Huge (2010)

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I finally decided to do something about the mountain of TV recommendations I’ve acquired from friends, family, and the Internet.  My first foray?  An ABC Family summer replacement show that only ran half a season.  And what might your opinion be of those apples?

 

Well, think again – Huge is awesome!  Based on a young-adult book, it follows the attendees and staff at a teen weight-loss camp.  I was skeptical until I realized it was penned by Winnie Holzman, the woman behind the excellent My So-Called Life.  I’m not sure why I can be so affectionate about teen shows (see also:  Skins, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Veronica Mars,) but when they’re done well, they just really click with me.  And this show is done very well.

 

We’ll start with the richly drawn characters.  There’s nihilistic Will, raging against the parents who sent her.  There’s sweet Alistair, somehow equal parts insecure and self-assured.  There’s shy Becca, timidly guarding her heart.  There’s uncomfortable-in-his-skin Ian, existing in music.  And those are just my favorites.  All the campers are far more than our first impressions of them, and most of the adult characters are no slouches either.  Like My So-Called Life, Huge achieves the aim of the best teen shows – it feels utterly genuine.  The kids are immature, self-conscious, and short-sighted, but they’re also insightful, talented, and brave.  Sometimes they wrestle their dragons down, and sometimes they get scorched.  Their pain pierces, resonates.  They’re teenagers, not types.

 

Plus, all these teens are overweight.  Imagine that:  multiple overweight characters with myriad personalities and interests, with skills, love lives, and problems beyond their size.  We also have characters of different races and orientations, mixed-race families, and a major character with an acknowledged-but-not-dwelled-on disability.  Let’s take a moment and applaud ABC Family.

 

The portrayal of the weight-loss camp itself is iffy (some aspects seem a bit counter-productive,) but the weight-related issues the show brings up are handled with complexity and care.  From the girl who’s “chubby” back home but a “goddess” at fat camp, to the boy who can’t bring himself to look at his weigh-in results, all are touched by their relationship with their body.  Even the slender camp director, a former camper herself, fights a long-life battle with self-esteem.

 

I’d better mention that said camp director is played by Gina “Zoë from Firefly” Torres.  The show also features Nikki Blonsky (star of the movie-musical version of Hairspray) and Raven Goodwin (anyone who was in The Station Agent is amazing forever,) and introduced me to a number of other fantastic actors I’ve never seen before.

 

Some of the romantic drama is a bit much, I’ll admit.  But really, my only big complaint is the length – with just 10 episodes, the show ends mid-summer with basically every plot up in the air.  At least with My So-Called Life, we only have to wonder which boy Angela picks.

 

Warnings

 

Some heavy subject matter (including discussion of eating disorders,) a little drinking, and sexual references.