MTV’s ‘Underemployed’: Tales of the Recent Grad as told by Asian Carrie Bradshaw

With Jersey Shore soon ending, MTV can’t just leave us hanging. They have to entertain us 20-somethings somehow and they are doing just that with their new series ‘Underemployed.’ The show follows a group of five friends in Chicago a year after they graduated from college. Their expectations of life after college, and the reality of the situations they are now in, resonates with 20-somethings everywhere. From interning post-college to being the office bitch to still living at home at working a random part-time job just to pay the bills, the show features almost every situation a recent grad can get into. The show opens on or around college graduation day with the group talking about how awesome their lives are going to be a year from now. However, that’s not the case as we find out in the first 10 minutes or so.

Sofia is a nerdy Asian virgin who wants to be a writer, but finds herself working at a donut shop instead. One day while at work, a young guy in a suit walks in that she knew from college. He sees her working behind the counter with a donut shaped hat on and asks what she’s doing there – AKA the most awkward question you can ask a recent grad. She clearly didn’t find a full time job yet. Duh. He has a conversation with her about life for a few minutes while his female lawyer boss listens in. Later in the episode, the guy’s boss calls Sofia and asks her to meet her for a drink. Sofia does so thinking that she wants to network or something… but she actually wants her. So Sofia ends up losing her virginity to a woman. Is she a lesbian? I guess we’ll find out next time. Sofia also narrates the show and at the end she was sitting at her computer… writing…. and narrating… just like our friend Carrie Bradshaw! Sex and the City much?

Miles (who dated Spencer for a few minutes on Pretty Little Liars) is an aspiring model (or so we think), but instead is working catering jobs and f*cking a mute anorexic Russian model. While at one of these catering jobs he meets a woman who raves about how cute he is and says she is going to introduce him to Calvin Klein. She tells him to meet her at a party, but when he gets there, he finds out he was only brought there to do more catering… just in less clothes. Meaning no Calvin Klein. At least he has the hot Russian waiting at home for him.

Daphne has been interning at a prestigious law firm for the past year and is literally the company bitch. In a pitch meeting they make her eat dog food (gross). But hey – at least she’s presenting at meetings, right?! She starts asking/begging to get paid because she needs to start making money (don’t we all?). Her boss says he’ll look into it and asks her out to lunch. While at lunch, he starts hitting on her and after, they share a kiss in some random park. This kiss leads to the two having sex in his car in the parking lot… still during lunch. Daphne then struggles with how to act at work now that they are, like, intimate (hooking up with coworkers never ends well). Later in the episode, her boss tells her they don’t have the money to pay her – and he throws in that he has a girlfriend too. Daphne gets surprisingly pushy and tells him to ditch the GF (mistake, mistake) and he of course says no. She then blackmails him, and ends up getting a pretty decent salary AND a parking spot… Girl is good.

Lou is obsessed with saving the environment and is one of those volunteers who stands on city streets with a clip board asking people for money. Ugh, those people. He dated Raviva in college, but she broke up with him because she wanted to see what else was out there before she committed to a young romance. She moves to LA to become a famous singer/guitarist… but 8 months later winds up back in Chicago at Lou’s doorstep… pregnant. Because of the whole pregnant thing, Lou decides he needs to get a real job and ends up working for his father (who he hates) at his company (which he also hates). This upsets Raviva. She doesn’t want him to settle and give up on his dreams strictly because of the baby that is on the way. While they begin yet another fight, Raviva’s water breaks, so they make up and head to the hospital. Nearing the end of the show, Raviva gives birth and the whole crew says hello to the newborn in the hospital.

We then see Sofia typing/not typing on her computer doing a voiceover while trying to give meaningful quotes about life after college such as, ‘If life is all about working and make money then we’re screwed.’ I’m telling you – She is the nerdy lesbian Asian Carrie Bradshaw.

While the friendship between the three girls does not seem very realistic (yet), it was pretty good for an hour long scripted comedy on MTV. I would understand the girls’ friendship if they were friends from high school, because childhood friends change – especially during college. But these girls would NOT have met in college and stayed best of friends. One is nerdy. One is preppy. And one is a hipster/wannabe rock star. I think we need a flashback to how these friendships developed. I also don’t understand why/how the boys’ apartment is so damn big. They are catering and volunteering. It doesn’t make sense. However, there was a racist scene where the Russian girl actually spoke and the cab driver understood her because he clearly didn’t speak English… so that made everything better.

If you are a recent grad or a 20-something who is still holding on to the title of ‘recent grad,’ I would check this show out. You can catch it on Tuesday nights at 10pm on MTV. Let us know what you think!

Tags: 20 somethings, college, college grad, Entertainment, featured, life after college, mtv, post-college, post-grads, recent grads, television, tv, tv shows, twentysomethings, underemployed

Category: Entertainment, General, TV & Movies