TV's Best of Prom Episodes

I can neither confirm nor deny my presence in this picture...
Having just come off of my own prom, and having an unexpected blast, I thought I'd take a look at some of TV's famous attempts to capture that most anticipated of teen events. So here's some of my favourite prom episodes from recent memory that stand out in the slow dance of televised pop-culture; full of drama, angst, laughs and of course, glamour:

(In no particular order)

Smallville
"Tempest"/"Spirit"
One was the pivotal, high stakes season 1 finale, the other marking the end of an era and featuring an axe-wielding, psycho-ghost murderer, but both have major parts to play in the Smallville lore. The draw here wasn't the big catastrophes looming (the tempest itself and the aforementioned psycho prom queen possessor) but instead the small, personal dramas of Clark and Chloe. In "Tempest", Clark finally asked Chloe for a slow dance (to the series theme tune, "Save Me" no less) which was romantic and all, but it was of course interrupted by the storm blowing into town and Clark's responsibility to stop it, especially as his real love interest, Lana, was at risk. He never did return to the dance with Chloe and we could all feel her pain at being so close to what she wanted, but then being harshly reminded that it was never going to happen.

Skip ahead to season 4 and it was time for the senior prom, where amongst all the supernatural peril, "Spirit" saw the gang's high school years drawing to a close. Again, Clark gets his slow dance on, but this time with Lana despite his fears of rejection. Chloe looks on, admitting how the events of the last prom (in "Tempest") still hurt, although reminded by the glowing Lois that Chloe's future may be even greater than Clark's himself. Neatly tied into each other, both looking fabulously Prom-like, a great music selection and the dramatic, emotion driven beats made these two super promisodes gleam brightly amongst the sci-fi and action elements surrounding the show's mythos. 



How I Met Your Mother
"Best Prom Ever"

Still in its first season, it was important for HIMYM to find its feet by taking classic trope episodes like the Prom in a different direction, as to drift away from the Friends clone that many would label it as. So instead of going flashback style (Lily's moments notwithstanding), we saw the gang, at their current adult ages, crash a senior prom. There was everything in this one; Lily's character is developed through the realisation of her failed dreams, Barney sneaks into the prom via Turtle outfit and Ted and Marshall fight a kid with Nunchucks. Seriously, what else would you need to prove that How I Met Your Mother was a fresh, original sitcom that stood on its own two hilarious legs? 


Glee
"Prom Queen"/"Prom-asaurus"
Say what you will about those folks down at McKinley High, but they sure can throw a prom. Multiple, it would seem, and manage to keep both different enough from one another to justify its inclusion in the series. Whilst neither of these were ground-breaking in their prom portrayals, both certainly had their highlights, whether it was the surprise performance of Rebecca Black's "Friday" and the turmoil Kurt went through in "Prom Queen" or the bizarre Brittany "Dinosaur" number, the cute Becky/Puck stuff and that ever-hilarious Jar-Jar binks line in "Prom-asaurus". Cheesy, yes, but there was also a lot of the emotional high notes being struck throughout reminding all us Gleeks why Glee still rules the teen-drama scene.

Friends
"The One with the Prom Video"

'Twas a simpler time

Often hailed as one of Friends' greatest episodes, "The One with the Prom Video" is one of those moments in a sitcom's run where you watch it and just think "I friggin' love this show". And how could you possibly say otherwise? Because it was at that point when the critics began to say that this could well be the comedy that defines a generation and will run for years and years (at the time it was only on season 2). We don't even see them at the prom, yet the heart and soul of the prom atmosphere is captured perfectly in the few parts of the prom-prep we do see. I don't think I really need to run down the events of this cultural masterpiece, because if you haven't witnessed frumpy Monica, bitchy Rachel and horrifically Geeky Ross (we're talking 80s geeky), then honestly, what are you doing here?

The Suite Life of Zach and Cody

Less than ideal...

