So Weird (1999-2001)

Genre: TV Show, Children/Family, Drama, Supernatural, Mystery, Adventure, Thriller

Rated: TV-Y7 – for children seven years and older.

Heralded by fans as The X-Files for kids, this Disney Channel Original Series follows a young girl, obsessed with the paranormal, as she travels the country with her musician mother. Along the way she encounters weird events, ranging from ghosts to aliens to mysterious creatures, and documents them all on her website, bringing the viewer along for the ride.

Season 1

Starring: Cara DeLizia, Patrick Levis, Erik von Detten, Dave ‘Squatch’ Ward, Belinda Metz, and Mackenzie Phillips

Guest Starring: Kyla Pratt and Chris Gibson

Fiona “Fi” Phillips is just your average teenage girl. She struggles with geometry, fights with her brother, and can shoot hoops with the boys like a natural. Oh, and she’s the daughter of a musician and lives on a tour bus with her mother, Molly, brother, Jack, and Jack’s best friend, Clu. She is also very interested in the paranormal, and runs a website dedicated to strange phenomena. Due to this interest, she seems to encounter strange occurrences wherever she and the band travel.

Fi encounters all sorts of weird things in the first season, ranging from ghosts to mythical creatures. I love how open-minded she is to whatever may be lurking around her, despite the skepticism of her watchful older brother. Once Fi catches the scent of something supernatural happening in her area, she works tirelessly until she solves the mystery, and doesn’t allow anyone to dissuade her from finding the truth.

This leads to her doing a lot of good, such as reuniting a ghost child with his dead parents, saving the life of a young woman who could leave her body at will, reuniting an old man with his lost dog, and leading a young woman out of a fourteen-year coma. It also leads to a possible negative reaction to her in the spirit world, which is hinted at by a spirit that possesses Jack in the season finale. It is made pretty clear that the next season is going to take a darker turn, and delve deeper into the supernatural realm, as well as reveal things Fi may not want to know about her father’s death.

Season one is a solid opener for the series. I love how each episode is prefaced with a little background of the content it is based on. Often times this provides a brief history lesson, either of events or theories, which are both interesting and educational to younger viewers, and since it’s narrated by Fi, the audience is more likely to pay attention and retain this knowledge, however minute it may be.

The characters introduced in the first season are also great. Fi is fantastic. I love how determined she is to seek out the truth. I love that she isn’t afraid to investigate, nor is she shy about interviewing people about weird phenomena, no matter how crazy they think she is. She’s smart and nerdy, but she’s cool, and I felt, at the time it aired, like I could relate to her. (Heck, I still feel that way rewatching it at twenty-five!)

 I enjoy the relationship between Fi and Molly, where there is mutual respect, support, and love at all times – even when Molly doesn’t believe Fi’s theories. Despite the unconventional lifestyle, Molly is still a great Mom, balancing support and fun with firmness and discipline. I feel that the show demonstrates a healthy parent/child relationship despite life on the road, and supports a loving family dynamic despite differences in beliefs.

I also like that Fi’s relationship with her older brother is complex. As a little sister, I know that it’s not always easy to deal with a protective older brother, especially when he also likes to tease you. It can get annoying, and Fi usually becomes fed up with Jack’s quips and skepticism pretty quickly. They fight often, with either Clu or Molly cutting in to keep the peace, but in the end, they love each other more than anything and will do anything to protect one another. The thought of losing Jack, despite his irritating behavior, is terrifying for Fi, as he is also her only ally, going along with her plans despite his disbelief in them. Throughout the season, there are a couple great emotional scenes between the siblings, especially in “Singularity” (Season 1, Episode 11) when Fi thinks she may be trapped in a wormhole forever, and in “Willow O’ the Wisp” (Season 1, Episode 13), when she saves him from the possessing spirit.

Lastly, I enjoy the character of Clu. He may come off as the typical dumb, comic relief character, but he does have a little depth to him. He also sees Fi as a little sister and is willing to protect her at all costs, when he’s not mindlessly following her into the fray. When there is a fight between Fi and Jack, Clu often lends a supportive ear to one of the siblings, and sometimes offers some decent advice. He’s silly and fun, and while not the brightest, he still can provide help when either Fiona or Jack need it.

Overall, the first season is smart, slightly creepy and well characterized. All of the episodes are interesting, ranging from slightly creepy to emotional dramas, however only two really stand out to me. The first of these is the episode, “Rebecca,” (Season 1, Episode 9) where Molly runs into a teenage girl who looks exactly like her childhood best friend who just disappeared on her one day. What Molly doesn’t know is that this girl is her long lost best friend Rebecca, the girl just doesn’t age normally. The ending is powerful, matched with a beautiful song about the friendship performed by Molly. I admit it, I caught myself tearing up, and I’m not ashamed to do so.

