It’s time for teens and sex, sex, sex, with the latest volume of ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager! What makes this particular volume stand out from the others? It’s rated TV-MA, which is interesting considering that this is an 8 o’clock show on ABC Family. The previous volumes have been TV-14, so what makes this one even edgier than the previous five?
Absolutely nothing, which make me question the rating of this DVD set. I was honestly expecting some crazy moment where one of the characters goes on a foul-mouthed tirade. Or maybe a simulated sex act. Or maybe graphic descriptions of sex. I was actually expecting some character to bring up another type of sex that definitely would have garnered a TV-MA rating. What you get is the same level of sex-laden chatter that has been a staple of the Secret Life world for the past three seasons.
The only thing I can think of that would get the series a TV-MA this season is a few brief scenes of two women kissing. Granted, they are full clothed and it’s in no way meant to be overtly sexual in nature, but is this the reason that this volume got hit with this particular rating? Something to consider.
Despite my constant annoyance and frustration with these characters (and admit it, you get pissed at them too at times), I can’t stop watching this series! While I personally feel that ABC Family’s Make It Or Break It is a superior teen soap opera, this one does have its moments and twists that pique my interest.
So, what happens in volume six? Well, a lot of the tension and conflict revolves around the relationships between Amy (Shailene Woodley) and Ricky (Daren Kagasoff) and Ben (Ken Baumann) and Adrian (Francia Raisa). Remember that Ricky knocked-up Amy at band camp, while Ben get Adrian preggers in his car during their first time together.
Now the two couples are battling it out, and only one couple can come out on top. What partnered duo will get smacked down and go home crying? Oh, sorry Amy, you already are crying…as always.
And everyone else just wants to have sex with each other, talk about sex, and be a part of the sexual universe (with the exception of Lauren) that they all seem to obsess over during the course of any episode of the series. Here’s a typical snippet of dialogue that could be heard in almost any scene:
Amy: Maybe Ricky will want to have sex and maybe he won’t want to have sex.
Adrian: Oh, he’ll want to have sex. Ben loves sex. Men love sex. I love sex. And if you have sex again with Ricky, you’ll love having sex, too.
Amy: But what if I want more than just sex? What if sex isn’t great with Ricky?
Adrian: I’ve had sex with Ricky a lot. Lots of sex. Not as crazy as the sex I have with Ben, but still sex, sex, sex.
Prove to me that I’m wrong about this!
There’s plenty of other sexual shenanigans and goings on to envelop yourself in. Will Grace finally get over her fear that when she has sex a someone dies? Will Jack and Madison get back together and go all the way? Will Ashley find love? And why is Amy even more irritating this season than all the other times?
In fact, the second half of season three does have some of the most hostile, angry, and hate-filled conversations that I have ever experienced on this series. It was bound to happen with so much tension, back-stabbing, and sniping taking place over the past two seasons, but when things finally do come to a head, look out! Things do get pretty heated and verbally brutal over the course of this set of episodes.
Oh, and I am so sick of Ben at this point in the series that I think he needs a major attitude adjustment. He makes Ricky seem like a decent, caring, nice guy. Wow!
We also get a third 7th Heaven cast member joining the Secret Life team: Beverly Mitchell. Mitchell, who played devout daughter Lucy Camden, arrives on the scene as the new guidance counselor, replacing Mayim Bialik who held the job previously. This casting change is more than likely due to Bialik’s recurring role as Amy Farrah Fowler on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory.
I like the series and am very curious how it all will end. It’s a teenage soap for sure. 100% unrealistic, silly, over-the-top, and crazy. But aren’t all soaps like that? And while this one may have more sex talk than your typical soap opera, it certainly has all the hallmarks of a series in that genre. I’m just waiting for someone to end up in a coma for most of a season and then wake up with a revelation that will change everything!
This volume includes no special features, but it does include the explosive season finale that changes everything! And it’s definitely a finale worth watching.
For teens having sex on-screen, watch Skins. For teens talking, and talking, and talking, and talking about sex, I recommend The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Six on DVD!
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Six arrives on DVD June 7, 2011!
Who is your favorite/least favorite character this season? Leave a comment and let us know!
**Play the Secret Life workout game: get in the sit-up position and every time the word “sex” is spoken, do a sit-up. You’ll have rock hard abs by the end of the first disc!
You Might Also Like:
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume One
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Two
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Four
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Volume Five