Charlotte Safavi
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Shahs of Sunset: Episode 4's New Lows
06-Apr-2012
I didn't think Bravo's reality TV show, Shahs of Sunset, could sink any lower than the second episode, "It's my Birthday Bitches." But the latest, innocuous-sounding episode "Waiting for MJ" ensured it did -- and how.
The Shahs of Sunset claims to depict the lives of Persian Americans living in Tehrangeles, a moniker given to the swankier parts of Los Angeles where many Iranians settled after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Honestly, I was so offended by Episode 4 that I almost didn't write anything at all, but I realized that now more than ever I needed to write something. I'm also Persian-American and I deeply resent my fellow Persian-Americans getting lumped together if only by ethnicity with the cast of this increasingly gratuitous show.
Waiting for MJ takes place at the usual locations: real estate construction sites, restaurants, and Westside condos with Persian carpets underfoot and nary a novel or newspaper in sight. But 3-5 minutes of Episode 4 (sorry, I can't bring myself to re-watch and time it...) took place at a colonic center. Really, I kid you not.
I can hear my Iranian brethren balking.
Reza and MJ spend the entire scene each getting disposable speculums shoved up their respective rear ends, while blithely bonding over the experience. Reza, whose respect for women and whose consideration for friends knows no end, bought this weight-loss gimmick as a birthday gift for MJ's 34th.
Mise en scene in the clinic -- two beds in separate cubicles, with colon hydrotherapy units as non-speaking extras -- Reza's eloquent quips run the gamut from "feel free to compliment me on my body parts" to "got any porn magazines."
My latex gloves are coming off.
Move over GG, I can be a Persian American Princess, too, though I give my lashing with words, not knives. Until I watched Episode 4, I wasn't aware I had anger management problems...
From the start, I've tried to be fair in my episode write-ups of the Shahs of Sunset, ever looking for a bright side, ever hopeful that something positive about the Persian-American culture could be gleaned from the reality gloss, ever...
But today, well, no holds barred, this is what I hated about Episode 4:
1. Chronic Colonic: Do I need to reiterate how much this double colonic scene offended, not just the Persian American in me but surely anyone with an ounce of integrity? I have nothing against colonics, but do we need to watch what is ultimately a highly personal and deeply private procedure? Call me a prude, call me uptight, see if I care.
2. Playboy Mansion, Not: I like Sammy enough and he packs in some Persian truisms on occasion, but sorry, Hugh Hefner called Mohamed to take notes from him. Really? As for Mohamed, he could do with a haircut or at least a comb. Most Iranian men his age are groomed and married -- usually with plenty of grandkids.
3. The Sorry Songstress: I find it ridiculous that the Persian women at GG's parents 40th anniversary party were complimenting Asa on her music; either they are tone deaf or have no taste. As for the record producer, Donray, "I can see how Persians would like that song... " Please. And how exactly does this I-don't-want-to-sell-out person support herself? Not by busking, you can be sure of that.
4. Kebab City: If I have to watch another cast member eating chelo kebab, I'll scream. We saw it in GG's restaurant scene with her greasy-ponytailed dad, as well as at lunch with Reza, MJ and her mom. Folks, don't get me wrong, chelo kebab is a delicious dish -- the best -- but it's also the culinary equivalent of hamburger or takeout. Iranians rarely cook this dish at home and certainly don't eat it every day. Persian food is complex, subtle and refined. Perhaps that's the problem...
5. The 40th Anniversary Bash: First, GG looked like an ugly duckling in that ridiculous outfit; no swansong here. Second, no self-respecting Persian party for adults starts in daylight at 7:00 p.m. An evening soiree would start at 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 PM, making MJ right on time, though still far from thin. Third, I don't know any Iranian American who ever gave his or her parent a new Mercedes. GG says "... a big part of the Persian culture is to give very large gifts... " To which I say, there's a difference between generous and ludicrous in any culture.
As GG's daddy said in the restaurant to his unemployed, spendthrift daughter: "Eshtehah yeh manoh koor cardi." The subtitles read, "You killed my appetite." Lost in translation, what this poetic phrase really means is, "You blinded my appetite." If you must watch Episode 4, be sure to put on your blinkers.
Follow Charlotte Safavi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CharlotteSafavi
| Recently by Charlotte Safavi | Comments | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Shahs of Sunset: Episode 6 Old Pals, New Series | 13 | Apr 18, 2012 |
| Shahs of Sunset: Episode 5 Taken with a Gulp of Wine | 21 | Apr 12, 2012 |
| Shah of Sunset: Episode 3 with a Nugget from Episode 1 | - | Mar 28, 2012 |
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watch some thing else
by MRX1 on Sat Apr 07, 2012 08:10 PM PDTWith over 100 + channels out there, you have other choices. This show is like other Bravo channel shows, cheap, shallow and pointless but it's entertaining! I am begining to take some Iranians don't have any sense of humor what so ever. go with a flow and relax. no body takes these kind of shows seriously any way.
i am enjoying the show!
by sarshar45 on Sat Apr 07, 2012 07:44 PM PDTi have thoroughly enjoyed this show.... characters, stereotypes, storylines, AND the humor! what i dont do is take this too seriously OR begrudge anyone the right to appear on or show a small portion of their lives to the cameras for others to see. we all know that reality tv is partially scripted. evidently the show is doing well and some were invited to new york for the bravo up fronts.
by the way, mohamed is NOT persian (he is palestinian), but he IS quite successful in his own right. //www.mohamedhadid.com/index.php .... his ex wife is a dutch model and i believe they have three children together.//online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304459804577281671932241882.html#slide/1
not a bad mentor or business associate for sammy at all!
i will definitely continue to enjoy the show as i am sure there will be others who will be criticizing the show repeatedly.
