My So-Called Life

:For information on the From Zero album, see My So-Called Life (album)

Style and legacy

The world of My So-Called Life was devoid of last-minute miracles, of simple resolutions and instant revelations. Instead, the least surprising and least shocking thing usually happened. Jordan ignores Angela and no "final revelation" instantaneously justifies his past behavior. Graham considers cheating on Patty, but no spectacular revelation scene happens. Graham simply decides not to do it. This style inspired shows like Six Feet Under and Boston Public which try to be realistic and non-sensationalistic in a similar way, as well as the equally short-lived (and similarly praised) Freaks and Geeks.

Related Topics:
Last-minute miracles - Freaks and Geeks

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The interior voice-overs in My So-Called Life come, with two exceptions, from Angela's point of view. Yet they illustrate all the intertwining plots of the episode. Often, at the end of an episode, Angela will enumerate items or principles that parallel the main points of the episode. For example, at the end of episode 10, "Other People's Mothers", Angela lists the name of a few Tarot cards. For each card names, a character of the episode is shown to illustrate the role he or she has played in the story. Graham is "The Magician" as a reference to his talent as a cook in this episode, and Patty is "Strength" because that is the quality she showed in this episode. This style is often used at the end of the show Scrubs. Scrubs is also driven by an interior monologue and is also realistic in that there are no medical miracles in the show.

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In contrast to its realism, the show has small elements of potential supernatural elements, such as ghosts or foreshadowing. There are very few of them and whether or not they are literally true within the story is never clear.

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