did real world go too far?

Heather Havrilesky briefly escapes her NARM! obsession to talk about last week's episode of the Real World in her I Like to Watchcolumn. (Scroll down to the bottom of that page, and continue on to the next.) In her opinion, the show went too far not in showing Danny's grief but in flashing back to his phone call the previous week with his mom, where she talked about how much she loved him and he brushed her off.

I was surprised to read this column, because I thought this was one of the best RW episodes in a long time. Even if you had missed the earlier episode where it was mentioned that Danny's mom was an alcoholic and that he was not close to her (I believe it was in the very first episode), it was clear that he regretted that conversation. Havrilesky says:

Just in case you're not sure why Danny's feeling guilty, we flash back to Danny's last conversation with his mom over the phone, just a few days earlier, during which she tells him she's sooo glad he called and that she loves him sooo much, and he grunts incoherently in response, then gets off the phone quickly. "Wow! He really should feel guilty!" the preteens at home agree, not remembering that Danny's estranged mom, who struggled with alcohol, quite possibly let him down countless times until he felt nothing but anger toward her. Let's not explain any of that now, though; let's maximize the drama by cutting back to Danny, who's saying he'll never forgive himself.

If I were a preteen, I would find this quote even more insulting than I already do. The "preteens at home" may very well remember that Danny's mom is an alcoholic. And even if they, or the teens or adults watching the show, don't remember, I think anyone can sympathize with the thought that someone close may die before you have a chance to tell them what they mean to you, especially if that person is your parent. As a teenager, how many conversations did I end with my parents by shouting "I hate you"? Tons.

Real World isn't brain surgery, but I do think it's a little more complicated than Havrilesky gives it credit for.