First off, read the following two pieces: Michael Newman’s “The Pleasures and Perils of Participation” and Virginia Heffernan and Tom Zeller Jr.’s “The Lonelygirl That Really Wasn’t.” Between the two, you’ll get a good sense of what lonelygirl15 was, what kind of attention it generated, and what kind of mysteries surrounded it before it became clear it was a work of fiction.
Second, read the brief note the creators of the show posted on the lonelygirl15.com message boards, once the secret of lonelygirl15‘s fictionality was pretty much out.
Third, watch this selection of videos from the first plot arc (don’t worry, they’re generally only about a minute and a half long):
- “First Blog / Dorkness Prevails” (optional: the episode’s entry on LGPedia, the lonelygirl15 wiki, a useful source of info—episode summaries, notes, context, transcripts)
- “School Work in Summer… BLECHH!!!” (LGPedia)
- “The Danielbeast” (LGPedia)
- “My Parents… Let Us Go Hiking!!!” (LGPedia)
- “My Lazy Eye (and P. Monkey gets Funky!)” (LGPedia)
- “What Did Daniel and Dad Talk About?” (LGPedia)
- “I Probably Shouldn’t Post This…” (LGPedia)
- “A Change In My Life” (LGPedia)
- “House Arrest” (LGPedia)
- “Who Is This?” (LGPedia)
- “My Helper” (LGPedia)
- “The Ceremony” (LGPedia)
- “Following The Helper” (LGPedia)
- “Daniel, Be Careful” (LGPedia)
- “I Lied To Daniel” (LGPedia)
- “I Listened To Daniel” (LGPedia)
- “Life’s Not Fair” (LGPedia)
- “Where Are My Parents?” (LGPedia)
- “On The Run” (LGPedia, and here’s the note Bree’s parents leave her)
Lastly, remember to post wonderful, brilliant things on Twitter and on the ANGEL forum.
