By Kelsey Rogers, Asst. living & arts editor
If there’s one thing I hate about television, it’s the cheesy dramas that air on networks like Freeform and Lifetime. They always have a predictable plot with little-tono character development and mediocre acting at best. I’m embarrassed to say that I got addicted to one of them over spring break, when there was absolutely nothing else to do. I’m even more embarrassed to say that I was proven wrong about my pre-conceived notions of “The Arrangement.”
First aired on E! in 2017, “The Arrangement” is a new Hollywood-inspired drama that recently began its second season on March 11. Megan Morrison, an up-and-coming Hollywood actress, lands a role in a film directed by Kyle West, Hollywood’s hotshot star.
Kyle is everything that a girl could want in a potential partner. Played by Josh Henderson, his stunning good looks and charisma quickly gained the attention of the audience’s younger fan base. When Megan is suddenly offered a contract by a self-help organization called the Institute of the Higher Mind, she must decide whether or not to go through an arranged marriage with Kyle, for which she will receive $10 million.
There have been rumors that this show is about Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ relationship and Cruise’s involvement in Scientology. While their relationship looks picture perfect in the public eye, Megan overcomes serious obstacles as she discovers that the institute is extremely manipulative and dangerous.
When Megan is gagged, bound and thrown into the back of a van, she discovers that the Institute actually brainwashes people. Everyone wears white and they constantly follow orders. It’s like watching a bunch of content zombies aimlessly stroll through an airport.
After finally being released from the institute after a near escape, in season two Megan seeks out revenge on those in higher power who mentally tortured her. Meanwhile, she acts like everything is normal both on and off screen. Constantly in the eyes of the press, Megan and Kyle must pretend to be enamored while trying to form their own legitimate relationship behind closed doors.
Behind the scenes, Megan attempts to take down the Institute and expose it for what it is while simultaneously enjoying her new fiance and using him to claim her way to fame. Talk about iconic.
First off, this cast is more stunning than I ever will be and is aesthetically pleasing to say the least. The stylist for this show is top notch and I find myself reaching the shallowest levels when I say that the outfits are cute, but hear me out for a second.
This show emphasizes the glamour element so much that you want to completely immerse yourself in it. You want to have the stunning actor on your arm as you walk down the red carpet. You want the interviews and the photo shoots and the extravagant parties.
Then suddenly you’ve snapped into reality and realize that when the cameras turn away, your entire life is one continuous loop of acting that shows no foreseeable end credits.
That’s where the drama aspect comes in, because I will constantly be on the edge of my seat hoping that Megan can take down the industry while having her own gain from it. This character is so underrated in terms of her intelligence. She is more cunning and meticulous than the other characters perceive her to be, laying the foundation for a season full of schemes and plot twists with every episode.
While it appears to be a typical glamourized show at first glance, “The Arrangement” takes a conspiracy theorist angle and paints it in a realistic light, allowing the audience to follow the main characters in such a close manner and root for their actions while simultaneously being sucked into the brainwashing mantra that follows the aura of the show and Hollywood itself.