In the summer of 2006, I gave “Beyond the Break” a C+ in a review, ranking it behind its contemporaries “Falcon Beach,” “South of Nowhere” and “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” Now it’s back (The-N started running Season 3 this year after a very, very long hiatus; set your DVRs or check the Web site for times), and I’d give it more like a B+ now.
Mind you, it’s exactly the same show it used to be, maybe even a bit worse. But TV in general has gone so far downhill in the past three years that “Beyond the Break” suddenly looks damn good. And I gotta say it’s very easy to get back into this show. Kai and Vin are still circling each other, as are Dawn and Bailey, and Justin and whichever woman is funding WaveSync at the moment.
The surfing scenes are as ridiculous as ever. The movie “Blue Crush,” which has to be invoked any time we’re talking about this show, had awful surf scenes, too. The surfers are clearly stunt doubles, but to make matters worse, the footage is kind of blurred or sped up to try to disguise the fact that they are stunt doubles. But surfing has to be among the most difficult sports to portray on film (volleyball is also quite difficult, which is why you don’t see any volleyball dramas), so I forgive them.
Besides, as hard as it is to get the on-the-waves stuff right, the off-the-waves stuff is done with soap-opera ease. “Beyond the Break” is the TV equivalent of candy — not nutritional, but it won’t hurt you to partake now and then, and it tastes yummy. As if the writers had to cram in all the clichés they could before the series ended, Season 3 features a creepy island guy who is stalking Lacey, a shark attack on Justin and Dawn and a gratuitous guest appearance by someone from “Degrassi.”
Plus hot girls in bikinis and Hawaiian beaches and sunsets. If that’s not your thing, fine, but I just wanted to bring “Beyond the Break” to your attention.