can we please have the iCarly opinions rant 🥺
alright, if you really want me to, I will - but you’ve been warned, I truly do have too many thoughts and opinions about this show. alright? alright.
so, during the pandemic I did a full rewatch of this show, and took notes during each episode. it started out small - for example, in s01e06 (iNevel), I wrote down that Spencer likes tea with lemon in it, because I thought that was nice.
but this quickly turned into a much more detailed analysis of the plot and background of this show, and friends? there’s a lot to unpack here.
let’s start in season 1 - in s01e01 (iPilot), it’s stated that Spencer is 26 years old, and Carly is in 8th grade. now, we know that she’s 18 when the show ends, so that means in season 1, she’s 13. that’d put Spencer’s birth year in 1981, and Carly’s in 1994.
a 13-year age gap between siblings is pretty uncommon! it’s not unheard of, but it does raise some interesting questions - firstly, how old are Carly’s parents?
we only meet Colonel Steven Shay in the finale episode (s06e13 - iGoodbye), but he looks...young. sure, he’d be old enough to have an 18-year-old child, but at that point Spencer is 31 years old! leading to my next conclusion - their parents were very young when they had Spencer.
(fun fact - the actor that played Colonel Shay is only 7 years older than Jerry Trainor! but, in this show, the character ages don’t match up with the actor ages, so I’m not trying to turn that into A Thing™. I just think it’s funny.)
anyway, in iGoodbye their dad looks like he’s maybe late 40s at most - meaning that when Spencer was born, their dad was no older than 18.
no shame at all to people who have kids that young, of course - but it is interesting, right? to think of Spencer, raised by two people who are nearly kids themselves - Spencer, whose baby sister was born when he was 13.
now, all of this leads to my next question: when did their mom die?
let’s be real here; their mom is dead. if their mom was still alive, there’s probably a very slim likelihood that the courts would be willing to grant Spencer custody of Carly while their dad is away - but Spencer is Carly’s legal guardian, and their mother is never mentioned over the course of this show. not once.
I wonder sometimes - does Carly remember their mom? depending on how old she was when it happened, I think it’s possible that Spencer really is the only mom Carly’s ever known. he’s definitely been taking care of her since well before the events of season 1.
just, think about this with me for a second. here’s Spencer Shay - this awkward, goofy kid, who’s got a mom and a dad and a little sister. and it’s weird being 13 and having a baby in the house, but they’re a family, and he’s loved, and he loves them all in return, and things are good.
and then their mom dies, and things just...fall apart.
how old was Spencer, when she died? was he in high school still, when he became his sister’s main caregiver? or was he in college?
(because yes, Spencer went to college. we know this because he successfully got into law school, and most law schools require at least a 4-year bachelor’s degree.)
no matter how old he was when it happened, we know that by the time he went to law school, he was already taking care of Carly - otherwise, their father would know that Spencer had dropped out after three days, and in the finale, it’s clear that he didn’t.
it just kills me - Spencer, trying to do what his dad wants, trying to get this law degree so he could get a good job and provide for himself and Carly - but he couldn’t handle it. he couldn’t handle the pressure of being forced into an adult life that he didn’t want - not when he’d given up so much to be everything for Carly, to make sure she was safe and happy and looked after.
but, his parents raised him okay when they were young, right? so he can do the same for Carly, and make sure that she never has to worry about anything. and if he has to put off some of his life goals - art school, maybe, or dating - then that’s just what you do for family. right?
in s02e11 (iMeet Fred), Spencer says that 7th grade was arguably the best year of his life. in some ways, that’s really sweet - that’s the year that Carly was born, after all, and it’s clear that Spencer has always adored her.
but, if I can be real here? middle school sucks. and here Spencer is, 27 years old, and he still thinks of 7th grade as the best year of his life. that is...so deeply sad.
in the finale we also learn something else about Spencer - he’s only ever been in love once, with a girl named Audrey. presumably, this relationship happened prior to the start of the show, because although Spencer’s had some girlfriends over the years, we never saw Audrey.
either way, Spencer makes it clear that Audrey is the only girl he’s ever really loved, and that going on a date with her while she’s briefly in town is very important to him.
but when Carly wants someone to take her to the father-daughter dance, and their dad can’t make it? he cancels the date without a second thought. even Sam tries to talk him out of it, but he waves her away - because Carly is the most important thing in his life, and he’d sacrifice anything to make her happy.
Spencer Shay is a weird person, but he’s a good person - and despite what his dad and granddad might say, he is a responsible adult, and he’s the best parent that Carly has.
(he’s also queer as hell, but that’s a topic for another post)
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