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Episode Guide

01 - My So-Called Life (Pilot)

German title: "Im Disco-Fieber" (Disco Fever)
French title: "Ma nouvelle Amie" (My New friend)

First Air-Dates

* USA: Thursday 25th August 1994 - 8pm ET/PT (ABC) [ratings: 8 / share: 16]
* Germany: Sunday 18th February 1996 - 6pm CET (RTL2)
* Australia: Monday 27th July 1998 - 7:30pm (FOX8)

Description

The very first episode of 'My So-Called Life'. We're introduced to Angela Chase, her family and friends. Angela dyes her hair a shade of Crimson Glow and spends her time now with her new friend, Rayanne Graff.

Transcript

Locations

The San Pedro High School

"The Mighty Pirates"

* Shopping-Mall
* School-Hallway
* The Chase's Kitchen
* Yearbook classrom: Technology/Graphics Room 166
* Biology classroom
* Tino's Party
* Cafeteria
* Let's bolt
* in front of Rayanne's house

Behind the scenes: A high school in San Pedro, California, initially served as the backdrop for Angela's classes and friends' dramas in this first episode in early 1993, the high school scenes in later episodes were filmed at University High School in West Los Angeles (aerial view).
Ever wondered about the "pirates"-images and stickers in the episodes ? Well, the Basketball Team of San Pedro High School is called "Pirates" and the production designers decided to use those images constantly all over the season, although 18 episodes were shot at the University High School.
All scenes in the house of the Chase's in the first episode were filmed in a real house in Los Angeles. The rest of the 19 episodes were shot at a soundstage in Los Angeles. Production designer Cate Bangs based the home floor plan on the house originally used, but incorporated a few changes. (Just compare the fittings of the kitchen between episode 1 and 2. :-)

Notes

* RUNTIME: 49:09
* SHOOTING DATE: around Monday 1 1993 March 1993
* This episode has been shot in March 1993 in Los Angeles, USA. (more than 17 months before the first airing)
* The second episode was produced more than 12 months later because ABC couldn't find a appropriate time slot in the fall'93 lineup.
* goof: hard to find: Just take a close look at the seating plan in Ms. Mayhew's class (English). It changes during the scene and some people dissapear ... (The scene with Angela looking back to Sharon was inserted later)

* On TV in Patty's room: It's a Wonderful Life (1946), where Zuzu gives George the petals
(The production company "Bedford Falls" got its name from the movie)

* Angela's hair color is called crimson glow

* Early in the production, Claire developed a broken blood vessel in her eye which had to be digitally color-corrected frame-by-frame -- at considerable expense.
* One episode cost $1.2 Million.
* On the set, Claire Danes was referred to by fellow actors as "Claire Bear." As Angela Chase, she was known as "Angeleeka", "Angelfood", and "Chaseface".
* Literature:"The diaries of Anne Frank" [The book Angela is reading in her english class]
* other people mentioned: Chelsea Clinton, Jody Barsch
* Themes of the yearbook: Graduation, Final Frontier, Apple: Fruit of Knowledge, Year 2000
* Food mentioned: Chili con Carne.

* Graham was supposed to go chef school, but he never did.
* This is the only episode where we can see the Liberty Cafeteria. All the extras were quite expensive ..
* Who the hell is Jody Barsch ? "Oh please. That's like *so* known."
* Graham and Patty went to the same high school, but they never knew each other, then.
* Patty's appendix has been removed.
* Patty is adopted
* As originally written, the show was called "Someone Like Me." And, as originally written, the pilot's prologue was a bit different. From the script it ends like this:

(Scene 8)
INT. ANGELA'S HOUSE -- BATHROOM -- DAY

Angela's bent over the sink, Rickie wraps her
head in a towel as Rayanne checks out the
medicine chest for interesting prescriptions...

ANGELA'S VOICE
So when Rayanne Graff told me
my hair was holding me back, I
was actually...glad. Because,
normally...?

Angela straightens, looks into the mirror...

ANGELA'S VOICE
Someone like her won't say
something like that. To someone
like me.

END PROLOGUE

* And since it's so famous, here is the original script from the final scene of the pilot.

(Scene 51)
INT. HIGHSCHOOL HALLWAY -- DAY

Monday morning. THAT WACKED OUT BELL. Angela moves
through the KIDS down the hall, suddenly Jordan is
coming towards her...

JORDAN
Hi.

ANGELA
(in shock)
Hi.

They kind of stop. To talk. Maybe. Kind of.

JORDAN
Out on bail?

ANGELA
(smiles)
Yeah.
(shy)
So how was your weekend?

JORDAN
Sucked.
(leans against the wall,
closes his eyes. Opens
them)
Gotta go.

He almost looks at her...almost smiles. He takes off.

Angela turns, sees

Rayanne, Rickie and THREE OF THEIR PALS, approaching. They
don't see her yet. Rayanne HOLDS FORTH AT HIGH SPEED...


RAYANNE
Oh please!! Ask Rickie, it was
wicked, it was --
(sees Angela)
Hey, girlfriend --!

The group moves in, surround Angela, as...

RICKIE
Angela...!

RAYANNE
(overlapping)
Ask Angela, she was there...
(to Angela)
Angela, tell them what --

RICKIE
(overlapping)
We hung out, and these guys,
they tried to pick them up...

RAYANNE
It was totally wicked, am I
right?

RICKIE
And the cops came...

RAYANNE
I'm telling you! We had a time.
(to Angela)
Didn't we. Didn't we have a
time.

All turn, to hear Angela's verdict.

ANGELA
We did. We had a time.

FADE OUT:

THE END

Cast Ages

Lisa Wilhoit was 11 years old during the shooting of this episode.
Claire Danes was 13 years old during the shooting of this episode.
Devon Gummersall was 14 years old during the shooting of this episode.
Allison Joy Langer was 18 years old during the shooting of this episode.
Devon Odessa was 19 years old during the shooting of this episode.
Wilson Cruz was 19 years old during the shooting of this episode.
Jared Leto was 21 years old during the shooting of this episode.

Everything I learned in life, I learnt from "My so-called life"

* "the league of nations failed ... because it's written in the first person." - Mr.Demitri/Brian
* "Seeing a teacher's actual lunch is, like, so depressing." - Angela
* "I think it's the lack of meat that's destroying America." - Graham
* "fat-free is like, free. Of fat." - bathroom conversation anno 1993
* "There's never soap." in bathrooms.- Angela / Sharon
* Bi means bisexual. - Danielle knows everything :-)

Quote of the day

Rickie: "Where is Tino?"

Cast

Crew

 




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“School is a battlefield for your heart.”

Angela Chase, Episode 1: "My So-Called Life (Pilot)"