The second episode that really stands out is the season finale, “Willow O’ the Wisp,” due to its blend of comedy, horror and suspense. Patrick Levis nailed the performance, even pulling off a Scottish accent, mixing creepy smiles and slightly menacing lines with humorous bouts of hyperactivity. This episode introduced a recurring villain in the series, and indicated a darker turn for the series in the upcoming season.

6.5/10

Season 2

Starring: Cara DeLizia, Patrick Levis, Mackenzie Phillips, Erik von Detten, Belinda Metz, Dave “Squatch” Ward and Eric Lively

Guest Starring: Jewel Staite, Henry Winkler, The Moffats, Bo Diddley, Chris Gibson and MacKenzie Gray

The viewers rejoin Fi and her family on the road for another twenty-six episodes of investigating the paranormal. As alluded to in the previous season, things become a bit darker in Season Two, which delves deeper into the back story surrounding Fi’s father. Early in the season we see that Rick, Fi’s father, has reached out and attempted to communicate with both her and Molly. As the season wears on, Fi learns more about her father than she ever expected, and finally fills that void his death left within her.

The characters continue to develop well throughout the season. Fi and Jack still share that complex, love/annoyed relationship, and things get strained for a while between Molly and Fi, when an old friend of Molly and Rick’s reveals something about Rick that Fi wished she had known all along – a connection between them that makes her realize she’s not entirely alone in her weird interests.

Clu hangs around for the first few episodes, but leaves for college after Episode 7: Mutiny. In his place, the viewers are introduced to Cary, Clu’s older brother, who is a musician and a hopeless romantic, falling head over heels for almost every young woman he meets. A college drop-out, Cary is hired to be Molly’s guitar player, and thus fills the space Clu leaves in his wake. Cary becomes a bit of an older brother to both Jack and Fi, taking over Clu’s role as peace-maker between the two.

There are some great episodes in this season, making it a favorite among most fans. This season brought us some of the most memorable episodes, such as “Siren,” where Fi discovers that the talented young singer at the local club is actually a siren that has been forced into playing music against her will. Jewel Staite (of Firefly and Flash Forward fame) guest stars as the titular creature, bringing to life one of the most memorable one-shot characters in the series.

Next, we have the episode “Banshee,” where Fi has to face the spirit world in order to save her grandfather, and Molly has to mend her relationship with her father. The song she wrote for him seems to mend all wounds between the two, and the scene where Molly sings it to him is very moving. On that same note, the episodes “James Garr” and “Encore” are also very emotional, one involving a relationship Jack forms with an old man dying of lymphoma, the other depicts a ghostly duet between Molly and Rick. Lastly, the season finale, “Twin,” gives Fi the closure she needs regarding her father.

There are some weak points to this season as well. The episodes “Oopa,” “Troll,” and “Shelter” while entertaining, feel like mostly filler between the stronger episodes. They had fun or interesting premises, but no real follow-through, leaving either an interesting foundation for what could have been a great episode/story arc, or comedic fluff. Also, there is a continuity gap between episodes “Strange Geometry” and “Fall,” where Fi is supposed to be angry with Molly, but it is never mentioned “Fountain,” the episode between the two. So Fi goes from being mad, to fine, to mad again in a span of three episodes. It’s a minor detail, but I found it a little jarring.

Overall, a very strong season with a few minor missteps; it is understandable why so many fans claim this is the best season out of the three. It’s darker, creepier and more emotional than the first, and carries a story arc, where the first had more of a monster-of-the-week style. The characters are more developed and the majority of the episodes interesting. Season two only builds from the foundation that Season One laid out.

7/10

Season Three

Starring: MacKenzie Phillips, Patrick Levis, Eric Lively, Belinda Metz, Dave “Squatch” Ward, and Alexz Johnson

Guest Starring: Cara DeLizia, Erik von Detten, Emily Hart, Samantha Ferris, and Chris Gibson

In the season premiere, the viewers join Fi on one last weird adventure before she passes her ring (and with it, all things weird) to her new friend, Annie. Fi decides to stay with her Aunt Melinda in Seattle, opting for the normal teenage life, and Annie joins Molly and the gang on tour.

This season is probably the least popular out of the three, with many fans declaring it the point where Disney began to change for the worse (going for triple threat talents, every show having to involve singing, etc.). I don’t entirely agree with that sentiment – it is definitely different than the previous seasons, but I don’t necessarily consider that a bad thing.

Season Three is a lot lighter than the previous seasons, both in content and set décor. The sets are much brighter, painted with vivid colors, and Annie’s wardrobe is much more colorful than what Fi once wore. Molly sells the house depicted in the earlier seasons, for one with a lighter, brighter feel. Even the school Jack and Annie attend is brightly colored.

