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November 18, 2004

116: Regency House Party

I meant to go to sleep last night, but I was distracted by a show on PBS.

Shut up.

It's "Regency House Party" (not to be confused with the 1990 Kid & Play vehicle "House Party"). Participants are assigned roles in a Jane Austen-inspired reality show; they live in a mansion, pretend it's 1811, and try to secure a spouse. I think it originally aired in the UK on BBC-something but came to us through PBS, which is a station that pleads for money and offers up canvas tote bags in return.

Writing this, I'm surprised this interested me at all. Nothing really catastrophic happens to anyone and I don't think any of the cast members are secretly ninjas and/or robots -- and yet it held my interest for the full 90 minutes. Yes, each episode is 90 minutes long. (I suggest you get a snack!)

What's cool about it? I'm not sure. It's beautifully shot, and it's pleasurable to watch people ineptly try to hook up in uncomfortable clothes. Some of the characters are annoying, and some are endearing. The girls vie for the attention of guys who are too busy enjoying 19th century vices which include snuff, bare-knuckle boxing, and gambling.

And like any show or movie, it's hard not to think, "Where would I be in all of this?" Considering I once received a fortune cookie which read (and I'm being entirely serious about this) "your bad attitude keeps you behind," I think I'd probably have to have my negativity bled out with leaches and never find a suitably foppish husband. Either that or my gloominess would be mistaken for being "delicate" and I'd do really well.

Any way I look at it, it would be hard for me to avoid the leaches and possibly having to wear a bonnet; neither of these are acceptable situations.

Posted by ashley at November 18, 2004 11:40 AM

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