Ready or Not

I've never really done anything like this before so I suppose it's a good thing that this blog probably won't generate much traffic (if any). I don't know anyone else who remembers Ready or Not, though I guess it's more popular in Canada. But this is what I've been watching on You Tube lately, so I shall blog about it until I get bored with it. Now about the show...

It's about two tween (later teen) best friends growing up in Toronto, Ontario in the 90's. I guess you could call it a coming of age half hour drama, sort of a Wonder Years for girls without the futuristic voiceover narration.

Our two heroines are...

 

 

Amanda Zimm. She's like a protagonist from a Judy Blume book. Can't wait for her boobs and period, not quite as interesting as the background characters yet still likeable enough to keep you watching. She actually goes through quite a transformation throughout the series from a dorky, smart girl lacking common sense to a prettier, cooler girl lacking common sense. You probably relate more with Amada, but wish you were more of a Busy.

 

 

Busy Ramone. Her real name is Elizabeth, but I guess that was too feminine for her. No one ever really comments on her stupid nickname. At least she didn't have a name that could conveniently be turned into a boy's name, like Samantha or Joanne. I'll give them that. Busy was the only TV character to ever ping my gaydar as a kid. There were tons of gay actors on television at the time, but it all went right over my head, until Busy. For the first few episodes I saw, I debated back and forth over whether she was a boy or a girl. The fact that she and Amanda were always having sleepovers threw me. When I finally decided she was a girl, it really pissed me off that they were making her act like she liked boys. Look, I'm not gay and I don't *need* to see a gay character on every show, but I felt that they were insulting my intelligence here. It was Canada, and they could talk about every issue under the sun except for the pink elephant in the room...the fact that Busy's gayness could be seen from outer space. It wasn't just the clothes or the voice or the fact that she was a tomboy. It was all those things and more. Anyway, I went off on a tangent there, but there are a lot of good things about this character. She (usually) doesn't care what anybody thinks and is (usually) a good friend.

 

So those are the two protagonists. Here is their theme song:

 

 

 

 

Basically, the two girls go into a photo booth even though neither have any money. They change clothes several times and appear to be aware of the fact that they have their own theme song (miming the "what'll your mother say" lyric). A paper bag is placed over Busy's head even though it is clearly Amanda who says "I could do with a better face."

 

I'll be back some other time with the first episode in which Amanda gets a bra even though she has no boobs and the whole class thinks it's their business for some reason.

 

P.S. We can consider this the lost "real" first episode of the series. Amanda had a weight problem and Busy had a *really* bad perm.