I don’t know if it’s my own postpartum hormones talking, but I totally cried during this week’s Make It Or Break It! And not once, but twice!
The first time was when Chloe was trying to help Emily make a choice, and she cried telling her daughter just how important she was to her. It was like a more twisted version of Gilmore Girls, except instead of Rory getting arrested, she gets pregnant, and instead of feeling pressured to be the best student and journalist around, she’s struggling to be “good enough” as an elite gymnast. (Also, the dialogue isn’t as fast.)
The second time I cried was when Emily was riding off to visit her godmother in Las Vegas, and she “watches” all of her memories at the Rock in the reflection of the bus window. That was really emotional! (For those of you who are wondering, the song playing during that scene is Paul Freeman‘s “The Girl Who Broke In Two.”)
Emily’s decision to have the baby seemed really difficult for her to make, at least at first. But then she had what seemed to be a moment of clarity when she told off the guy from the NGO and finally felt free. When she went to tell Damon, she seemed frantic and like she was trying to convince herself she was making the right choice. I suppose that her character is known for acting impulsively.
I was actually wondering how they were going to handle Emily’s decision process. I know that Chelsea Hobbs is pregnant, so I knew that Emily’s character would decide to have the baby. However, I think that MIOBI was pretty good at balancing how the various characters stood on the issue. Not like it’s really anyone else’s business what Emily does, but because she’s on a team, everyone makes it their business and expresses an opinion. I thought that her mom was very supportive of her, and I really felt bad for Chloe because I could tell that all she wanted was for Emily to be happy. She thought that by reading up on teen pregnancy, she could be better equipped to deal with whatever path Emily chose. But Emily just found that annoying and didn’t want to be considered a statistic. Still, I feel that Chloe handled this situation fairly well. (Except when she suggested that Emily keep the pregnancy a secret from Damon.)
We all could have predicted that Summer would have gotten on her soapbox about how Emily should keep the baby, but I didn’t really know what Sasha would do or say. I thought that the show did a good job of Sasha showing restraint around Emily, and not advising her, but rather, allowing her to decide and remaining neutral in front of her. But then, we were also able to see Sasha’s true feelings on the pregnancy during his discussion with Summer. In addition, we were able to see the motives of the NGO representative, who told her it would be easy to end the pregnancy and be back training in a few days. I appreciated this rather realistic look into the world of elite gymnastics, even if it did depress me a bit. Not everybody is going to support a teenager on the World team who wants to quit and have a baby.
On a related note, I understand why Payson was angry at Emily, but she seemed kind of selfish in both the scene between the two girls and the one with Payson and her mom. Then again, Payson would be right to claim that Emily’s acts were also selfish when she irresponsibly had unprotected sex and is now hurting the girls’ chances to go to the Olympics. They are, after all, a team, and they have to behave like one to reach their goal.
The Steve/Summer engagement story was really hard to watch. The proposal itself was really cute, but Summer? If “yes” isn’t flying out of your mouth the second the question is asked, then you know the answer, girl. (Not that I think that any guys are reading this, but if you are, and you’re planning an engagement … “I need to think about it” means “No.” Sorry.) It just happened to conveniently work out that Sasha didn’t share Summer’s values (as was made clear from their discussion about Emily and the baby), making the decision to marry Steve easier. Something tells me that wedding isn’t going to happen. And you know what, Summer? Shame on you for getting on your high horse about values when you know you’re marrying someone for the wrong reason (i.e., Lauren needing a mom). You don’t have to be a martyr. Steve’s a nice guy, but you’re not really that great together, because you’re just not that in love with him. And that’s okay!
Honestly, it’s going to be a little weird for me watching Kaylie get back into the gymnastics. I’m going to be totally on edge, the way I still am whenever I see Payson do a difficult move. Plus, I was getting into the groove of Kaylie as a blossoming singer/songwriter. Is she going back to the Rock to escape what happened with Damon? Or because she really is ready to compete again?
One final note: How thrilled was I to see Gabrielle Carteris (otherwise known as Andrea Zuckerman from the original 90210) as Emily’s gyno? Another very honest scene, in which Emily is presented with literature on three different options for her pregnancy. Oh, Andrea, you were always so wise.
So, what do you think is going to happen in the next few episodes? With Emily in Las Vegas and Kaylie back at the Rock, is order restored, or just the opposite?
Quotes:
“You look like you have more than just a little on your mind … you’re color-coding your pens.” — Kim, to Summer
“You can’t honestly believe that having a baby and raising it alone and being a teen mom is the easier path here. Please tell me you’re not that crazy.” — Payson, responding to Emily’s claim that it would be easier to have the baby than to continue as an elite gymnast
“I respect your very strong opinion on this issue, but … I also hope you can understand mine.” — Sasha, discussing Emily’s pregnancy with Summer
“I’m sorry, I can’t. And I wont.” — Summer
“If I wanna cry, I’ll cry / You will see the tears in my eyes / If I wanna leave, I’ll go / If I am hurting now, you’ll know.” — more lyrics to Damon and Kaylie’s song from last week
“Do you know what your chances feel like? Like lead around my neck, like a constant reminder that I am not good enough.” — Emily, to the NGO representative
Clacked by Rachel Blum-Jose 
on May 03, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
During the episode, Sasha specifically says that someone who has a baby cannot return to an elite-gymnast’s body. If the series is renewed (Oh, I hope!), I wonder what this will do to Emily. If she never, ever has a chance to be a gymnast again, would it be worth it to even have the character return?
(And honestly, I don’t know if I care. I’m really starting to dislike the way she treats her mother. Her negative attitude and ‘pass the buck’ mentality almost bring her down to Lauren’s level.)
*POST AUTHOR*
That’s true — good point; I never even thought of what would happen to her storyline after the baby. I wonder if it will turn into a show not strictly about gymnastics, but about the peripheral lives of the gymnasts as well. I kinda hope not. It worked okay for Kaylie and Damon, but we knew that had an endpoint and that she’d eventually go back into the gym.
And I hear you about how Emily treats her mom. I think Chloe has a guilt complex about what she feels is a crappy life for her kids. Like Lauren’s dad, she caters to Emily’s every whim. You’re right to compare Lauren & Emily, because they are both really self-absorbed.
“they are both really self-absorbed.”
Good way to phrase it!
In all fairness, most teens are. It’s a natural phase of development!
there was a “flying housewife” once who won the olimpics, so there’s still hope. she was a mother of kids too and won the olymics
hey, you never know