I spent last weekend traveling back to my hometown. The short visit, plus the things that happened here at home afterwards, left me frazzled. I have tons of watching and catching up to do (on last count, 28 episodes unwatched!)
But I did spend time watching this new show, Off The Map. Has anybody else seen it? Lotsa eye-candy but so utterly unrealistic!
Off The Map is another TV program, another medical show by Shonda Rhimes and company. If you're addicted to television, she is a name you will instantly recognize. She is the reason why we have a bunch of McNicknames on television. Shonda created Grey's Anatomy
and its spin-off, Private Practice
. While Off The Map is not entirely her brainchild, she serves as its executive producer and the creator of the show worked under her wing on Grey's Anatomy.Simply put... Off The Map is Grey's Anatomy set in the jungles of South America.
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| Lily (Caroline Dhavernas) is the Meredith Grey of the jungle |
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| He can't act, by the way. But he tips off the hotness scale and brings it on overdrive. He's freakin' gorgeous. |
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| Mina here (Mumie Gummer) is the Christina Yang of the jungle. |
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| Tommy (Zach Gilford) is the Alex of the jungle. |
in the cast. (LOL! Get that? George of the Jungle??)Off The Map, like all of Shondaland's shows, has ridiculous and unbelievable plots, told in melodramatic storylines (complete with moving musical scoring), with hot doctors hooking up all the time. I watched the first two episodes completely suspending all expectations that I will find it satisfactory. It helped that I've set my expectations so low. Whatever I've seen so far was tolerable. It also helped that these actors are so good-looking. :P
Of the bat, just a few nitpicks I have to say out loud:
- Off The Map has a clinic that's set in a remote village. There is, however, a swanky bar nearby and its safe to say this doctors aren't roughing it over there. It's like a summer holiday all year round!
- None of the new doctors know a word of Spanish, and yet, they've been the ones granted this "privilege" to work at the remote clinic among thousands of other hopeful doctors across the country. You would wonder what the criteria are for qualifying...
- Tommy is a plastic surgeon. He went to medical school at what? 8 years old? And I still can't believe Zach Gilford is part of this show.
I'm not complaining, really. This is kind of expected. I mean, coming from this team that gave us Grey's and Practice... you would have to expect it's more style and fluff than substance.
But this show is going to stick for awhile, I can feel it.
Because in spite what I may feel about the creators and writers of this show... I still end up watching. And so do millions of other viewers.
Shonda Rhimes, et. al holds the magic formula to making stupid programs on television that everyone will watch.
