vince-bacani Reviews

Being Erica: Adultescence (2009) Season 1, Episode 5

Being Erica at its finest: the ultimate bat mitzvah

[10/10 · 22 July 2009]

Adultescence is the perfect little episode for any child of the 1980s. Who can't relate to the pressure of trying to put on the perfect occasion, like a baby shower or a bat mitzvah? Add to it the kitsch factor of a Dirty Dancing theme, complete with Uncle Ruby as a Patrick Swayze wannabe, and you have comic gold. If you can watch this episode and not root for our heroine, you must be made of cardboard.

Erin Karpluk is her usual lovable, natural, and irresistible self. She IS Erica. You cannot watch her and not fall in love. But in this episode, Samantha Weinstein (playing Erica at 13) steals the show. The combination of thirtysomething savvy and teenage innocence is flawless. The joy that young Erica beams when hoisted into the air in the near-iconic pose from Dirty Dancing is infectious. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to go back in time and enjoy all those moments we wasted worrying what other people thought? This is a classic episode.

Being Erica (2009–2011)

Being Erica: A diamond in the rough

[9/10 · 22 July 2009]

"Being Erica" is one of those shows clearly targeted at the "Sex and the City" audience: female-friendly, hip, nice to look at. Ho hum. But before you can click on the remote, you catch a glimpse of Erin Karpluk in the role of Erica Strange, and you're hooked. She is so natural, so lovable - she inhabits the character effortlessly. She can be wistful without being whiny, insecure but not needy. She is also a virtual chameleon who can morph into whatever situation the show's time travel premise requires.

The writing is so fresh and witty. Other Canadian shows have a tendency to be too real and mundane, utterly humourless. Being Erica is funny without trying too hard; the humour seems to flow out of normal situations and conversations, as it does in real life.

The entire premise of the show is that the audience gets behind Erica and roots for her little victories in a harsh world. And we do.

This is a hidden gem of a show that needs an audience. Someone should send a tape of the bat mitzvah episode to Ellen or Oprah. If either of them saw it, the show would surely have a champion who could help ensure its survival.