"A Prom Story"
You can't beat some classic Disney Channel, especially when it was a pre-pubescent Zack and Cody. In all honesty, this was probably the closest the show got to resembling some kind of sincerity between Maddie (Ashley Tisdale) and Zach. In hindsight with that particular relationship, even though it was just a kids' show, there were some poignant themes of tragedy and inevitability of heartbreak involved. So when the two dance, you know that for the significantly younger Zach this is his only realistic shot with the crush of his life. Bet you never thought Zach and Cody could be rich in humanised subtext, eh? Plus the Cody-Mime subplot here was a genuine funny highlight of the series.

Community

Yep, that's Community for ya. 

"Pascal's Triangle Revisited"
While not strictly speaking a prom, out of all the dances Greendale holds (some for the most obscurest of reasons), the "Transfer Dance" in this episode was pretty much the show's homage to the classic Prom episode. In true Community (and Greendale) style, it's not prom queen they're running for, but "Tranny Queen", while a love triangle then becomes a line, back to a triangle, and then a quad, and there is some very impromptu and inappropriate rapping going on courtesy of Professor Duncan. Add to that with Dean Pelton's developing Dalmatian fetish and Abed toying with the TV tropes themselves to deliver some genuine heart-warming stuff that rounds off the terrific first season, and you've got a sort-of-prom episode that won't be forgotten in a hurry.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"The Prom"
As a show having always been a very close portrayal of teen life (despite the whole demons and vampires thing), Buffy's Prom episode was damn near perfect, encompassing everything you could want from it. The hype and build-up, the preparation, the fun, the raw emotion, the hell hounds of doom -- oh right, that too. Yet even with its trademark slayage of creatures from the nether, each part of this episode somehow sprung from the prom ideal. These dogs were being set upon people in tuxedos and dresses, which seems daft on face value, but is given meaning from the lonely, prom-hater kid who trained them. Xander and Cordelia's friendship is restored through his generosity of buying her dress in her struggling financial times, and even Buffy gets recognition from her peers as being "Class Protector", in a truly eye-watering moment that culminated the past 3 years.

"Soul" Mates

   However, with all the joys and highs, there also came the huge, crushing lows. Angel came to the heart-breaking conclusion that to be with Buffy wasn't fair on her because of all the things he just couldn't give. So there it was, laid bare, the end of the Buffy/Angel romance as it came to a sad but necessary and realistic end. For one final time, the two shared an intimate moment in what would become the slow dance of the century when Angel turned up unannounced to the prom. "Wild Horses" played them out as we witnessed  those touching moments of doomed love at its peak of both tragedy and beauty; possibly the most powerful of all prom scenes going.

                                                                                                                                               

By no means a comprehensive list, of course, so sorry if I missed one of your own favourites. However, one thing that does remain clear throughout all of these is the theme of endings and beginnings, all resting on one night of living in the moment; and if these beloved characters can do it, then you bet that the rest of us (past, present and future) can too.

ATR

RE:Commend: Husbands

Husbands is the brand new and hilarious web-series from acclaimed TV Writer, Jane Espenson (Torchwood, Firefly), focusing on the age old "Did we just accidentally get married in Vegas?"-RomCom setup with a notable difference; it's a same sex marriage. Camp TV star, Cheeks, and Basesball hero, Brady, find themselves hitched after a wild night in the city of sin, and now must deal with the oncoming media onslaught and whether or not to actually make the relationship work.

    It's great to see a series all about equality really take off, and although I'm sure the gay angle may turn a lot of people away, I urge you to open your minds and stay the course, because what you'll find is a refreshingly fun and hilarity strewn series. Espenson has taken a tired formula and revitalised it with a new-world energy, teeming with spirit and charm, plus a healthy dose of camp to keep the laughs fresh.

 The way I see it, this is future at work: a bold new series focusing on a community previously unspoken for exclusively in this kind of media. Embracing the risk of an untapped source material in gay newly-weds, and sticking it on the web, network-free, proves how television is evolving to meet the open-eyed way of thinking the world has come to.

  And what with guest stars already turning up (Nathan Fillion, anyone?), it looks like these 2 minute episodes might just be shaping up to be some of the internet's finest serial content. So roll on Husbands, because it looks like you're in it for the long haul.

Watch Husbands Now!




ATR


Read My Twitter Q&A With Jane Espenson!

