Plot: What’s it about?
I can really hardly believe that it’s been ten years since The Real World aired on MTV. Yes, Bush Sr. was still President, the World Trade Centers still stood tall over the New York skyline, Grunge music was the rage, and the Yankees had not won a pennant since the 70’s. Suffice it to say, it was a totally different world then. Naturally, we think of "reality" programming today as shows like Fear Factor, Big Brother and Survivor; but this is the show that truly started a the trend that would lead to ten (and counting) more seasons of The Real World, Road Rules and about a million "reunion" shows. But I doubt that Andre, Eric, Kevin, Julie, Becky, Heather and Norman knew what they were getting into back in the Spring of 1992. I doubt they knew what they started and knew that they would be making television history. Looking back on some of the episodes it’s the "little" things that really got me. For instance, they drink Coke, but they’re in glass bottles, shaped like miniature versions of the two liter bottles (whereas now they resemble actual glass bottles). They said "Coca Cola Classic" on them! Remember that? In one episode, the cast members paint a mural of Jerry Brown’s 1-800 number on the wall of their loft. Having some free time, I decided to call it. Thinking it would be a phone sex number by now, Jerry Brown himself answered the phone and he got a kick out of it when I told him that I was watching The Real World. He said "Yes, they’re showing that episode are they"? Man, if that doesn’t tell you the show was about reality, then I don’t know what does.
What was so unique about this show is the fact that it had never really been done before. And, bear in mind that these weren’t really seven "normal" people. They’re all standouts at what they do. Eric was a model, Heather had a few records under her belt, Kevin was a noted poet and writer, Julie was an aspiring dancer, Andre a musician and so on. More of them than not were musically-based, but being on MTV, it makes sense. Every action of theirs is filmed from day one and they live together for 13 weeks. Suffice it to say, audiences were hooked (myself included) and there are now almost 80 people who can say they were part of The Real World. What has really affected me the most, both back then and now, is the fact that you can’t help but to get somehow emotionally involved with the cast. True, I didn’t like certain members of the cast (everyone’s got their favorites), but these aren’t actors; they’re real people and we get to spy on their lives. Now I’ll be the first to admit that these people (and every other season after words) lived together for over three months. We got to see 30 minutes of their lives a week. The editors have the power to shape our opinions of who these people were (are) and I’ll go ahead and use the term "manipulated". We labeled them like cast members of The Breakfast Club and their descriptions fit. Eric was "The Jock", Andre was "The Musician", Norman was "The Gay Guy", Julie was "The Southerner" and so on. But for three months, I watched along with everyone else and it was television history in the making. I suppose if there were a bona fide "star" of the show, it was Julie. The other cast members were from the Northeast and Julie was from Birmingham, Alabama. While the others could run home or go hang out with their friends, it was essentially Julie all alone in the big city…
For me, The Real World is somewhat of a time capsule of what life was like for me ten years ago; I’m sure others feel the same way. This has a different effect that a movie, as the situations were real and we related to these people more than actors on screen. Partially because they were people my own age. True, I would have been the youngest cast member, but they were facing problems and issues just like me and it felt good to see others out there that I could relate to. Being strange, not knowing people and for the first time in their lives, they (like us) were dealing with real life issues. Now as far as a plot goes, they say it in the beginning of every episode "Seven strangers picked to live together in a house to see what happens when people stop being polite". It happens – quickly. After watching this season of The Real World for the first time in years (though MTV is good at showing re-runs), I discovered again why I liked it so much the first time. We can relate to these people in a way that I can’t with the newer casts, granted I wasn’t crying or anything when the show ended, but you can feel how they feel. This might be one of those shows that you had to see the first time to appreciate, but if you were one of the teenagers who listened to Nirvana and Pearl Jam and wondered who would be in the White House come 1993, then I think this show will hold just as special place in your heart as it does for me. For fans of the series, especially the "early years", this comes with my highest recommendation.
Video: How does it look?
For a pretty low-budget show shot on cameras ten years ago, I think that this looks great. Granted the image has a bit of a "soft" feel to it, but I noticed no edge enhancement, no artifacting of any kind and was overall pleased with the way this was presented on DVD. The 1.33:1 full-frame image was obviously made for television, so it can’t benefit from anamorphic enhancement of any kind. The picture does vary with the scenery as some scenes take place in night clubs, some take place in Jamaica (sorry guys, Julie’s topless scene is covered with a black bar when they’re on the nude beach in Jamaica). On the whole, I was very impressed with how this looked and have no real complaints whatsoever.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is where a bit of controversy ensues…yes, it had been a long time since I saw the original series, but I do remember that it, being a product of MTV, had a lot of trendy music set to the scenes. The original songs are now gone and replaced with an almost totally acoustical soundtrack. That’s right folks, if you wanted to sing along with Julie, Heather and Norman while they sang "Finally" while roller-skating, it ain’t going to happen. I suppose there were licensing issues involved as is the case with so many movies, but it’s not even labeled on the box. This might be something that would affect the decision of someone purchasing the disc. Still, the mostly dialogue-driven soundtrack does sound rich and full; but the lack of trying to literally "recreate" the way this show originally aired looks to be a moot point.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The entire first season is presented here and an option to view "all" is shown on the menu screen. You can also watch each episode individually, but are then greeted with the introduction "This is the true story, true story…" at the beginning of each episode. Paramount wisely made this a two disc set and, spanning over 300 minutes it’s a good thing. Seven episodes are presented on the first disc and the remaining six on the second disc along with the supplements. There’s not a whole lot here, but for fans of the show, it’s enough to keep you occupied. A text-based featurette is included as we get to read Julie’s acceptance letter from the first season. They outline the rules, what to bring and how to behave. In hindsight, not a lot of these rules were followed, but then again they didn’t really know if the show would even work! The original pilot is shown as well. Much to my surprise, this contains seven totally different people that we’d never seen before. I guess I feel really sorry for them as they’re the ones who really started it all, but were replaced with the more attractive and now more memorable cast. A "commentary" is included by the show’s creator and while it’s not playing along with the episodes, it’s just an audio feature. Selectable with your remote, you can listen as he goes on for 22 minutes (possibly the world’s shortest commentary) about how the show started, casting it and how the show has remained popular throughout the years. Evidently they think that by rotating the cast out every year, the show is "fresh" and could last forever. While I think their days (seasons, rather) are numbered, who am I to say? Lastly, some text-based bios are included and we get some snapshots of them then and what they’re doing now (with pictures). I find it amazing how much people change in ten years, and while I think I look the same, maybe they do too? In any case, this is one of my favorite television shows of all time and it holds a very special place for me. I know others out there feel the same and it’s with confidence that I recommend this set to anyone who is a fan of the show.
