Simple Life, The: Season 3 - Interns

Introduction

After two series` of creating unlikely situations in which to place those two icons of modern America, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, someone had obviously sat down for a long, hard think about a new idea which could be developed for a third outing..scribbled down something on the back of a small postage stamp, stood up again very quickly, and made exactly the same thing all over again.

In this series, we are treated to eight sub-half hour episodes (due to US ad breaks no doubt) in which the young ladies take up an internship in several unsuspecting (yeah, right!) businesses along the East Coast of the good old USofA, in the hope of earning up to 100 dollars each. They must earn the money, as we are told they have had their credit cards, mobiles (sorry - `cell phones`) and indeed everything else they hold dear (apart from the dogs, which appear to be named after various children of charitable Irish pop stars) taken away.

For each internship, an all-American family (count the flags) is given the honour of putting up (with) the girls and their little hairy, almost house-trained friends. The families generally contain one or two teenage sons, although even those of younger years enjoy the intimate attentions of Ms Hilton and Ms Richie (at least as far as a couple of risqué comments).

Oh, what hilarious frolics may be seen within the following episodes…

1) Mechanics
2) Secretaries
3) Airline
4) Mortuary
5) Bakery
6) Nursing Home
7) Ad Agency
8) Psychic

Video

The video quality is perfectly acceptable for what is a modern TV production. Much of the editing though, appears to have been achieved while under the influence of a less-than-mild amphetamine.
The peculiar habit of pixellating out certain brands or faces was also fairly obvious, and made me wonder whether there may have been a huge legal team behind this programme which had to ensure that everyone and everything which could be identified and which was shown on camera, had given some form of official permission to be seen. It surprised me even more that everyone other than the main stars didn`t insist on this protection as well, together with changing their names and moving a long way off following the first airing.

Audio

Sounds are nice and clear, but with annoying `kooky` glissandi appearing at every point one of the girls says or does something odd. I wish this could have been turned off…mind you, I wish we could have muted many of the sounds, more especially the inane mutterings of the main `stars`. Possibly the best sound moment was during the scene at the ice-rink when Richie teaches one of her family teenagers to skate..but that doesn`t mean I want people to rush out and buy this!

Features

None of any interest, although you may watch previews of `Buffy` and `That 70s Show`, and enjoy the main feature using English subtitles for the hearing impaired.

I have given this section one point just because it directs us to something more entertaining to watch.

Conclusion

I have spent a long time asking myself how I review it? Shall I be vaguely generous about the supposed `MTV generation` towards which I imagine this is directed? According to my good pal Jane I should think of futile and vacuous things to say in monosyllables, which would perhaps be more appropriate to the subject matter. Good point mate!

Why anyone would consider this sort of programme as entertainment is beyond me. Hilton and Richie only come across as crass and charmless, calling everyone they meet either `Gorgeous` or `Sexy` (saving the more heartfelt `Bitch` to address each other). Seemingly unable to complete the most simple of tasks without causing `hilarious consequences` (according to the blurb), the consistent childishness grates all the more if you are unfortunate to watch the programmes back-to-back.

The situations in which the girls find themselves are so utterly contrived, that any sense of reality in this so-called reality show evaporates even before the titles run. The fact that the show has at least four writers speaks volumes.

The choice of businesses involved in this exercise is certainly varied, but if that was really a funeral home, then the management ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. As for the `Advertising` episode in which they used the poor baby orang-utans as playthings, and then tagged on an emabarrassing apology for an environmental message at the end, the least said the better. And the poor woman who claimed to be a psychic should really have seen them coming.


Utterly pointless.