RE:Commend: Jetpack Joyride

I'll be kicking off the new RE:Commend (or just "Recommend", for you non-gimmicky types out there) feature with a sweet new iOS (meaning iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad) game that rockets itself ahead of the rest. Jetpack Joyride is the latest iTitle from Halfbrick, the team behind previous Appstore hits such as "Monster Dash" and "Fruit Ninja". In this 69p gem, you'll be steering the good ol' Halfbrick Mascot, Barry Steakfries, through a precarious laboratory full of coins, lazers and awesome power-ups.

   Taking a new spin on the classic "Helicopter Game", this Joyride has you cruising around in crazy jetpacks (machine gun, bubbles, rainbows) to level up through a series of challenges and collect coins to purchase new jetpacks, clothing and power-ups, and ultimately reach the furthest distance. I've wasted a good couple hours (or so the game log says) to this since it was released a couple weeks ago, thanks to its awesomely addictive nature and "just one more" style setup. So if you happen to own a certain iDevice then get downloading, and be prepared for this to become your new go-to game!

DOWNLOAD NOW
ATR

The Morocco Trip: Part 5

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Once we' showered and changed after the uber cool camel trek, it was 4x4 time back to the coach. Once all on we travelled for hours and hours, pretty much following the route back to Marrakech. On the way we saw plenty of sights, including this symbolic photo I took about religion (2 burqas, a mosque and Arabic text).

And there were lamp-shade men.

Not to mention the amount of ninjas that roamed the streets.

The Morocco Trip: Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The majority of the day was spent lounging around the pool until 7pm, as it was deemed just too hot for us to go straight into the Sahara in the midday or even day sun. Anyway, I woke up to find several guys had slept by the pool and hundreds of bottles littered the floor. It looked like some big party had hit the hotel. 

This was Unis, one of our guides who either took a liking or hating to me, I'm still not sure which, as he repeatedly hit me round the ear...

The sun was HOT today, and many of us got burnt shoulders, resulting in T-Shirts to be worn for the pool. This however, was a bad idea for those wearing white because the chlorine-sun cream mixture the water had become had a habit of turning things a yellowy-green colour. I thought smart and wore a green top. ;)

A shower and I was ready for the desert. Covering fully up to avoid the intense sun, which included wearing a neat head scarf around the face.

The entire Saharan trek is after this link, so read more for them! You won't want to miss it! 100+ photos!

The Morocco Trip: Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Snoop Dogg started our day off with a nice petrol refill. 

Then it was straight into action for a jungle-like walk about. 

Hit the jump for the rest!

The Morocco Trip: Part 2

Let's get part 2 under way of this African adventure with day 3 of the trip:

(Part 1 here in case you missed it.)

Day 3 started pleasantly with the realisation of the hotel's wi-fi, resulting in about half an hour of web surfing via iPod Touch. After updating Facebook and what not, it was a pancake breakfast and onto the coach to ascend higher into the mountains, passing various structures such as these.

And Mexican-style wastelands, that went on for miles and miles.

Loads more after the jump!

The Morocco Trip: Part 1

Two days after arriving back from the sandy lands of Morocco, I've decided to share my travels with the world, or at least the small portion of it that reads DMb. So, as you may know, as part of a school geography trip, I (along with 30 classmates) jetted off to Northern Africa, specifically Morocco (no duh).  Here's a sort of commentary in pictures (and a few words) to guide you along my adventures. Enjoy!

On the plane over, easyJet no less. Pretty bumpy ride including one random hit of turbulence resembling that of a speed  hump. Didn't phase me though, and my ears stayed unusually unaffected by the changes in pressure. After about 3 hours we disembarked into the intense and humid Moroccan heat, before collecting luggage and changing money.  

This was the first coach journey, when we were all excited and happy, completely oblivious to how many hours we would end up lounging hopelessly in its not-so-comfortable warm embrace... However, Airport to Marrakech was a mere 20 minutes, giving us a chance to marvel at:

The wildlife...

The culture...

And the architecture...

There's still a lot more after the jump below!

RE:View: Stacking

Russian nesting dolls.
 In a game.
 About child labour.

