TV: Hellcats: I Say A Little Prayer

It’s Episode 2 of the new series from the CW Network, Hellcats.

And unfortunately, Alyson Michalka, aka Marti, is still not growing on me. I still find her annoying though I did find myself secretly hoping she’d be able to do the helicopter move successfully.

The storyline is still a little shallow. Family drama just ain’t enough. No real rival school, no brewing struggle, no conflict. It’s as if the writers haven’t actually thought this through and it’s just a series to fill up  a certain timeslot.

Or maybe I’m judging this too quickly.

Savannah did say in this episode that the journey to Nationals will make whatever they’ve been through to get to Qualifiers seem like cakewalk. So maybe the real story will be unfolding somewhere there.

I’m liking Savannah a bit more in this episode. She’s a complex character – a Christian cheerleader with family issues isn’t exactly what you’d usually expect from these types of series. And she’s a cheerleader who’s usually sad – very much different from the usual peppy, smiling, cocky and flirty cheerleaders (Brooke Davis from OTH series comes to mind).

I was surprised to see that the show is tackling the all too touchy subject called religion. It’s nice, yet weird, only because I’m not used to it. And I’ve watched a lot of TV series. I think the last show I watched that dabbled in religion was Dawson’s Creek. Remember Michelle’s character’s grandmother?

Here’s a VERY BRIEF summary of the episode:

• Marti’s mom gets kicked out of the apartment because she got into a fight with the landlord about the paint job.
• Marti negotiates with the landlord, pays for the damages caused by her mom.
• Initially Marti wanted her mom to leave the Qualifiers but changed her mind and asked her mom to stay.
• Hellcats won the qualifiers.
• Savannah’s family comes into this episode…a mean family, if I may say, despite claiming to be Christians.
• Savannah’s sister is the captain of their rival school, Memphis Christian
• Savannah’s sister gets into a cheerleading accident and stays in a hospital.
• Dan asked Savannah for a date and she agreed.

By the way, the ending of this episode sucks. A bunch of them dancing around, making it seem like a happy ever after, reeks of a TV movie. No something to look forward to the next episode. I mean, come on! You’re supposed to make viewers want to watch more by dangling something exciting for them to want to watch the next episode.

Anyway, I hope the story gets improved soon. I really like Ashley Tisdale and I sincerely hope this works out for her.

I’m waiting for the next episode. And I hope to write a more positive review by then. The Episode 3 preview looks promising.