Relatively real
By Lisa Black

Even though I kept telling myself there was no way another soap opera could fit into my life, I found myself watching Relativity a couple weeks ago. It was a Tuesday, and ABC felt like giving viewers an extra chance to see the show (presumably for those of us who don't think of watching TV on Saturday nights). Like I need to see a former personal crisis fleshed out on the little screen, but I was there anyway rooting on the terminally cute Kimberly Williams in her attempt to change her life through an affair. While I might have chosen a different person to jump into bed with (what's with the "we're so sensitive we're bland" male co-stars on this show?), the similarities to situations in my life were too much for me to turn away. I was hooked.

For a larger explanation, the producers of Relativity are the same ones who brought us (as a television audience) My So-Called Life. Another show I swore I wouldn't watch but found hard to resist. If you thought the character of Rayanne in MSCL was wild, it's a good thing you never met me when I was 16. But it was TV, so I was impressed with how far the writers were able to take the characters. For a refresher course on that show, all you have to do is turn to MTV on Saturday nights-just like Relativity.

Relativity (to be more blunt on the plot line) is the story of a young woman who realizes she isn't in love with her soon-to-be-fiancee of seven years--and that she might be in love with a total stranger. Many other complications flit around this central theme (as they have to with a weekly series), but they compliment this question nicely. And it is a relevant question. Does time equal deep love or deep boredom? Kimberly's character (Isabel) discusses this time issue with her new love (Leo) after she ultimately decides to break up with her long time boyfriend. Leo doesn't understand (he hasn't had much luck with long relationships or something like that) but is also smart enough to let Isabel do what she wants. Add parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends to the mix and you have a nicely complicated and interesting drama situation. And no appearance of a court room or hospital as of yet.

I know, I should have something more important to talk about than a new television show, but this is much more interesting to me. The election is pretty much a lock, no one has died in the last few weeks and I haven't seen a good movie in ages. I think the best thing about this kind of TV is that there doesn't have to be anything hugely dynamic and heart-stopping to happen for us to care about the characters. Somewhere in a few of these characters, we can all see something of ourselves. In this way I get emotionally invested in the series. What would I do if I was Isabel? Should the guys get some kind of backbone and actually get pissed (there are signs of this happening, by the way)? Not exactly the who's sleeping/killing/stalking/burning who on Melrose Place. In other words, this is real. Or as real as TV can get. You can have the constantly mugging hot shots of regular prime time soap opera TV (or for that matter the Real World), I'll take Relativity's real.

Lisa Black slips in and out of reality herself, which could account for her less than perfect attendance record writing columns.

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