Semester at Sea Season Recap

All aboard the floating matress of the sea as our intrepid troopers set sail on an all expense paid vacation around the world!

Episode Review

For a full episode analysis, check out the episode archive section.

"Bon Voyage" -- Broadcast Date: 06/21/99

And so, Semester at Sea kicks off with one of the most decent premiers in recent memory due to the fact that for once we're given back story on the cast; along with some old homage in the form of the always recyclable skydive [TM] which ironically became the best mission of the season (from a thrill standpoint). Even Veronica earned extra points for behaving decent as apposed to a ditz. Unfortunately this sentiment vanished as the season progress.

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"A Day at the Circus" -- Broadcast Date: 06/28/99

Look kids! The circus is in town! No, not the Project Ax, but rather the S.A.S Six in this passive installment where Pua showcases her recurring A.D.D, "I thought we were doing this for the heck of it!" To which the viewers smile, shake their heads and go, "Oh that Pua, what won't she say next." And if that wasn't enough, Veronica, making her debut as "Clueless" ditches the mission altogether; then wolfing down her cake, takes credit for it as well! Fortunately the troopers are able to get their act together just in time to score the kids their mac-daddy computers before the closing credits roll.

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"Ayanna's Crisis" -- Broadcast Date: 07/05/99

Great Ayanna vehicle which exhibited some meaty characterizations from the lady of the hour herself coping with her mother's recurring breast cancer, in addition to some nicely done emotional support from Pua. Too bad it all meant nothing in the grand scheme since the issue was dropped faster than a hot potato, never to resurface again for the remainder of the season. Thus Ayanna's Crisis joins the long line of convenient BMP plot pawns designed for rating sweep only! And was I the only one wondering what happened to Clueless' SNORE scores? Were they that bad? The episode/editors didn't seem to care.

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"Journey to South Africa, Part I" -- Broadcast Date: 07/12/99

We get the usual run in part one with a set-up premise that introduces us to life in South Africa via sleepovers at three divers families where the troopers (in particular Pawel and Shawn) try their best to fit into their respective moody environments without tripping over themselves, despite having the unwelcomed mat rolled out ahead of time. Alas, Ayanna is the only one able to make a cultural connection by episode's end; however, there's always room in part two for everyone to catch up.

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"Journey to South Africa, Part II" -- Broadcast Date: 07/19/99

Unfortunately everyone's true colors come shining through in part two when granny pays a visit to 704 Hauser and the Bunker klan whips out their special cold shoulder treatment (South Africa hasn't been this cold since the last ice age). Kudos to Pawel for attempting to lighten the mood despite his boldface lie about being able to play the guitar, nice try though!

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S.A.S's ODDITY OF TERRORS: And so, Semester at Sea began an unprecedented streak of odd number loser shows which bottomed out with "Shanghai Surprise" But just as we were about to lose all hope, it miraculously broke the trend with "Accusations"--However for some the damage had already been done!

"Pawel's Kenyan Experience" -- Broadcast Date: 07/26/99

What started out as a promising vehicle for Pawel turned into an average Road Rules style monopoly mission where Clueless, the poster girl for work-shunning slackers wins a phat new camera. Reeeally?!? This all makes me wanna utter a eight letter word that begins with bull--but I'll restrain my sentiment, not wanting to upset the PG rating of this site. So those of you over 17 can assume what I just said.

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"Hot Voodoo" -- Broadcast Date: 08/02/99

An overrated episode to say the least. C'mon, you have to swallow an awful lot in this episode! Mainly the notion that Ayanna and Clueless have been feuding enemies. You mean to tell me that these two just woke up one morning and decided to despise each other? That's absurd, yet according to the episode that's exactly what happened! Don't get me wrong.. the episode featured some strong character interactions (particularly the mock trial scene); but again, the entire premise sits upon a questionable foundation given the editor's total disregard for continuity (like there wasn't any footage of this building tension over the past six weeks? Ya riiight)

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"Pulling Together" -- Broadcast Date: 08/09/99

The conclusion of the "Big Fight" was a complete cop-out! Professor Warn-out was totally useless as a mediator (I wouldn't recommend him to mediate a pre-school brawl), yet the powers that be would have us believe he played a key roll in the groups' healing process--which was played out so awkwardly there really wasn't any indication of closer at all. And the girls' whole resolution came across as a convenient quick fix with its own built-in automatic reset button that allowed the season to return to its ole status quo. Alas, the only lasting positive impact from this episode is the fact that the villagers have a new "light" on life.

