Rita: Rita (2012) All Seasons
February 6, 2023 4:35 AM - All Seasons - Subscribe
Rita is a talented but rebellious teacher with a woeful smoking habit and particularly complicated family life. And love life. This Danish show ran over 5 seasons - with each one representing broad themes and each episode some kind of lesson. Nominally a comedy, the show took on many issues which would be recognised by teachers everywhere - and a number which are particularly Danish.
Review of the show in Medium (Educating with Rita) and from the BBC (How the hit Danish dramedy went global). Wikipedia. Rita spawned versions in the Netherlands and France - as well as a mini-series featuring Rita's endearing colleague Hjørdis. An American version, to feature Anna Gunn, got only a far as a pilot.
Review of the show in Medium (Educating with Rita) and from the BBC (How the hit Danish dramedy went global). Wikipedia. Rita spawned versions in the Netherlands and France - as well as a mini-series featuring Rita's endearing colleague Hjørdis. An American version, to feature Anna Gunn, got only a far as a pilot.
I loved this show as a palate cleanser. After seeing a creepy movie, or something depressing, we'd watch an episode of Rita and it would take the edge off anything.
That said, we only got through a few episodes, and we never really wanted to binge it. A lot of times we just laughed because Rita is a pretty bad parent!! And I think when it was revealed that her daughter had gone entirely through school with an undiagnosed learning disability -- which seems like a devastating indictment to an educator parent who was also one of her official teachers! -- and the show just resets to the next episode like nothing happened... That was just too much.
Loved her house though. Maybe someday we'll go back.
posted by fleacircus at 8:01 AM on February 7, 2023
That said, we only got through a few episodes, and we never really wanted to binge it. A lot of times we just laughed because Rita is a pretty bad parent!! And I think when it was revealed that her daughter had gone entirely through school with an undiagnosed learning disability -- which seems like a devastating indictment to an educator parent who was also one of her official teachers! -- and the show just resets to the next episode like nothing happened... That was just too much.
Loved her house though. Maybe someday we'll go back.
posted by fleacircus at 8:01 AM on February 7, 2023
... when it was revealed that her daughter had gone entirely through school with an undiagnosed learning disability -- which seems like a devastating indictment to an educator parent who was also one of her official teachers!
There is an episode of the show where a younger Rita talks with her own teacher. That teacher forecasts that Rita will grown up to be "the sort of adult that children would want to become" - and that seems like a very good description of how she is written. An adult who is good at her occupation but remains a rebel, who gets to chain smoke whenever she likes and sleep with whoever she chooses - but who is also a good parent, etc. But Rita also shows the curse of being such a character: she values impulse over long term judgement and neglects problems until they become serious - either because they are difficult or because she is distracted by the next big thing.
posted by rongorongo at 4:31 AM on February 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
There is an episode of the show where a younger Rita talks with her own teacher. That teacher forecasts that Rita will grown up to be "the sort of adult that children would want to become" - and that seems like a very good description of how she is written. An adult who is good at her occupation but remains a rebel, who gets to chain smoke whenever she likes and sleep with whoever she chooses - but who is also a good parent, etc. But Rita also shows the curse of being such a character: she values impulse over long term judgement and neglects problems until they become serious - either because they are difficult or because she is distracted by the next big thing.
posted by rongorongo at 4:31 AM on February 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by j_curiouser at 7:39 PM on February 6, 2023 [1 favorite]