Skip to main content

On Mike White

 Before "Enlightened," before "The White Lotus," Mike White made a splash with "Freaks and Geeks"; he wrote an immortal episode called "Kim Kelly Is My Friend."


White likes to consider problematic connections between women. In "Lotus," Tonya seems to recognize that Belinda is a human being--until Belinda becomes expendable. In "Enlightened," Amy tortures herself with questions about what her buddy, Robin Wright, might be saying on the phone. This same kind of tension runs through "Freaks and Geeks": Lindsay suspects that Kim Kelly isn't really interested in hosting a nice, cordial dinner, but, also, it's hard to say no to the invitation. 

Also, White writes about class. If a certain kind of "bad girl" invites a well-groomed "A" student to visit, this is a kind of statement. Kim Kelly wants to impress her own mother, so she talks at length about Lindsay's money and her (fictional) lake house. This is excruciating to watch--and, oddly enough, it makes us sympathize with Kim (who has been a bully since the pilot episode of the series).

A final wonderful flourish in this hour is White's attention to pettiness. White loves to notice how tiny moments can become power plays: A boorish ("White Lotus") tourist wants "The Pineapple Suite," and not a "Volcano Suite." In "Beatriz at Dinner," Lithgow mistakes Hayek for a waitress, then blames Hayek for the minute of confusion: "I just thought....since you were hovering...." Along these same lines, "Freaks and Geeks" shows a school principal fuming about a defaced locker. The owner of the locker is clearly a victim; an older student has embarrassed the locker owner by writing "PYGMY GEEK" in black paint. Just a second of observation would help the principal to understand what is going on. But, intoxicated by power, the principal immediately begins a speech about the high costs of new paint jobs. His self-indulgent weariness is relatable to anyone who has been a parent (and familiar to anyone who has been a child).

White can empathize with the most obnoxious tyrants among us, and he can find Shakespearean drama in a high-school lunchroom. It's time for someone to make "the Mike White documentary."
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel  Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's  Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...
3 comments
Read more

The Death of Bergoglio

  It's frustrating for me to hear Bergoglio described as "the less awful pope"--because awful is still awful. I think I get fixated on ideas of purity, which can be juvenile, but putting that aside, here are some things that Bergoglio could have done and did not. (I'm quoting from a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the Church.) He could levy the harshest penalty, excommunication, against a dozen or more of the most egregious abuse enabling church officials. (He's done this to no enablers, or predators for that matter.) He could insist that every diocese and religious order turn over every record they have about suspected and known abusers to law enforcement. Francis could order every prelate on the planet to post on his diocesan website the names of every proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting cleric. (Imagine how much safer children would be if police, prosecutors, parents and the public knew the identities of these potentially dangerous me...
1 comment
Read more

Raymond Carver: "What's in Alaska?"

Outside, Mary held Jack's arm and walked with her head down. They moved slowly on the sidewalk. He listened to the scuffing sounds her shoes made. He heard the sharp and separate sound of a dog barking and above that a murmuring of very distant traffic.  She raised her head. "When we get home, Jack, I want to be fucked, talked to, diverted. Divert me, Jack. I need to be diverted tonight." She tightened her hold on his arm. He could feel the dampness in that shoe. He unlocked the door and flipped the light. "Come to bed," she said. "I'm coming," he said. He went to the kitchen and drank two glasses of water. He turned off the living-room light and felt his way along the wall into the bedroom. "Jack!" she yelled. "Jack!" "Jesus Christ, it's me!" he said. "I'm trying to get the light on." He found the lamp, and she sat up in bed. Her eyes were bright. He pulled the stem on the alarm and b...
1 comment
Read more