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"Paint or Pay" -- Broadcast Date: 08/16/99

"Paint or Pay" basically boils down to a front for Pua to flash her activism for animal rights when confronted with suspected elephant abuse (I'll give her points for enthusiasm and determination, too bad all integrity was lost in Vietnam). However spare me Ayanna (who's actions seemed more like chest-thumping for the camera than the elephants) partake in the situation; and no, Clueless' lip service didn't help things either! Good thing Smooth Operator can bring humor to a humorless situation, speaking of which....

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"Just Say Yes" -- Broadcast Date: 08/23/99

Smooth Operator lives up to his name in this installment when he finds himself caught in a emotional tug O' war with two frat girls vying for his affection. But there really wasn't anything in "Just Say Yes" that was particularly fresh or original (or at least that I haven't seen about a half a dozen times before, on "both" shows). How much longer do we have to endure these hokey worn-out romance plots that are as predictable as the lottery: NO gasp here when S.O throws Robin back to the sea in favor of his prize catch Alissa, who eventually became his lay of the day! And the mission was so dumb that it's not even worth mentioning, except to mention how dumb it was. Next time, just say NO!

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"Good Morning Veitnam" -- Broadcast Date: 08/30/99

Just when I though it was time to close the lid on the mission casket, along came this little gem to revitalize the season (at least for a week). And while the relay race wasn't entirely original, it did remind me of why I even watch this show at all! The episode also does an effective job of poking fun at its characters with-out compromising their integrity: whether it's Ayanna freaking out in a kiddy pool or Pawel whacking himself with a ore; but alas, all integrity is lost for Ms. Two face who puts her animal rights philosophy on the back burner when wolfing down a plate full of innocent snails for a mission she ends up losing anyway. Plus the to-date-walk-on, and-never-to-be-seen-again Latoya also questioned some integrity on the editors part. But I'm willing to let it slide since she played into Shawn's plot device --who's pretty much gotten a crappy deal on characterization (or lack thereof).

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"Ho Chi Minh's Millions" -- Broadcast Date: 09/06/99

Just for the record, if you needed any more evidence that the folks over at BMP are as unethical as the trash talk show circuit, then look no further! The main plot revolves around a arbitrary mission that borders on the immoral, "Hey, think of those poor orphans when you're stuffing your gut or receiving a sensual massage!" Hey, I got a better ideal! How about you keep your money and we rich Americans will go back to our luxury liner and play shuffle board, deal? And to top it off Ayanna throws on some silly racial accusation which is totally irrelevant! Oh, and as for that walking contrivance known as Spanky, can you say "Plant"? Apart from Pawel's noble photo drive this puppy would've scored an automatic zero; but hold on S.A.S, your goose egg is comin' right up!

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"Growing and Rowing" -- Broadcast Date: 09/13/99

The banner headline for "Growing and Rowing" is about as subtle as a two-by-four to the head, but what is it? Is it Yes' boose bust? No. ) Is it Pua's stab at proper grammar ("Fishes" Oy, what's next "foots")? Nope.) But rather someone finally-FINALLY remembers that we're on a freakin' UNIVERSITY!!! Kohler and Co. remember they have to actually earn their paychecks by enforcing academics; Clueless remembers she's on this cruise to score a 4.0 on her tan; and Ayanna remembers it's her duty to flash her self-righteousness and like totally miss the point! But fortunately for these twerps they have a get-out-of-jail-free-card (A.K.A "B-M Contract") whereas your average S.A.S Joe would most likely be thumbing another ride home for piping up to their superior--or maybe not given S.A.S' track record for academic punishment, or lack thereof (foreshadowing).

