MovieChat Forums > The White Shadow (1978) Discussion > Inconsistancies?

Inconsistancies?

posted 18 years ago by jayhn1111
8 replies | jump to latest

Not that it's a big deal, but I was just curious if anybody else picked up on it. Like the episode where gomez rejoins his old gang, and they made a whole point of how gomez was an only child and lived with either his aunt or his grandmother, I don't remember which. Then all of a sudden, one season later he has a father, a mother and a sister and they did that whole abuse story. Then there was Jackson, who early in season 1 they did that scene with jackson's father who is a priest and his father made a point of saying how he's an only child, but then after jackson dies, all of a sudden he's got this 10 year old brother and they do a scene with him talking to reeves about him. It didn't ruin the episodes for me or anything, but people do remember this stuff because they're contradicting themselves only 1 season later. But all in all, I just loved this series from beginning to end. It's been about 15 years since I saw it and I'm looking forward to watching it all again. I think I saw it on nickelodeon in the early 90's last time around? man I wish they'd put it back on there.

[–] moviefanTP 18 years ago

There's an old joke about what the most confusing day in the ghetto is. Father's Day. I'm not sure the writing on the show was inconsistent . . . it's just that family structures in the inner city tend to be "non-traditional", to use the politically correct term. So that might explain it. Try reading "Random Family", Adrian LeBlanc's extraordinary non-fiction account of a teenage girl growing up on the mean streets of the Bronx. It reads like a Russian novel. Nobody can figure out who is related to whom, and on every page ten new characters are introduced and the family structure and dynamic totally changes.

[–] sweet1310452 18 years ago

Also the ages of Thorpe, Coolidge and Reese are inconsistent. All were potrayed as seniors at one point and returned in the subsequent season. Coolidge was portrayed as a senior in the first season in BOnus Baby. Reeves' pro ball career also varies from episode to episode.

But truthfully the show was exceptionally well written, directed and acted so I can overlook all of this. The most distracting thing for me is that the actors who played the students were so old- no way do Nathan Cook and Eric Kilpatrick look like HS students- but the acting is so good that after a while that's irrelevant.

I wonder what the reception would be in 2007 if they did a show like this now about college athletes. For that (or anything really) to have a fighting chance it would have to be borne out of someone's experiences and not some show thrown together by a committee who are producing what they think people want to see.

[–] plouis0128 18 years ago

I have vague memories of watching some episodes during its initial run, got hooked onto the series when Nick At Nite aired it in the mid 90's, and now am hooked again seeing it on YES and having seasons 1 and 2 on DVD--I'm about halfway through the season 2 DVD and picked up on those inconsistancies as well. Another, that my memory could be wrong on, deals with the season 2 Christmas episode where Sybil's estranged husband (coincidentally played by Joan Pringle's real life husband Theodore/Teddy Washington) returns to reconcile and Sybil learns she's pregnant. I can understand that maybe there was another "off camera" estrangement between the two, but I dont recall anything about Sybil having the baby (though in my defence, perhaps thats addressed in the episodes I've yet to refamiliarize myself with...)

[–] sweet1310452 18 years ago

I don't think they ever said anything more about the baby- although Sybil is noticably pregnant in the later season 2 shows and in at least one Ken sees her in the cafeteria and makes a joke about her eating for 2- I guess it is assumed that she had the baby and stayed with her husband offscreen. Basically if Joan Pringle hadn't gotten pregnant they probably would have never had any episodes revolving around her- in 1979 for "Ms." Buchanon to be pregnant and single would not have flew with the censors. Interesting that she's called Ms. Buchanon since Theodore Wilson's character's last name is Buchanon.

[–] sg488 18 years ago

What about when Goldstein is one of the guys,he was a butt of a few jokes but still respected..........then all of a sudden on one episode,no one likes him,no one repects him............very inconsitent

[–] jayhn1111 17 years ago

Yeah they did turn him into the geek of the century

[–] sg488 17 years ago

Ya for one episode,then it was back to the normal semi disrespect.

[–] MrBuzzcut 15 years ago

At the end of "Bonus Baby" Coolidge gives the "COOL" necklace back to the babe.

In the next scene, at practice, he is wearing it!

Just got Season 1 and I'm lovin' it!

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