Jonah from Tonga

I think Chris Lilley is a comedic genius and I've loved all of his shows even though I've pretty much loathed all of his characters. Unlike, say Frasier or Niles Crane or David Brent and Michael Scott, Lilley's characters are simply NOT appealing human beings. Not only would you not want to know them, you'd likely want to avoid them or even kick them in the throat. Jonah is the second of Lilley's "Summer Heights High" characters to get their own show -- J'amie was the first -- and he is the most annoying of the three characters from SHH. The problem a lot of people -- specifically Americans -- is that the story lines don't resolve in the Hollywood way and the characters are so abhorrent. If there's any justice, Mr. G will get his own show as well!

Well, this was definitely better than J'amie: Private School Girl, but that honestly isn't that hard. Jonah as a character had a decent amount of depth, and there were some genuinely heartwarming moments scattered throughout the six episode series. But there was little to nothing in the way of character development and the humour was very repetitive and unfortunately not very funny to begin with. Like with J'amie, there was just too much focus on a single character for the series to really work that well. Summer Heights High is still Chris Lilley at his best - three strong characters, an engaging plot, and just incredibly funny. Unfortunately he hasn't managed to even get close to it since, and whilst this was a small step in the right direction, it's something I'll have forgotten about very quickly.

Some people may find this show incredibly hard to watch. But I was entertained the whole way through. I think the reason a love this show so much is because it PERFECTLY captures how some teenagers act. The way Jonah and all the other boys speak and the way they move and choose not to listen, It's these things that I think Chris Lilley nailed. The show also comedically exaggerates a lot of school situations, there's lots of times in the show where teachers or Jonah would do something that would probably not happen in real life, but it's very entertaining. It's not an amazing story or even a very positive one, but the show definitely deserves it's props and did what I think it was trying to do perfectly.

Jonah from Tonga the predecessor to Chris's previous show Ja'mie Private School Girl is a great show, edgy but great. The dark comedy has a slow start as you will wonder what it is leading to but shortly after watching the second episode, you know your in it for the long run; each episode just gets better and better. The show shows light to many issues that are a reality, it very real, but its hilarious at the same time. The character Chris has created has a lot of depth, that will be hard for many people to see, the character Jonah may seem ridiculous to you after watching the series, but he is very real. Ultimate this show is another great representation to the genius Chris Lilley is, to date I find it to be his best work.

So I've been a fan of Summer Heights High, but mostly the character Jonah Takalua. As a teenager pacific islander his character really appealed to me. Jonah from Tonga is hilarious, and I think that if you're a pacific islander teenager or young adult they will find it more hilarious than those who aren't because they can relate to Jonah's character. There's a Jonah in every school I think. I love Jonah from Tonga, it displays the peer pressure of gangs on pacific islander students and the behaviour shown by pacific islanders. I think that Chris Lilley has done an amazing job at not only making Jonah from Tonga funny but has also portrayed the reality of the lives of some pacific islander students. I have friends that are very much like Jonah and his crew. Thank you Chris Lilley! One word. Fobalicious!