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"Shanghai Surprise" -- Broadcast Date: 09/20/99

....And what a unpleasant surprise it was! The episode hasn't the slightest clue as to where it wants to go; the plot's as confusing as a jigsaw puzzle. Plus there's waaay too much filler involving numerous shots of the ship, sunsets, skyline, etc...(If I want exotic scenery I'll watch The Travel Channel) And an entire angel involving a damn bracelet which is completely pointless! Sheesh, what a waste of screen time! This episode should never had happened.. and as far as I'm concerned it didn't!

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"The Perils of Pua" -- Broadcast Date: 09/27/99

Not bad, but not all that great either. The subplot in which Pua reassess her usefulness to the group is ok but seems more appropriate as a plot device in or around "Ayanna's Crisis" or "Hot Voodoo". And while the ski challenge was a refreshing change of pace, the day at anime skit was a somber reminder that we're still scrapping the bottom of the mission barrel. However, I'll give the producers credit for attempting to put the "adventure" back into Road Rules.

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"Accusations" -- Broadcast Date: 10/04/99

At first glance "Accusations" seems more like as episode of the Real World/borderlineMelrose Place than anything else: plagiarism, lies, denies, thievery, back stabbing... Phew! I imagine Flora would've had a ball on this cruise! Even the salon on ship mission appeals to Real World's primpy-no experience necessary-white collar jobs, but who cares? I was particularly amused by the clash between Ayanna and Clueless over a essay "Clueless" is accused of copping. Also major props go to the editors for inserting Clueless' academic troubles from "Growing and Rowing" which made for some good continuity. Something this series often fails to deliver.

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"10 Days" -- Broadcast Date: 10/11/99

"I waited four months for this?!?"--was my immediate response upon viewing the troopers' final mission/handsome reward combo. Do you mean to tell me that coming off the heels of a war game exercise, that a freakin' theme song is the best you can do? I want my money back! And as for that Imac (which a few of you slammed me for trashing)... needless to say, there have been better ones. Fortunately character interactions saved the day once again. Pretty much everyone got a decent amount of camera time to strut their stuff; however, valuable screen time, that could've gone to cast member/family interactions was instead consumed by a pointless reunion segment that failed to deliver on character development since Clueless displayed zero remorse. And Pawel's over hyped secret was mediocre to say the least.

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Lately I've been struggling with a question, a question that first came to mind over a year ago; and alas, after three seasons, I haven't been able to come up with a distinctive answer--That question is, "What is Road Rules all about???" Is it a reality based drama, a challenging adventure, a extended spring break, or a PBS special? Well after viewing Semester at Sea I'm inclined to say all of the above--with the exception of the "Challenging Adventure" aspect.

Now days, it appears that what initially made Road Rules a challenging adventure series in its first few seasons isn't what Road Rules wishes to stress anymore. What Road Rules wishes to be is a Real World style melodramatic vacation series where a viewer can tune in once a week and be entertained by a stand-alone character or theme show (the thrill/adventure aspects have been low-keyed to the point that Semester at Sea could've essentially been inserted into The Travel Channel line up; I seriouly doubt anyone would've noticed).

Far too often this season characters seemed more like plot pawns than real people making decisions. Case in point Ayanna, who becomes emotionally traumatize upon hearing of her mother's reoccurrence of Breast Cancer... and that's all she wrote folks! But how is Ayanna dealing with the prospect of her mother coping with a disease which could be fatal? How are the other characters (Pua in particular) relating to Ayanna? Has her mother's condition gotten any worse? Frankly the editors didn't give a damn (you can't have a scenario where a character comes to grips with a serious family issue, then pretend next week like nothing ever happened to her)! And it's not just "Ayanna's Crisis", other episodes.. such as, "Pawel's Kenyan Experience", "Just Say Yes", "Shanghai Surprise", and "The Perils of Pua" are so caught up in theme that deep characterization nearly becomes irrelevant.

