Moody's Point - wrong mood + misses the point
Although I've come to appreciate Amanda Bynes' talent and general likeability in the movies She's The Man and Hairspray, I dismissed The Amanda Show as way too broadly acted and juvenile in it's humour, much like Lizzie McGuire, That's So Raven, and all those other tween-girl shows which I've channel surfed quickly away from.
Recently I came across positive comments about one recurring segment called Moody's Point, which sounded interesting - intended as a spoof of teen soaps like Dawson's Creek. That actually has the potential to be funny (although I don't dislike the Creek). So I thought I'd give The Amanda Show another chance. Luckily all of Moody's Point can be found on youtube.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed. Like many so-called spoofs, Moody's Point fails to address (and mock) the actual conventions of the genre or specific show/whatever it's supposed to be mocking. Instead of being a clever satire, the writers rely on easy gross-out gags and slapstick. They don't even bother to recreate famous moments from Dawson's Creek and put their own (hopefully humourous) spin on them. With the exception of the opening credit sequence. It seems clear to me that the writers/producers aren't very familiar with Dawson's Creek, and probably never watched an episode all the way through. I guess they never got past those opening credits.
The "characters" on Moody's Point are ciphers, not clearly defined or recognizable archetypes. Meanwhile, the storyline... emergency surgeries/heart transplants, babies switched at birth/mysterious parentage ... all of these things are staples of daytime soaps for housewives. Not primetime teen dramas.
With all the silly hospital hijinks and medical mix-ups on Moody's Point, I figure The Amanda Showrunners were inspired more by that Muppet Show sketch "Veterinarian's Hospital" (no doubt a staple of their childhood), moreso than Dawson's Creek or any other teen soaps.
In any case, The Muppet Show was much funnier, Moody's Point was a waste of a good idea, and I still don't like The Amanda Show. Oh, she deserves her own show, but with better writers.... and better supporting actors. The rest of the Moody's Point cast was horrible. Amanda's the only one who realized that she should play her character earnestly and seriously, in order to best capture that teen angst mood. The other actors were so over-the-top with their exaggerated screaming and crying, they belonged in a spoof of I Love Lucy instead. (I realize that Amanda's a fan of Lucille Ball, but, whatever, I hate Lucy.)
At least Amanda seems to understand that you don't need to bleat and bray and generally make an ass of yourself in order to be funny. The best comedians are equally good at drama/tragedy and can convey pathos. Bill Murray, for instance, or Charlie Chaplin. And (while I'm not saying she's the next Chaplin!) I thought I saw a bit of that in Amanda's performance, especially the scenes involving meeting her birth parents/saying goodbye to her old life. Glad Amanda Bynes said goodbye to this show, and hope she keeps moving on to bigger and better things.