GCB—Mean Girls Grown up
I have been looking forward to the premier of GCB for some time, not because I’m a religious fanatic or non-believer, or because I’m enamored with everything big and Texas; but because I couldn’t wait to see how the producers would present bitchy “Christian” women.
The show, formerly known as Good Christian Bitches was shortened to just GCB to avoid that dreaded “B” word. Many feel the words “Christian” and “bitch” should not be in the same sentence and I can’t believe I’m even talking about this but you will find the two in almost every church. In defense, remember that churches are not gathering places for the saints but rather hospitals for the sinners.
The phrase, “Christian bitches”, is an oxymoron but is oh so accurate for many churches. I know because I was the object of their “holier than thou” attitude for many years because I was, unfortunately, left without a husband or children at the relatively young age of 45. I was suddenly a widow and I apparently scared the hell out of the mothers in the church. After being a very active member for over 15 years it seemed that over night I became an alien. The church where my husband and I worshiped, sang in the choir, participated on the board, hosted meetings and dinners, and viewed as an extension of our own family turned on me because I no longer had anything in common with the young families (much like Amanda Vaughn, the main character of GCB).
If only my private life had been as exciting as the GCBs thought it was. They spread rumors that I entertained men with bubble baths and wine, they had me romantically linked with many of the husbands in the church, and even said the minister and I were having an affair. While all these rumors were swirling around me I was actually sitting at home crying my eyes out—so much for the exciting life of the happy widow.
So, Donna, Lori, Karen, Sandy, and Sam (Samantha) there is finally a TV show about you. If the writers run out of material I can give them many ideas from firsthand experience. You GCBs made my life hell and I have waited many years for a wee bit of revenge. It feels good to publicly link your names with this topic.
The show has received generally poor reviews and I agree that the pilot was rather messy with too many plot lines running in too many different directions. Many people will probably find GCB offensive because it may come too close to home, however, I applaud the producers for putting a mirror up to society to show what happens when the junior high school “mean girls” grow up. It could have been set in a school or corporate atmosphere but by using the church as a backdrop it puts a magnifying glass to the mean-spirited abuses. I hope the show is allowed to run and not prematurely canceled to give it an opportunity to develop the plot and characters more fully. The show has good actors, most notably Annie Potts as Gigi, the main character’s mother, and Kristin Chenoweth, ring leader of the mean girls.
GCB may have its faults with writing and organization but it has one thing right—there are people with jealous, evil intent hiding in the churches. God bless us, everyone.
A few of my favorite lines from the show:
When Amanda’s son asked what the sermon title “What ye sow, ye shall reap” meant she answered—“In California it’s karma.”
Comparing Texas and California, Annie Potts’ character said—“California and Texas have the same weather except we don’t have all those liberals.”
“What is the difference between flowers and a car? A few zeroes, that’s all.”
http://www.rr.com/tv/topic/article/rr/51528047/63846675/GCB_99_Problems
Related articles
- Chenoweth has game in ‘GCB’ – Toronto Sun (torontosun.com)
- GCB: Good Campy Bitches (tv.com)
- Based on the Book: First Reactions to GCB (gotmyreservations.wordpress.com)
- ‘GCB’ Stars Preview Their Texas-Sized New Drama (huffingtonpost.com)
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