The Other Half...And Half

They were the inspiration for part of the name of my blog. I'll assume that you've heard of the show before. If not, here's a synopsis that I did when I first started this blog. Although I don't know why I added Tit & Tat. Maybe Mona's tatas...*LOL*.

Next Monday will be the 4th season of the "NAACP's most nominated, never taking home the prize", comedy series. Each subsequent season after the 1st got better and better. Some of the plot directions have been questionable when seen in ink but once executed by the actors on the show, they turn out to be better than expected. Case in point, Season 2's BDD pregnancy. Typically pregnancies on any TV show are introduced in the later seasons when writers run out of plot devices for the main characters. So it came as a shock when that plotline was introduced in its sophomore season. They even had a lame cliffhanger where they made it seem like LDD was the one pregnant. (I love the show, by the way, but I still call it when they mess up...*LOL*)

Two things saved that season from its potential early shark jump. The main one being Valarie Pettiford. I swear if I didn't have a wonderful mother already, I would love her to be mine. She manages to act the hell out of any scenes that she's in. The best part is when she's volleying one-liners with Telma Hopkins's character Phyllis. The other thing that saved it was the additional plots that seem very close to real life. Mona especially finally seemed to have things go right for her while LDD struggled a bit. Adam also began appearing in more and more episodes, which added to the comedy gold. Getting back to the pregnancy, the way the birth was protrayed on the show had to be one of the most realistic ones I've seen. (Well, not that I remember seeing any.) At least from what I'm told a birth is like.

The risks didn't end with Season 2. Season 3 decided to toss an element of reality TV to the mix. Granted Half & Half have employed a roster of guest reality TV stars over the years, including those from Real World, The Bachelor(ette), and Survivor just to name a few. However, they took it a step further and decided to have an "American Idol" like type challenge where viewers at home had the opportunity to hand in tapes for a chance at a recording contract with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis & appear live on the show. They managed to incorporate it into the show by having Mona, who works at Delicious Records, come up with the concept. They even incorporated different contestant tapes into the episodes between scenes. It culminated into a two-part conclusion where JJ & TL guest-starred and ultimately selected a winner from the five finalists selected. The concept could've bombed big-time depending on how it was handled but was once again they scored.

So what do they have in store for Season 4? The writers at Half & Half are once again stepping to the plate and coming up with an original idea. According to Entertainment Weekly, Mona will join Miss Holiday, Rod, Tim, Lady In Satin, and numerous other bloggers out in the blog world by writing her own blog. The plan is for the show to actually have a live blog so that fans can leave comments and such regarding episodes. It's another risk once again but it shows how they manage to apply real-life scenarios to the show.

Of course, another season means another Mother's Day episode. Those always are a treat, especially in the end when Telma & Valarie perform a song. Season 1 had them singing in a spa lounge. Season 2 had them singing at a Mother's Day brunch. Season 3 had them singing at a telethon. I can't wait to see what they come up with for Season 4.

I for one definitely look forward to the new season. I may even comment on an episode or two in my blog and I suppose I may sneak into the "H&H" blog planned. I just hope they don't ask me to change my blog title...*LOL*.

Well, it's that time. I'm about to catch the Season 3 finale of Half & Half.