Although ABC Family's "10 Things I Hate About You" claims to be loosely based on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," it is more clearly a replica of the beloved 1999 movie of the same name. Recreating all of the plotlines from the eponymous film, the show deals less with the feminist issues of "Taming of the Shrew" and more with the romantic entanglements of the movie.
All of the actors from the original film have been recast with the exception of Larry Miller as the leads' father, Dr. Walter Stratford. Perhaps in an attempt to make the characters their own, the new actors have become caricatures, playing exaggerated versions of the originals.
The protagonists, sisters Kat (Lindsey Shaw) and Bianca (Meaghan Jette Martin) Stratford, epitomize high school stereotypes. Kat is the opinionated feminist and overachiever with her heart set on becoming an activist at Brown University.
In contrast, Martin's Bianca is a petite blonde set on becoming popular regardless of how many boys or girls she must kiss to obtain this goal. Meanwhile, Cameron as played by Nicholas Braun is even more socially awkward than Joseph Gordon−Levitt was in the original film.
The only character to have sufficiently diverged from the original is Patrick Verona, played by Ethan Peck, grandson of Gregory. As if the footsteps of an Academy Award−winning relative were not sufficiently challenging to follow, Ethan Peck is also attempting to fill the shoes of the late Heath Ledger. Ledger's performance as Patrick in the original film was his big break into the world of mainstream Hollywood and female hearts everywhere. Peck's valiant attempt is fueled by his ample charm. His character's good looks, bad−boy appeal and clear affection for Kat render him incredibly endearing to watch.
The chemistry between Kat and Patrick is even more evident in the show's return from a midseason hiatus, especially when contrasted with Bianca's new relationship with Joey Donner (Chris Zylka). Bianca, though painfully superficial, is not dumb. As she herself points out, she understands the subject matter of her classes: "It's history. I know how it ends. Everyone dies."
Joey, on the other hand, has the attention span of an ADHD−ridden five−year−old. Albeit, he is good looking and goal−oriented — he is set on becoming a model — but unfortunately, he's the ex−boyfriend of Bianca's best friend Chastity Church (Dana Davis), the most popular girl in school.
Joey's relationship with Bianca is a major source of drama in last week's episode, in which Bianca finds herself lying to and manipulating those around her to keep their secret romance hidden before she eventually comes clean after being drenched in frozen yogurt.
Kat, on the other hand, finds freedom in standing up for Patrick and her rights. She wonders if "Gandhi ever felt this — so alive, so inspired, so hot" between passionate kisses. Her actions unfortunately result in a suspension, a punishment that forces her to receive an automatic F for missing her English test.
In an attempt to salvage her grade and fulfill her Ivy dreams, she sneaks into the school to take the test by following the advice of a pot−smoking student who uses an application on his iPhone to track the locations of the teachers. This scene is illustrative of ABC Family's attempt to both assimilate and mock teen culture.
The show may not be a completely accurate depiction of a real high school, but its caricaturing does emphasize real issues that plague today's teenagers. The juxtaposition of Bianca and Kat's personalities serves to demonstrate the two ends of the social spectrum. Their sisterhood and wildly varying personalities reveal that ultimately — when social class is erased — honesty, sincerity of character, family and boys are what matter most.
"10 Things I Hate About You" airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.
