
does a better job than most shows of including diversity in
its supporting characters and storylines. Like cheerleader Poppy
Fresh (who runs for homecoming queen to represent girls of color),
the black gay male drama teacher (who is later replaced by a
black woman), an inspiring humanities teacher played by Sandra
Oh (who played a lesbian in Under
the Tuscan Sun), exchange student Exquisite Woo (who
tells Harrison, "Get one thing straight, whitest boy alive,
you are not my type"), Harrison's lesbian mom, and a transgendered
MTF shop teacher who is the focus of one of the later episodes
when he undergoes a sex change operation.
9.
The Stereotypes
The
show excels at alternating between promoting stereotypes and
skewering them. Beneath the surface of clique wars and high
school stereotypes, there is Josh, the football player who wants
to be in a musical ("Sorry, dad, gotta miss the recruitment
dinner. Gotta sing, gotta dance"); Carmen, who wants to
be a cheerleader despite her size (and eventually gets her wish);
Nicole's occasional moments of kindness; and Brooke and Sam's
slow realization they have more in common than they thought.
Not to mention the shop teacher who wants to be a woman and
the lesbian pharmacist who wears Banana Republic.
