When Reality’s Too Real: The Bedford Stop

There needs to be a more intense word for “over saturation” when it comes to Williamsburg, which has become something of an Orange County for Brooklyn, obviously making it rife for reality TV potential. It’s unclear who is bankrolling The Bedford Stop–whether it’s merely the pet project of its stars or there’s actually funding involved, as is the case with Zhe Zhe. Considering it’s a YouTube only-type series, there’s little known about the legitimacy of the producers behind this show, but that’s irrelevant when you start watching this Real World meets Laguna Beach narrative.

Problems like not getting enough likes on Instagram within a five-minute period or having to shop at Forever 21 like a poor person are just some of the plights endured by the stars of the show, Alex, who wants to “pursue a career in merchandising,” Sarah, “the boy-crazy one,” Olena, “you never know what will come out of her mouth,” and Melissa, “who always manages to show up with a drink in her hand.” Together these four girls are here to bring you the most banal conversations you’ve ever heard, including several minutes debating on where to go for brunch (Cafe Colette or Teddy’s?).

The pilot episode, which may be hard for a normal person to watch all the way through, is called “Tinder Me Softly” and details the travails of Olena as she debates whether or not to get a Tinder head shot for her profile. The entire time, all you can think is, “This is so accurate that it has to be a parody.” But no, it isn’t. This is how people really exist in Williamsburg. Posters of Lana Del Rey and Elle Fanning in the background of these girls’ condo apartments add to the all too realness of it. The giggles and wooden conversations name checking beloved Williamsburg watering holes like RockaRolla and The Charleston further heighten the notion that this is not a joke. Even though we all wish it was; it would make the show more viable that way.

Genna Rivieccio http://culledculture.com

Genna Rivieccio writes for myriad blogs, mainly this one, The Burning Bush, Missing A Dick, The Airship and Meditations on Misery.

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    Girls May Be Ending, But the Damage It Has Caused Will Last A LifetimeCulled Culture | Culled Culture

    […] And though Girls is finally ending, like Sex and the City, with its sixth season, the women who have watched it will forever have the tainted notion of what it means to be a directionless twenty-something living in Brooklyn. Moreover, even with the series’ completion, it all goes back to the old adage, “When you cut one head off, two more grow back in its place” (i.e. The Bedford Stop). […]

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