I have a sinking suspicion that the title of this show was all about the above question, on some level or another. Real crafty.

So, yeah, the Rock hit Nationals this week, for the big season finale of Make It or Break It. I’m glad Greek returns next week, but I am definitely sad to see the Rock go; the season was too short, for a show that has surprisingly grown on me. Who knew?

The most disappointing part of this episode was actually the gymnastics — too bad, too, when everything that’s come before was leading up to the big showdown. I don’t know the first thing about the sport, but every time I thought, “that sucked,” the judges called it spectacular. Maybe that just reinforces my lack of knowledge on the subject, but I have to imagine that if something aesthetic looks bad, it can’t have been so good. My wife felt the editing sucked, so maybe it was that. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s no denying the fact that Make It or Break It is not something that I would have thought I’d enjoy. But last night’s episode completely made the argument for why I am: it’s just good TV.

I never imagined I could laugh so hard with the show, and I assume it’s mainly because I’ve come to like these people. Otherwise, the “light drama” would have been light on the light, and heavier on the drama.

To get the rest out of the way first, we finally met Chloe’s guy Joe, the reason the Kmetko family’s been on the move. My wife and I expected a crazy abusive dude; I think he’s just a fear-of-commitment type. Oh, well. Read the rest of this entry »

So much so, in fact, that I don’t know how much longer I can hold on here. And that pisses me off, because I’ve really been enjoying Make It or Break It … but how much can we take? Lauren’s just an absolute horror.

First of all, how disgusting can she be to Summer? The woman’s trying her hardest to form a relationship with the daughter of the man she loves, but Summer’s getting nothing but low-blows and cheap insults from Lauren in return. Summer has the patience of a saint, and I can’t believe she hasn’t already punched Lauren in the head. Read the rest of this entry »

Playing Naomi on Lost was one thing; for Marsha Thomason, tougher than getting murdered in a jungle might be playing sports agent MJ on Make It or Break It … the participants are certainly more ruthless.

Plus, who wants to square off with a teen-athlete’s parent, even a good one like Payson’s mom, Kim? It’s damn you for not making my kid a superstar, or damn you for trying to corrupt my kid. Well, at least MJ appears to have a past with coach Sasha (Neil Jackson), and it doesn’t seem to have ended on bad terms … who knows where that might go?

But it doesn’t look like she’ll be landing Payson, the whale, as a client. Mark (Brett Cullen)? All it takes is a little conversation with your kid about how you want them to stay a kid (or a near-facsimile) a bit longer, without having to undertake the rather difficult task of being responsible for the financial well-being of your family. It’s the reason you started hauling beverages, although not a great one for keeping that from your wife; she should know when the right time to leave you is. Kidding! Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, the struggles of an athlete. It sounded a bit cliched, but I imagine that Sasha Beloff (Neil Jackson) – sorry; I love saying his full name – that Sasha Beloff was right when he told Payson’s (Ayla Kell) mom, Kim (Peri Gilpin), that a teen-athletes problems are not of the ordinary nature. Do you risk the health and safety of a child who you’ve already given so much to, all in the name of their dream? Where do you draw the line?

I think that’s a question that’s impossible to answer unless you’ve been there. I also have the sinking suspicion that, while they may have countless advisors on set, the writers of Make It or Break It simply have no idea. Maybe that’s why Kim seemed to be surprised to hear that Payson might need to be handled differently than any other sixteen year-old.

Sasha jumped in with Carter (Zachary Abel), as well, warning him to stay away from his girls. I suppose it makes sense, but I felt that this was the first time we officially learned that the guys have a different coach than the girls. Where is he, and why doesn’t he have some sway at the Rock? Read the rest of this entry »

And that’s just a “surprised” exclamation, not necessarily a disappointed one. Although, I am a little dissatisfied with Make It or Break It’s decision to go so heavy on sex and sexy. Why fall back on defaults when you don’t need it?

Even so, the fashion show provided us with a nice glimpse into some of the mother/daughter dynamics on the show. Payson (Ayla Kell) and Kim (Peri Gilpin), Emily (Chelsea Hobbs) and Chloe (Susan Ward), Lauren (Cassie Scerbo) and Dad’s girlfriend Summer (Candace Cameron Bure). But, by the way; where was everyone else? Realizing that the show focuses on a core group, why was there virtually no other mothers present in the initial fundraising meeting, or at the fashion show itself? Is the budget too tight at ABC Family for a large ensemble of extras?

Before I forget; I should apologize to Frannie (Tiffany Dupont) from Greek…. Read the rest of this entry »

And yet, I’m seriously enjoying her. This is Julia Stiles, 2.0, people. You’ve got to embrace it when that kind of anomaly transpires.

So, good stuff this week on Make It or Break It. I wrote last week about the show needing to keep a good balance; I think the punishment that the girls received, which involved both gymnastics and their personal lives, really solidified the show’s ability to not get lost in athletics, while still not giving us too much teen-angst. Sure, it’s there in the form of the Kaylie (Josie Loren) / Lauren (Cassie Scerbo) / Carter (Zachary Abel) triangle, to name but one saga, but Payson’s (Ayla Kell) habit of irritatingly staying focused on gymnastics alone, focuses the entire show with it.

I suppose I can understand why Emily (Chelsea Hobbs) wants to keep her job a secret from the people at the Rock. As arbitrary as it may seem to me, if the rules say no outside job, there’s no further discussion needed. But, why was she so adamant about hiding her gymnastics from her co-workers? I get shyness, but this seemed like something more, like maybe she’s had a bad experience with all of that somewhere in the past. But then she goes and does a standing tuck, or whatever, in the middle of the Pizza Shack. Weird. Read the rest of this entry »