Only based on comments.
by Farfromheaven2002 on Sat Apr 07, 2012 06:15 PM PDTSome men still think being an ass-tight makes them a real man. Have you ever found manhood in one’s butt?
You still address him as a man.
by Albaloo on Sat Apr 07, 2012 03:04 PM PDTYou still address him as a man. Better say, a gay man.
Albaloo
by Do Not Shoot Me on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:52 PM PDTDo you call Reza a man? He is gay.
The one who makes it hilarious is Reza.
by Albaloo on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:18 PM PDTThe one who makes it hilarious is Reza. Finally an Iranian man that has something funny to offer.
Of course, I'm not
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:17 PM PDTOf course, I'm not advocating what any viewer should or shouldn't watch. I'm just giving my opinion and feedback as a blogger. Thanks and enjoy.
Albaloo
by Do Not Shoot Me on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:14 PM PDTIt is not that mozakhraf. Some Scenes are outrageously hilarious. As you said why not and that should be fine to watch.
Thanks for your comment,
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:13 PM PDTThanks for your comment, didn't understand the last part, but got the mozakhrafat...
Thanks for your comment. Of
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:12 PM PDTThanks for your comment. Of course, the producers scripted this scene to get this sort of reaction. Of course, they appeal to the lowest common denominator. And of course, to a certain extent, the Iranian-Americans doing this show have sold out. But I still must write about it, because that's what I do. I must speak for those Iranian-Americans who are appalled. I'm no longer narahat for I got it out of my system...
Why not?
by Albaloo on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:07 PM PDTtamasha kardane een mozakhrafat beysar ham khob hast.
Now I must get back to my
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 02:06 PM PDTNow I must get back to my ketabs ...
Colonics and the Iranian-American Community
by ablamboo on Sat Apr 07, 2012 01:53 PM PDTIn response to your "khejalat dareh" comment: Don't you think the producers scripted and added the colonics scene precisely because it would get that kind of reaction from you (the collective you)? Or do you really think the camera crew just happened to be there when they went for it? It's a shock-the-viewer, lowest common denominator type of "reality" show and if you continue watching it, you'll see more of the same variation of low-brow antics. Shoma khodetoono narahat nakonid va bejaye tamasha kardane een mozakhrafat, yek ketabe khoob bekhoonid... :)
Thanks for your comments.
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:29 PM PDTThanks for your comments. Yes, I love chelo kabab too... I was just cross at that point. Plus I love all Persian food, not just that. People don't know--those who are not Iranian--how delicious and complex our food really is.
Thanks for your comments.
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:29 PM PDTThanks for your comments. Yes, I love chelo kabab too... I was just cross at that point. Plus I love all Persian food, not just that. People don't know--those who are not Iranian--how delicious and complex our food really is.
My hat off to you to sir :)
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:30 PM PDTMy hat off to you too sir :) See my comments below.
My hat off to you to sir :)
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:27 PM PDTMy hat off to you to sir :) See my comments below.
Thanks for your comment.
by Charlotte Safavi on Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:26 PM PDTThanks for your comment. I'm entitled to my opinion, just as you are to yours. I'm not uptight nor have I been unfair to the show. Read some of my earlier Huffington Post / Iranian.com blogs. Trust me, Shahs of Sunset is no Last Tango in Paris...which turned out to be a landmark film of sorts. This last episode offended my sensiblity enormously and I am embarrassed that you think it's OK in for two supposedly typical Iranian-Americans in LA to be getting colonic treatments on TV. Really. Khejalat dareh... Having said this, the show to me is like a missed opportunity now; we could have had fun with it and enjoyed watching it as a community... I think Reza with a snifter of Cognac and a labrador actually would be amusing :)
Charlotte
by Do Not Shoot Me on Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:33 AM PDTGood Step by Step and Scene by Scene analysis but please do not make fun of them eating Chelokabab. That's all LA Iranians do anyway. There are too many chelokababis here to be missed.
ablamboo.
by Do Not Shoot Me on Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:28 AM PDTAlthough I haven't seen the Last Tango in Paris but I agree with you.
Spare us the Indignation
by ablamboo on Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:19 AM PDTCharlotte; seriously? I just don't get it when people get so uptight about things that are clearly not meant for them to experience. It was the same when Last Tango in Paris came out (OK, I'm old). And those silly soft-porn Emmanuelle movies (did I mention I'm old?). Word of advice: Don't watch it, it's not for you, change the channel to Masterpiece Theatre (sic), that's obviously your comfort zone. I mean, Shahs is advertized as a reality show (that should be a clue right there) about shallow Iranian-Americans. In Los Angeles. You really expected books and newspapers? *Newspapers??* What would work for you, if Reza was seated in front of a fireplace with a snifter of Cognac and a labrador by his side? Chill out, Charlotte. Take some solace in the fact that despite the shallowness of the cast and the silly scripted situations, at least they're all portrayed as family-loving, honest people either out to make a buck or enjoying themselves (West Coast) American style. There are no drugs, no crime and nobody's hurt. That should count for something, shouldn't it? Having said all that, I think it's an excruciatingly uninteresting series about very uninteresting people but I don't think it deserves all this moral high ground tsk-tsking.