Because summer camp exists well of the societal grid and the campers are put in a place without computers or cell phones, conversation becomes a big part of the daily interaction. This is a positive thing for a television show because it allows the characters to exist in each other’s world without unnecessary distraction. We learn about each person through their actions, what they say, how well (or terribly) they listen, and just how much (or little) they understand about themselves and those around them.
Tonight’s episode detailed pretty clearly that not only is Willamena almost completely clueless about her “friends” at camp, she might be the most self-centered of the bunch. Part of that probably stems from the idea that Will has made such a staunch commitment (at least outwardly) to act subversively at every turn. The angry front she’s put up has actually begun creating a barrier between her and those at camp who genuinely like her. Even though Doctor Rand can see through the act to some degree, Will’s inability to listen to Becca, her dig at Ian for not losing weight and just her general disposition threaten the chance she has at meaningful friendship. There is certain logic to the idea that Will has just never had any friends before and has used her weight as both the cause of and solution to her goal to be the “loner.” But at Camp Victory weight isn’t necessarily a roadblock to friendship so Will’s dissension stands out even more starkly. And while she saves Ian the hurt of letting on about the George/Amber hookup, there is still much room for growth. How much of her attitude is for real or how much is her “Poker Face” remains to be seen.
Similarly, Dr. Rand is still struggling to understand the other adults in her life. Try and want as she might to listen to others she is still relatively in the dark about both Shay and her father Salty. Shay and Rand’s interactions were awkward to say the least and Dr. Rand never knowing Shay had a daughter was rightfully embarrassing (albeit a little far fetched). Meanwhile Salty becomes even more interesting as his relationship with his daughter had some more layers peeled back tonight with the discovery of some past sins. Namely: he gambled away the family’s money and has another woman in his life of whom Dr. Rand knows nothing.
Additionally, Amber story gains a little more clarity while she becomes even more frustrated and confused, until the end. No one knows what they want more than Amber. She wants to be a good person, lose weight (paid for camp herself) and be with George. She is probably the nicest character on the show (she even understood how much Becca wanted to lose weight) so it’s particularly hard to see her come to the realization that she lost only one pound and feel the need to lie about. And even though I still dislike her relationship with George, it was nice to see her put something in the win column tonight. Where there story goes from here is muddled, but she at least got something she wanted.
Finally, we were left with an episode where some characters gained more understanding of others than they wanted. Will sees the Amber and George make out session and Piz catches the one moment of weakness from a consistently militant Shay. How those two bits of accidental eavesdropping play out could define much of the rest of the season.
The more the characters interact on Huge, the more we begin to understand them as people. And as they struggle through a summer of weight loss, we see that there are far more underlying issues than just a simple “Weigh In.”
Some other thoughts:
- What a fantastic way to show the weigh-ins, not through the actual number but instead each camper’s reaction to the scale. Every emotion came through in little snapshots that show just how much the campers have invested in the work they’ve put in over the summer.
- I like Alistair more with each episode
- I’ve worked at summer camp and never seen a director so understanding of her staff standing around drinking beers.
- Does Shay really understand and care for the campers or is she just punishing them for her own self-loathing? I’ll go with the latter.