Therefore, it should come as no surprise, then, that Road Rules is dependent more on its plots than its character development. Worse yet, it almost displays an unconscious contempt for anyone willing to pay attention from one week to the next. A big example is the way the editors introduced certain characters who should've appeared on the scene long before their scheduled airdates. There should've been some mention of Robin/Alissa prior to "Just Say Yes", and defiantly some mention of Latoya who shawn met while in Cuba, yet she didn't make her one-time guest appearance until "Good Morning Vietnam"!

Overall, characterizations were rather impressive this season. Yes, Clueless, and Ayanna all received a decent amount of screen time to strut their stuff: Yes with "Just Say Yes" and "Shanghai Surprise" (eventhough those eps didn't appeal to my taste); Clueless with "Bon Voyage", "Hot Voodoo", "Growing and Rowing", "Accusations", and "10 Days"; and Ayanna with "Ayanna's Crisis" and a few of the aforementioned. But it's a character like Ayanna who I find myself occasionally going back and forth with, whereas I expressed the same grounded sentiment towards everyone else all season. For a while there Ayanna was my favorite cast member, that is until she landed on my spit list in "Pulling Together". But fortunately she--or say the editors got her act together by "Accusation".

However, Ayanna's probably the last person I'd use when coming down hard on the editors for mischaracterization; whereas a more appropriate target would be Pua. Here was a promising Christina like character and the editors had her all-over-the-map this season! "Bon Voyage" introduced us to a spunky gung-ho adventurous; then "A Day at the Circus" turned her into a G.I Jane wannabe drunken slacker; "Ayanna's Crisis" gave her a counselor's license to comfort Ayanna; then "Hot Voodoo" and "Paint or Pay" suddenly fired up her persona to an overstated excess; then "The Perils of Pua" turned her into a lost soul looking for a cause; finally "Accusation" and "10 Days" suddenly made her soft and timid. Just who the heck is this girl anyway?

Shawn was reasonable despite his slow start out of the gate, but still somewhat underutilized save "Journey to South Africa" and "Good Morning Vietnam"--Same goes for Pawel who was virtually nonexistent for most of the season, except for a few walk-on roles with little building value; take "Pawel's Kenyan Experience" for example.

And before I conclude my characterization segment, I want to point out that this season was not as good as Latin America in terms of creating consistent character relationships. For instance, as a theme last season we had the on-going relationship between Abe, Gladys, and Holly; perhaps it was overused at times, but at least it was something we could look back on at the end of the season. Here, we get hints of possible sparks between Yes and Clueless but nothing really became of it apart from a few exchanging flirts.

But realistically, how could these people bond with each other with an assorted array of distractions on board--mainly the 600 other students? I had said as early as Feb that this concept wasn't going to work (too bad I hit the nail right on the head). Now I'll give the producers credit for experimenting, but ultimately this experiment went the way of the Flowbee! Why couldn't we have had a set up where the gang sailed around the world on their own private sail boat (which would've made for a far more interesting season) like say, the Islands cast? On that end, one thing I appreciated about this season was its emphasis on continuous traveling progress. Among my biggest gripes with Latin America was the absurdity of the season seemingly cruising at snails pace, laughable camping out in Mexico for two whole months! With this season a stay over in any one country or place never lasted any longer than two weeks, nice job! Though unfortunately, overall credit goes to S.A.S' schedule since Road Rules was just along for the ride.

Looking ahead, what does Road Rules need? Well, it needs what it has needed for the past few seasons now: it needs to focus more on its characters than its plots, it needs to look upon the cast as real people dealing with life as apposed to characters in a play, and frankly, it needs better missions! I don't even know why I'm bringing this up since I've essentially been saying the same damn thing over the past two seasons now! Needless to say B-M's liability insurance must've shot through the roof! How else do you explain the kindergarten friendly missions this season? Therefore, don't be toooo surprised if S.A.S doesn't make the cut in Road Rules' up coming "Most Dangerous Missions" marathon.

Looking ahead to next season, I feel B-M's on the right track by returning the show to its original stumping grounds in the US. The series should give the already exhausted International scene a rest for acouple of seasons. Hopefully the series will start out the new millennium on the right foot. Happy Holidays and seeya next century!

Viewer Rating	Results
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