So did we have nothing better to do with 3 minutes than to write something so useless and uninformative? The show was very poignant for the time it came out and it felt quite real to me, also in high school at the time. Teenage drama and confusion is a universal stage of development. It may not be the exact situation but we all go there.After working with Freshmen in college, I find that inane conversational topics continue throughout most of our lives.

I just finished watching Dead Like Me.... I think the comparison is apt. The lead character in Dead Like Me is like the Claire Danes character but who didn't go through the struggle of confusion to gain clarity as a teen. Instead she refused to grow up until she died. Then she started the process of self-examination and her place in the world.
I am probably twice as old as the oldest person posting here. I missed both shows on TV, primarily because I stopped having a TV in '92. But I must say, I can so relate to the Claire Danes character. I did the same when I was her age -- I started hanging out with the "fast" crowd.. though that was not the original track I was on nor the one I ended up on.It was wild and heady times and I loved every minute of it. And though I paid somewhat of a price in that my high school grades fell and I couldn't get into as good a college as might have otherwise and my later career was somewhat affected by that... I have never regretted all those wild years. They were the most fun I ever had ... and I was lucky enough to continue some version of them well into my late 30's while still on track on my career. Professional track by day -- underground dance club wild thing by night. :-)