The Secret Life of the American Teenager, the ABC Family series which focuses on the fifteen year old pregnant teen Amy (Shailene Woodley), ends its season with a birth of a child, and arguably the burial of a deceased childhood.
In the penultimate episode of the season, Amy, while in labor, painfully and uncomfortably waits in the hospital recalling the fateful day at band camp when she met Ricky (Daren Kagasoff), the teen father of her soon-to-be born baby boy.
One Night at Band Camp
This penultimate episode of the season had impact. The flashback sequences which show what the various main characters were doing eight and a half months ago poignantly and effectively drew attention to how much their lives have changed since the audience has met them.
Particularly interesting were the parallels and divisions drawn between the fates of the equally naïve and trusting Grace and Amy, each of whom were being given the rush by a boy. The episode deserves special commendation for showing how the low self-esteem of the early teen years and uncertainty about boy/girl situations leads to the sweet and sensible Amy doing something she would never have planned or expected and which goes against her inner character.
It is equally heart-wrenching hearing Ben, the boy currently in love with Amy, talking to his friends about his hopes for high school and having fun as an average fifteen year old.
In many ways, the episode, like much of the series, is a wonderful show for teens. It connects with many of the thoughts, concerns, and feelings truly experienced by teens.
Yet, as with many series, it is uneven in quality and responsibility.
Questionability and Irresponsibility
Sometimes in the show’s desire to maintain light-hearted tone, the seriousness of its main plot becomes a farce. Although the show is successfully comic, since it ends each episode with a public service announcement encouraging teens to speak to their parents about sex, it is also obviously aware of the influence it may be having on young viewers.
It is fine to say that the show is about one girl’s story, and the show often presents some of the difficult decisions Amy has had to consider. However, it too often disregards reality. Realistically, Amy would not have found a teenage boy who loves her despite her being pregnant with another boy’s baby, and Amy’s entire life would not be able to be fixed and arranged by the “Dues ex machina” (God from the Machine) assistance of a large group of fellow teens, most of who are not even her close friends.
Fairytales can be as beneficial as optimism, but when fiction entirely disregards fact it can have as damaging an effect as was experienced by Flaubert’s character of Madame Bovary, who was corrupted and made miserable by dreams fed to her by overly-romantic novels.
Fact and Fiction
Factually, if Amy wants to raise her baby, life is going to be very difficult. She would most likely be working at a fast food restaurant rather than being given a job teaching music to children, a job for which she is unqualified. Equally, her life existence will entirely consist of going to school and caring for her child.
Amy’s future would be considerably brighter if she were even two or three years older, but the fact is at fifteen Amy is most likely not emotionally able to give a helpless baby all it needs to mature. Amy is not yet mature herself. Her completely juvenile handling of her labor pains and her vicious treatment on the very people who love and support her proved her understandable immaturity.
Equally, as noted by the seemingly manipulative Ricky, Ben does not have to be involved in this very difficult situation, so it is at this point that Ben should stop being so supportive of Amy. Ben has a right to a normal developmental period, and it is not an act of love or devotion to almost blindly stand by someone who must stand on their own.
If Amy wants to keep her son, she must have help, but overall, she must be strong enough herself. It is arguably irresponsible of the show to imply that adoption is reneging responsibility. As difficult as it would be for Amy, adoption would probably be what is best for both Amy and the baby, especially due to the many especially complicated aspects of Amy’s particular set of circumstances.
The Secret of Secret Life
It is not difficult to see why Secret Life is a hit. Overall, it is of a higher than average quality, but it seems to hedge its bets by not connecting the dots between some of the things shown or suggested and some of the things said.
It may be more sophisticated to leave room for personal inference, but sadly, too many children experience teen pregnancy either directly or indirectly. Because of this the show does a disservice by sending mixed messages to its young audience and by fluctuating in realism.
