Perfection - Chrissy Aithchison
This is a cool kids only zone: will all nerds and adults please leave the building. As a fan script this is good, but lacks the fullness of the show and certain other MSCL scripts. Still, I like it, even if the over abundance of teen angst "likes" does tend to turn the thing into a
stutter at times. [3.5/5]
Aftershocks - ER Holdridge
What makes the ER Holdridge My So-Called Life fan scripts so *good*? Compare them to most of the other My So-Called Life fanfics. A typical script will deal only with the "cool kids" of the show. Angela will end up with Jordan, and Angela will make up with Rayanne. Why? Well, Jordan's meant to be a hunk, and Rayanne's meant to be Angela's friend. Brian is ignored because he's a nerd, Sharon is ignored because she is bitchy, and the adults are all ignored because they are, like, so old, or whatever. That wasn't what the show was about. Sure, Claire Danes was credited as being the star of the show at every available oppurtunity, but the title "My So-Called Life" could be applied to all the characters in the show, and that is the theme that is continued into this series of scripts. Forget a neat ending, these are stories that not only *could* have comprised the second season of the show, they *should* have comprised it.
"Aftershocks" is the first of the scripts, and while the author is yet to get into his swing, this illustrates why these scripts are so good. Written in a manner that manages to contain fiction as well as the odd televisual effect, we begin the new season straight after the first season ends. There is an impressive thread of flashbacks that blend in seamlessly with the story, giving the reader unobtrusive hints of the characters' histories. There are the first hints of story arcs to be continued in the rest of the scripts. Characters come alive with facial expressions, dialogue, and every mannerism the actors bought to them represented perfectly. And while the relationships are furthered, no loose ends are tied up, leaving the reader wanting more. Simply put, this is the starting block for one of the most inventive series of fanfics on the Internet. Absolutely unmissable. [5/5]
Snapshots - ER Holdridge
Now that the tear jerker of a finale from the final episode of the show has been resolved, the story of Angela Chase et al should be concluded, right? Wrong, as this, the second Holdridge script illustrates. Angela's best friend is still estranged from her, Rickie is still having troubles with his sexuality and the two love triangles are still unbroken - all of which makes the script sound like the biggest load of tosh ever, but don't worry; it isn't. This is not some mindless soap opera, this is a mighty wave of rollercoaster emotion. Try Graham's elation as his dream of his own restaurant takes shape, and Patty's jealousy at his fraternization with Hallie. Try Kyle telling Sharon he loves her as she prepares to split up with him. Try watching one of our heroes starting to fade from view. Try reading this script. And bring a hanky; the ending is a real weepie. [5/5]
Diagnosis - ER Holdridge
*This* is where it gets serious. After the two script lead-in, plotlines start clicking into place in this marvelous fanfic. While Sharon faces the reality of what it's like to be on the *other* side of the popularity fence, Danielle celebrates her birthday with a bombshell of a revelation. The theme of the script is cruelty, and no matter how cruel the faceless myriad of teenagers are to Sharon and Rayanne, nature proves far crueler as a character is struck down with illness, and believe me, you'll gasp when it happens. The writing is, as always, superb, with some smart "television moments" and a great ending. The amazing thing is the way Holdridge manages to pan out something that would be dealt with in a few lines by a less talented writer, into an entire telemovie. Another thing is the subject matter. If this was an actual episode of "My So-Called Life" it would be daring - as this is fan fiction, it is doubly daring, and maybe even unprecedented. Prepare to be gripped. [5/5]
Fools - ER Holdridge
The title may refer to the fact that this fanfic is set on April 1st, but the story is nothing to do with fools . . . or is it? What we're dealing with here, is where we come from, and where we are going. There are two pregnancies (both under very different, yet strangely similar circumstances), a mid life crisis, and a fantastic ending, and all the components are thought provoking. Patty thinks that her, husband's having an affair, and when she finds out he isn't, she examines the reasons behind her suspicions, which stem from her very beginning. Angela gets back together with Jordan, but will it be different this time. Trying to describe this mire of human interaction without it sounding like a soap opera is *so* difficult; you'll just have to believe me when I say that this is a powerful slice of drama that *will* affect you on some level. [5/5]
Choices - ER Holdridge
And so we reach the conclusion of the first cycle of the Holdridge scripts. You know, there are some people who think that "My So-Called Life" is all about Angela Chase. In fact, the majority of fans would probably be unable to describe the show without mentioning Angela in there somewhere. But how often does she appear in this script? And how often does she have a major role in a scene? And quite frankly, she's not missed at all. Not when we have the juxtopositioning of Sharon's predicament with Patty's family reunion, allowing the whole thing to seem like a loop in time. Not with the wonderfully charged scene between Brian and Rayanne. I'm reall y finding it hard to come up with new superlatives to describe just how *good* these scripts are . . but if you haven't started reading them yet, then Go, Now, Go! Oh, and I loved the "MTV" in joke. Heartachingly good. [5/5]
