I had just finished writing the chapter on Episode 3 of My So-Called Life, "Guns and Gossip," yesterday, when I saw the horrific news out of Texas. I remember asking Executive Producer Marshall Herskovitz (back in 2018) about the scene in which the kids are greeted by the sight of a metal detector at their school for the first time.
In particular, I wanted to know if he thought about that scene when gun violence erupts at a school these days. "Many times, actually," he said.
But he also thinks there was a certain innocence to that episode. After all, Rickie's cousin had brought the gun to Liberty High to sell, not to use, and Rickie himself was hoping that being associated with it somehow would scare off his tormentors.
It's important to remember that this episode aired in 1994, about 5 years before Columbine – the idea of kids shooting up a school just wasn't part of the culture then. Said Herskovitz:
"That just hadn’t entered anybody’s mind yet. Back in those days there were instances of kids bringing guns to school, but it was to settle a score. There certainly weren’t news reports of kids getting shot - not just someone trying to create mayhem."
So Beautiful it Hurts: The Making of My So-Called Life’ is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with ABC, The Bedford Falls Co., nor anyone involved with the making or distribution of “My So-Called Life.”