MTV’s Newest show “Faking It” is a hit

MTV’s Newest show Faking It is a hit

photo by MCT

MTV’s newest romantic comedy stars characters Katie Stevens as Karma, and Rita Volk as Amy, best friends and social outcasts at their liberal high school. After being mistakenly outed as lesbians by the popular and openly gay boy Shane (Michael Willet), the pair become nominated as Homecoming queens and even beat Amy’s soon to be stepsister and typical popular girl, Lauren.

Karma, motivated by her new boost in popularity, convinces Amy to play along. After the duo kiss in front of the whole school to prove their relationship after almost being outed by Lauren, Amy starts to question whether she is actually faking her feelings for Karma. Karma also starts a short-lived love affair, with popular boy Liam (Gregg Sulkin),that seems to die by the fifth episode, which also makes Amy jealous. Amy spills the secret to Shane and he helps her to figure out whether she is a lesbian or just “karmasexual”. The show combines the plots of many love lives, lies, friendship and lots family drama all into one.

The highlights of the series include Amy standing up to her Southern and very conservative mother  and “coming out” on the local news and the secret romance  between Karma and Liam ending because Liam “has too much integrity” to let her cheat on her girlfriend. The low point is Amy’s deceiving kiss with new friend Oliver, which is poorly explained.

“Faking It” puts a modern twist on typical high school romance and the want-to-be-popular. The plot is almost predictable but somehow it has me hooked. The series knocks down the typical structure of television high school, replacing the popular football players with a funky gay boy and a liberal artist.

The setting as a whole ,especially the school, is against the social norm, participating in protests of all types and promoting anything but the usual. It is a refreshing change from the stereotypes that rage through romantic comedies. The witty humor adds to the already appealing plot and the offbeat characters all have a quirky charm. The show promotes accepting everyone for who they are.

Overall, I give the show a 4 out of 5 Blue Devils because it breaks down the social barriers of high school and offers a new view on modern adolescence. The show airs every Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on MTV.