Look Ma, No Wrapping

My So-Called Life (Complete Series)

Eight years after the lavishly praised but little-seen My So-Called Life got canned by the alphabet network after one slim season (here, in a no-frills five-disc set), the high school heartbreaks of one Angela Chase (Claire Danes) still feel, like, so true. So true, in fact, it's a little embarrassing; watching Angela swoon again and again for the lunkheaded Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto) is a little like re-reading your diary from sophomore year with a permanent wince. Still, we loved them then, back when plaid was still in, and we love them now, their every other line of über-adolescent speak doubly so deep, so deeply vacuous. My favorite goes to poor little Brian Krakow (Devon Gummersall), whose love for Angela knew no bounds. After lab partner Delia brushes up against him, Krakow voices over: "Finally, an erection from actual physical contact." Sadly, he would soon dump Delia, just to get dumped on some more by Angela. Foolish Krakow. They were all pretty foolish (Rayanne, put down that bottle of booze and glitter stick!), but better to be 15 and foolish than a fortysomething ABC exec and terminally stupid.