I'm not a fan of HIMYM so I can't speak to how well they interweave the character's storylines as anytime it's even been on around me it's been more or less background noise. I have, however seen enough of it to know it's hardly the very definition of perfection in sitcom writing.
What other characters developed to such a degree in this show? Bobby lost all his money yes, and started dating PJ but he never advanced in his career, didn't have issues that were slowly worked through throughout the series and we certainly didn't learn more about him personally. The only other person who showed any signs of true development was Mike and that only happened in like the final four episodes.
It would also appear you've got a terrible misconception about what plotlines are. Most of the character's "plotlines" were episodic and/or for the sake of comic relief. Mike is a manchild who lies a lot, Brenden is yet another manchild still reliving his glory days as a hip fratboy DJ and sleeps with a lot of dense college chicks and Kenny is a half Italian wannabe mobster. I mean really, what you you have liked them to do?
...like some staff writer glossed over the headline of an Ebony magazine article without even bothering to read it when trying to come up with stories for her.
Really? I mean...REALLY???
It seems to me like you've taken the most offense to Stephanie's blackness not being utilized or being poorly utilized. Her race was mentioned all of what, twice in the entire series and they certainly tried to shy away from the horrible overly 'sassy black girl' stereotypes. Ebony, really? What on earth makes you say that? And again I say, Stephanie WAS NOT a main character. The show was about a tomboy sports writer and her gang of male friends. It's called My Boys. Not My Boys...and my quirky gal-pal.
Hell to be honest, Stephanie developed even more than PJ did.
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Bronte_Sista
11 years ago
Yeah, Crooked, that's my point. The characterizations are half-ass all around. And Stephanie's lines always amount to corny one-liners that have this strange racial tint. What I meant about the Ebony gloss is that the writers obviously didn't have even a basic understanding of the plot-lines and characterization that they threw in for her. So why bother if you're going to do a lazy job of it?
It's sort of obvious what purpose each of the male "buddy" characters serve in the story, but I'm still puzzling over Stephanie. I suppose it has something to do with asserting PJ's femininity and heterosexuality. But it could be done better. Period.
Even when I'm a fan of a show, I can admit when it's a little rough in some areas. Genre isn't an excuse for writing crap. You can create a compelling, interesting story within the conventions of the genre.
BTW, I can also say what's good about the show: the very idea of a show that focuses on a woman navigating the world of sports writing and the challenges of being a grownup version of a tomboy. Even the Chicago angle is cool (I'm a Chicago native).
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MurphAndTheMagicTones
10 years ago
Then you were making the wrong comparison. Stephanie isn't a character out of a black sitcom BFF cliché. She was straight out of Sex and the City, trying to get P.J. to get more in touch with her feminine side. Granted, until she decided to hook up with Kenny, the changes they made to her were purely superficial, mainly focusing on her career. Now that wasn't the best, I'll concede, but to say she was always the victim of lazy writing doesn't really work. The relationship between Kenny and her (as evidenced in Addition by Subtraction) was a much longer one than we realized.
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