As for content, there aren’t any dark undertones running through this season. Almost every episode has a happy ending, and the weirdness is rarely as dangerous as the kind Fi once encountered. Still, this season contained some of the episodes that stuck with me most from the entire series, including “Detention,” “Banglebye,” “Pen Pal,” “Voodoo,” “A Grave Mistake,” and “Annie’s Song.”

I really liked the character of Annie and I’m glad she joined the show. While I think it would have been cool for her and Fi to have worked together and become best friends, Disney had its reasons for that not happening. (It would have made a great Season four, in my opinion, but at this time, Disney was putting a 65 episode limit on all Original Series.) Still, I think, and I know I’m in the minority here, that Annie did a great job taking the reins and carrying the show. She’s a bit more skeptical than Fi was, but often cannot help acknowledging that something supernatural is happening around her. She quickly forms a sibling-like bond with Jack and Cary, and seems to infatuate Clu early on, before becoming good friends with him. Her main passion, and one of the reason many fans don’t like her, is her music – she does have a great voice, and Molly mentors her as a blossoming performer. (As mentioned above, many fans pin point Annie as the character that started the annoying Disney trends of today.)

I also really enjoyed Annie’s backstory, which is fully explained in the episode, “Annie’s Song.” The season uses a lot of Native American folklore for a few of the episodes, as well as to address the truth behind Annie’s constant companion, the Panther.

The character development of the original cast keeps going strong. Molly is still a great Mom, able to balance touring, performing and raising kids – including one that she’s taken on as a favor for a friend (Annie). Jack is still skeptical of all things paranormal, but begins to find his passion by the end of the season. Clu and Cary remain pretty much the same as they’ve always been, with Clu making a lot of trips from college to visit the gang.

I really liked that, despite Fi being out of the show, the writers made sure not to forget about her. They have Annie correspond with Fi regarding the weird things she encounters, and have Fi as Molly’s main influence in getting home for Thanksgiving. Jack also misses Fi terribly and often references her in his talks with Annie.

The one thing I didn’t like about this season is that it did seem to ignore plot points from the prior episodes. For instance, in the episode “Talking Board,” Jack talks about a girl at school that he has a crush on, never once alluding to Gabe, the girl he’d had a long distance relationship with over the past two seasons. It’s almost as though Gabe was forgotten, which bothered me, because at the end of season two, Jack was still very much in love with her. Also, in the episode, “Dead Ringer,” Molly mentions that she, Fi and Jack lived in a particular house in the neighborhood she and Annie are exploring, when in the previous seasons, they had lived in their home all their lives. The house that the family lived in in seasons one and two was the house shown in Jack’s flashback of the night his father died in Season Two’s episode, “Nightmare.” These inaccuracies may only have caught my attention due to the fact that I binge-watched the series recently, but they were glaring to me. It felt like these plot points were being ignored to force the story forward in the belief that the viewer wouldn't notice.

Overall, I enjoyed this season, and I disagree that it is the worst of the series or that it was the beginning of the Disney Downfall. I think Annie is a great, interesting character with a fun background, and thought she was a great addition to the current cast. I would have liked to see more Fi and Annie together, but understand that was never in the cards. My only qualm with this season is the inaccuracies/ignorance of details from prior episodes.

7/10

This was one of my favorite shows growing up, and I found while rewatching it recently, that it still holds up relatively well. I think both Fi and Annie are great characters for young girls to follow – they’re independent, intelligent, witty and fun, and they never back away from doing the right thing. While they do care a little about their appearances and having friends, they would rather be intelligent, good people than popular and pretty. They are passionate about their interests, and aren’t afraid to venture into the unknown to solve a strange mystery.

I loved that the show depicts how a family can function just fine on the road, and also that family doesn’t end with blood. Ned, Irene, Cary, Clu and Annie are treated just like family to the Phillips clan, and it is obvious that these folks would do anything for each other, despite how weird it might seem. I feel this is always a great message to transmit to kids. You don’t have to live like everyone else to be normal, and family doesn’t end with blood.

The storylines were great as well. I feel this is a great introductory show for the scarier versions available for adults. Kids get a small look into the world of horror and sci-fi without being truly frightened. It also offers the closure of family love and happy endings.

Lastly, the soundtrack is fantastic. MacKenzie Phillips has a great voice and the songs she sings for the show are both catchy and a little haunting. Alexz Johnson’s contributions in Season Three are mostly of the Pop variety, while Phillips’s are more light rock, but they are fun to listen to – though they needn’t auto-tune Johnson’s voice so much. Also, in Season Three, Patrick Levis sings a beautiful lullaby while his character, Jack, is babysitting a toddler. I feel all of these songs should be compiled on an official soundtrack, and that it should be released to the general public.

I do agree with many fans that this show is superior to many shows available for kids today. It is a fun, slightly educational ride into the paranormal, with strong female leading ladies as your guides. A definite must-watch if you can get your hands on it.

Overall Series Rating:  7/10