Meet New Brian, MIOBI Style

I did actually start this right after the season premier. Then I got sidetracked and it ended up witting in my draft box for months. I know it doesn't really matter now, but hey. When does what I write ever matter?


So, the new season of Make It or Break It is finally here and the writers made no mistake in establishing that the status quo breaker, Emily Kmetko is no longer a part of the road to London or any of the girls' lives. Lauren says, smugly, as the three get dropped off at the gym, that it's always been the three of them, repeating the sentiment first established in the pilot episode right before Emily came in and changed everything. Her not-so-subtle allusion to Emily, relating that "other girls come...go" can almost be seen as an assertion that the steady advancement of consistent drive the original top three had, as opposed to the sudden rise to notoriety that Emily was faced with and could never quite master, was meant to be the correct course all along. Alas, it just turned out to be a wagged tongue at any eager fans who might be holding out hope that Chelsea Hobbs would make a guest appearance. Instead of a resigned Emily appearing at the Olympic Training Center after a tragic abortion and a new hunger for Olympic glory, the loyal viewers of seasons past are treated to the appearance of some girl in a truck who apparently hasn't eaten in awhile and assumes that, despite not being on the national team or at all qualified to compete in a major competition, she'll be able to dazzle the judges and earn her spot.

Now, the writers of this show haven't been too picky about verisimilitude since the beginning, so it isn't so surprising that they don't expect this new character to follow the protocal of the gymnastics world, but it is a bit irritating that they don't even have her follow the rules that they've set forth themselves. She doesn't petition onto the team. She doesn't ask for a hearing or try to use some loophole to claim she qualifies. She literally shows up out of nowhere and expects to be accepted. The random appearance of Jordan (the new girl) directly reflects the sloth of the writing team. They really thought that, after all this time and all this waiting, they would throw in a new girl out of nowhere and we, the viewers, would just accept it. To their credit, they did at least throw in that Jordan was some has-been gymnast who hadn't been seen since she dramatically left the sport for unknown reasons. To their detriment, they didn't bother coming up with an explanation for how a girl with no money, no gym and, from my understanding, no home, who'd left gymnastics altogether for a significant period of time managed to get in shape enough to, not only reclaim her old skills, but to acquire a new one that no other (in shape professional full-time home having) gymnast in history has successfully landed, or what prompted her to do so. It was a far cry from the firm character sketch they'd set up for Emily.

The distinction between Jordan and Emily is as pronounced as it is irritating. It makes me wonder how the two would have interacted if that had ever come to pass. Alas, the two were never meant to exist in the same universe. This third season of Make It or Break It is, quite obviously, a half-assed bone thrown to shut up persistent fans everywhere. While the writers were able to pick up the story of the three not pregnant girls pretty easily, they would have to put actual effort into figuring out where to go with Emily's departure. They obviously weren't willing to do that, but neither were they willing to endure another barrage of angry mail from loyal tweens who loved watching the struggle of the underprivilaged underdog. So it was that Jordan Randall was concieved and, in hopes that none of the viewers would miss any of the genuine characteristics that made them want Emily, the writing team enhanced the superficial characteristics that make the fourth girl the underdog. While Emily was a struggling teen of a single mom whose father had left her, Jordan is a foster child who's been raised in the system. Whereas Emily lived in a crappy apartment and didn't have her own room, Jordan has to sleep in a tent. Where Emily's eastern European roots and humble income place her in the realm of white trash, Jordan is (gasp!) black. In every stupid way one could imagine, Jordan is the new and embellished token underdog character. I was disappointed that they could so easily throw away such a significant character. I see with this new girl just how significant they found her to be. It makes me wish they hadn't bothered coming back.