The fourth episode of Ja’mie has the same problem I spoke about last episode in that there’s a continued reluctance to provide any kind of substantial characterisation to any non-Ja’mie characters. It’s telling that her romance with Mitchell has been relegated to descriptions of text messages/Facebook statuses and the occasional wordless montage; if I’m being generous, it’s a satire of how teenage romances are largely digital nowadays (there’s a pun there) … but it mostly shows that the show doesn’t want to give over much time to anyone but Ja’mie.
Thankfully, Ja’mie gets the chance to demonstrate more range this episode. While she’s always been one of the thinner characters in Lilley’s rogue gallery, poking fun at self-involved teenage girls (updated with the latest technology trends) is only going to have so much mileage, so it’s good to see him fleshing out her character with a break-up plot. Again, Lilley demonstrates insight into modern teenage behaviour, where a Facebook relationship status is of utmost importance and exclusivity needs to be explained rather than assumed. The commingling of comedy and tragedy again proves fruitful for Lilley, with Ja’mie’s grief a source of humour with a surprisingly real note of sadness underneath.
Hahaha! Digital!!
I thought to myself last night that it was a missed opportunity that we know nothing about any of the supporting characters, but then Ja’mie went through the break up and I was right back to being impressed.
Yeah, Lilley knows how to make a character who’s basically a joke still evoke sympathy. It’s a tricky balance!