 Now I wouldn't blame you if you thought I was joking here. Seriously, the setup sounds ridiculous, right? Surely it can't work! Well, I'm not joking, because this is Stacking, the latest downloadable game from Tim Schafer's "Double Fine" studios, the creators of such titles as Brutal Legend, Psychonauts and The Secret of Monkey Island. An adventure-puzzler game at it's core, Stacking is a cute and approachable game that leaks charm out of all and every orifice with increasing style and fun.

  The premise: You play as Charlie Blackmore, youngest of a large family and the smallest doll in the industrial age of the world. But when the Blackmore father goes missing, the family comes in to debt and the evil Baron forces the children to work to pay it off, with the exception of tiny Charlie. So, embarking on an epic adventure which will take him on the likes of shiny zeppelins and grand cruise-liners, Charlie sets out to free his poor siblings from the dastardly clutches of the Baron, with the help of his rather odd ability to control other dolls by hopping inside them.

 From the off, the story sounds rather depressing with it's themes of child labour and debt, but luckily it's counteracted by the tongue-in-cheek humour used to portray the sadness, along with the silent-movie type cut-scenes that add charm and style to the presentation and narrative. Seeing the various dolls perform goofy animations a top some witty dialogue can often be a joy to watch and helps to distance itself from the heavy topics previously mentioned.

Childish but irresistible laughs

 
 In between these sometimes lengthy and frequent cut-scenes (which may frustrate some impatient players), is of course the gameplay. As you roam around the dainty little diorama settings, you're given various objectives, involving some sort of challenge you must overcome. But it's how to go about these challenges that brings the main gameplay mechanic forwards; stacking. As the smallest doll in the world, naturally you're not going to solve these trials alone. So, to get by, Charlie must hop into other dolls, all with their own unique abilities, and use their certain talents to complete the objectives. For example, to get a guard away from his gate, you can hop into the alluring female doll and use her powers of seduction to lure him away, allowing you to unstack and sneak through. But it's not that easy, as you need to stack into a doll exactly one size larger than your current one, so you can't go straight from little kid to heavyweight boxer in one fell stack.

A classic problem

 These challenges can then be revisited in a number of different ways, allowing re-playability and forcing your brain to think of several different solutions at once. You can move on after you've found an immediate answer, but I often found myself trying to find all solutions before continuing. However, if you do get stuck there is a helpful hint system, which, while handy, can ruin the puzzle aspect of game at times, as it's easy to abuse and the cool-down time is a joke.

  The scenery you find yourself stacking around is full of vibrancy and life, even though the things inhabiting it are essentially inanimate, wooden objects. The sweet cartoon style works well in this lavish world of wackiness and slap-stick, and the sluggish camera doesn't hinder the views too much, giving the player an incentive to explore the landscape to see all. Plus the sound is a quiet delight with some sweet little fanciful music and well matched sound effects to compliment the overall fun.

The visuals are definitely a treat 

  Though short, the experience definitely gives you 4-5 hours of enjoyment, especially since there are plenty of unique dolls to find and "Hi-Jinks" (little mini-challenges that are doll specific) to conquer once the main story has finished. Whether or not I'd revisit it after I'd achieved 100% is yet to be seen, but with no other modes outside of the story it's quite unlikely. But hey, it's a downloadable title, so what do you expect? At 1200 Microsoft Points or £10 on PSN, this is an absolute steal and an entirely unique experience that you wouldn't get anywhere else.

Summary:
+ Cute and Charming
+ Unique Gameplay
+ Nice Sounds and Visuals
- Short and Easy
- Lengthy Cut-Scenes (Impatient)
- Sluggish Camera

Stacking: 7/10

Well that was my first (kind of) game review. I hope you enjoyed it and yeah, I know I ripped all the pictures off of Gamespot. So what? Sue me. Wait, no, don't to that... I certainly enjoyed my time with the game and I hope this review might prompt you to want to try it as well. Remember, there's always a free demo for downloadable titles, so give it a go if you've got the time.

Before you go, please vote on my latest poll to have your say on what movie I review next. You've got until around 10 AM Saturday (British time) to have your say, so get them votes in now! Thanks for reading and I'll see you all soon, or at least my words will. Stay safe now!