Second Chances - Shannon
The So-Called Fan Fiction site's *other* author starts her fanfic series with this excellent script. The two "Angela" plot lines are finished up in good time, avoiding the rushed feel of some of the other fanfics available, and whats more, this is used as a starting point for a new look on the series. The author is obviously a paid up member of the Brian Krakow fan club, as the character is given the lime light. But, instead of becoming a romantic hero or easygoing nerd, he is portrayed as being bitter and depressed, and this brave move really works. Not so encouraging is the Hallie-Graham-Patty relationship, which seems a little forced. The writing is sometimes rusty, with scenes finishing on bizzarre notes, and the whole thing fails to gel together come the end. Still it's a promising start. [4/5]
Transitions - Shannon
The second Shannon MSCL script has all of the good points, and unfortunately, all of the bad points of the first. The way it starts led me to believe that this would be a Brian oriented script, and this is done - to a degree. Brian is completely isolated from the rest of the characters, and for it to show in a story that is essentially all about isolation is something of an achievement. I fear that Brian is becoming something of an anti-hero, we can't sympathise because he is feeding on the non-qualities that we all try to hide. Take the beginning, when he rescues Sharon from her jock boyfriend. It's like a wstern - the mysterious man with no name appears and saves the damsel before disappearing into the sunset without resolving his problems. Brian stays the same while the rest of the characters change. I liked the fanfic, but there are some things that seem so unreal in a mostly realistic script, and that just doesn't work. [4/5]
Opening Night - Shannon
It's quite ironic that this superb fanfic is entitled "Opening Night". For a start, there is no "opening night" in it. But, maybe "Closing Night" would be too appropriate.
This story is about love - even more so than the other Shannon scripts, and in examining just about every relationship in the series, it becomes an excellent social commentary where Brian, notable for his absence in most of the story, developes into the full bodied character indicative of these scripts. Although the script is a good read all the way through, it isn't until the final third that it comes into it's own, with a mindblowingly charged confrontation scene and a great ending. Even the faults in the earlier scripts are smoothed out, although I would have preferred a little more time to have been spent on the Patty-Hallie-Graham story, which still seems a little hurried. Never mind, this is great. Read it now! [5/5]
Lost And Found - Shannon
And so we come to the end of the first cycle of Shannon's MSCL scripts, and while it's not quite as good as "Opening Night", it's still excellent. Told from Danielle's point of view, it sets about closing all the plot threads from the story in style (the very though of throwing a surprise birthday party for Brian Krakow is perverse). And then, an eighth or so from the end, things start rolling for the next cycle, ending on a brilliant cliffhanger. While this scripts more "day in the life" and freeform than the others, it does address the main problem of these scripts, (the Patty-Graham story) and cleverly does not tie up all the close ends. The board game scene, a knowing mirror of the ER Holdridge opening, is great as is the Angela-Danielle scene at the end. Here's to the next cycle. [5/5]
The So-Called Christmas '97 - Shannon and Shobi
Yes; it's an MP. Yes; there's some aspects of milling fic in it. But,
this is *so* good these points just don't matter. The characters are
so well written they could be real people, and while there isn't any
plot, that doesn't matter because the tangled network of bittersweet
memories contained in this fanfic are funny and moving and an
incredible read. Mind you, what did I expect from these two authors?
Deeply moving, whether it's Christmas or not. [5/5]
Favourite Moments - Shannon and Shobi
This is good; a milling fic where the authors interview each character
from the show and ask them what *their* favourite moments were in
"My So-Called Life". The writing is great, though the "I remember when
. . ." aspects are a little blatant; there's not much original plot
here. Still, our "hosts" are brilliant. [4/5]
Decisions - Ryan Donovan
This script is really the bare bones of a “quick fix” story. By the end of it, Brian and Angela have sorted
things out, and Angela and Rayanne are friends again. Sharon’s split up with Kyle Vinovich happens off
screen, and Graham and Hallie awkwardly appear for about three seconds. Add to this some *very*
unprofessional writing moments, and the result is certainly nothing to write home about. [2/5]
My So-Called Scream - Ryan Donovan
This script is a “Scream” crossover, but I assume that it’s actually a pretty straight forward remake of the
movie (I’ve read the opening of the Scream script, and this fanfic is a word for word retelling, with names
changed to protect the guilty). The horror is in the manner of “The Killer jumped out and stabbed the lady
repeatedly”, and is rather comical. I guessed who the killers were near the beginning, but the ending is
obtuse enough for those who aren’t that familiar with the horror genre. [3/5]
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