There may be your standard boyfriend-stealing and sneering over the poor kid's clothes, but the show isn't afraid to step beyond the typical "bad girls club" routine. Emily ends up working for a manager who's a meth addict. The girls go to a kegger for a last night of freedom from their oppressive schedules. It's impressive just how family accessible ABC can manage to make all this. There are innuendos and hints, and characters that have learned to deal with such heavy topics with a shrug and a smile. Indeed, "that's life," and these girls have had to accept that and put it in the background for a long time. If they hadn't, they wouldn't be the top class athletes they are at the young age they are.
The show really does shine when the gymnastics get started. You'd expect the sprinkling of hip-hop, remixed pop-songs, and a dozen different slo-motion takes. But Make It or Break It really does do some creative things with the formula. In one scene, cameras somehow show the gymnast's view of their own legs as they swing on the uneven bars and even spin around the bar with the gymnasts as they move. During the final episode at finals, there are grainy cam shots mixed in with the regular footage that seem to simulate photos taken for sports news and magazines. The girls also go through routines that really do mirror the skill and finesse you'd see in an Olympic event. It's a wonder that they found 4 actresses so talented at athletics as well, and they don't waste a moment with it. The girls do have professional stunt doubles, but they're integrated seamlessly. The cast was hired based on their gymnastic or dance related skills as well as their acting talent so that they could take good intro and exit shots from the routines. There's a bonus segment that documents a lot of what they went through to create this show, including grueling months of boot camp style training.
The stunts are amazing, not only for the actual gymnastics routines that the girls perform, but for the "falls" they perform as well. They look so real, it causes one to cringe in pain. It makes it easy to connect with them when everything from their triumphs to their failures look so real. And of course, they do a fantastic job selling their "normal" lives as well. You get to know each girl and all her personal pains and happiness. You'll even start to sympathize with Lauren, who obviously is looking to fill a hole in her life by playing her father and ruthlessly backstabbing her way through competitions.
On a side note, I got a kick out of the girls using their moves as a way to intimidate a shady group of guys in one episode. The guys walk up to the girls, making lewd comments and making it obvious that they intend to have their way with them. To get them to back off, the girls start doing some aggressive flips toward them. I guess it could work - do a few flips and the thugs might think there's more behind it (they stand with mouths gaping saying "that was some superhero action!"). It's all a bit silly, but still an entertaining way of exploring what else you could use such specific talents for. Also, one girl does a keg stand (family friendly: no actual drinking) during the show. It's yet another interesting way to utilize the talents of the girls and break up the constant training, training routine of the show.
Make It or Break It brings a lot of unexpected elements together to create a good drama about female gymnasts. You may have a few things here and there about gymnastics, but the show doesn't focus so much on the athletic work that it becomes an educational video. The story isn't the deepest or the most surprising, and due to the family friendly label, it's not as explicit as it could be about drugs, sex, and other topics that affect teenage athletes. But it is a good drama, good TV fare. The extras are decent as well, with deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes look at how a show with this many athletic stunts gets made. If you're a fan of the sport or you enjoyed an episode, you can check out this first volume with good expectations.
