Make It or Break It: "Hungary Heart"

[Make It or Break It SPOILERS ABOUND!!]

Whoa! So, I guess we figured out how they're writing Chelsea Hobbs' pregnancy into the show. I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed in this interesting turn of events, though. I mean, yeah, unprotected sex often has the very real consequence of, well, babies, but it seems a little unnecessary to go there with this character. There's something very icky and cliche about the teenage daughter of a "lower class" single mother who works in a strip joint getting pregnant. It seemed to me like, from the beginning of the show, we've been led to believe that Emily was the exception to the statistics, and that she was going to be the talented underdog with the heart of gold who worked hard to become the best in her sport. It's disappointing to see that aspect of her characterization get abandoned in a sweeping, no-turning-back turn of soap opera-ness.

The thing I've generally admired about the show is the way it has treated the dedication of this group of female athletes to their sport, even in spite of their catty infighting and general primetime teen drama silliness. It bothers me a little bit that one of the athletes might not be able to be an elite athlete anymore. Perhaps I underestimate the imaginative power of this show's team of writers. After all, Payson's spinal injury last season was supposed to be "permanent". While she wasn't able to participate, the character went through a kind of existential crises as she dealt with the reality of a serious injury, and now she's back and as strong as ever. Kayle also seems to be in a place where she really should abandon the sport for her own health and well-being, but I feel pretty confident that she'll be back.

Not sure where the show's going to go with Emily's character now that she's pregnant, but I'm not going anywhere as a viewer, which may be the point!