Lonelygirl15
On the 16th of June 2006, a YouTube user with the screenname lonelygirl15 uploaded a video entitled "First Blog / Dorkiness Prevails". In this video, she introduced herself as Bree, a sixteen-year-old self-confessed dork. More video blogs followed, many also featuring her best friend, Daniel, perhaps better known as Danielbeast.
It wasn't long before viewers began to suspect that the blogs were not genuine, and it was eventually discovered that lonelygirl15 was actually an online TV series created by Miles Beckett, Mesh Flinders, Greg Goodfried and Amanda Goodfried.
The early episodes are all set in and around Bree and Daniel's houses, and mainly deal with relationships between characters. Over time, it is revealed that Bree is a member of a religious Cult, the Hymn of One, and that they want her to take part in a strange ceremony. Everything changed after episode 65, "Life's Not Fair", when the series took a decidedly dark turn.
Along with various friends, such as rich orphan Jonas and sarcastic "Emo" sexpot Sarah, Bree and Daniel go on the run from the Order of Dederah, an evil secret society, and discover the sinister truth behind the ceremony.
While the series tends to stay within the grounds of what is technically possible, the plot is often very implausible, to say the least. Fortunately, the people behind the show seem to be aware of this, and the show is certainly not above the occasional Lampshade Hanging and self-parody. The show's greatest strength is possibly the high level of Character Development it features, which is usually portrayed realistically. The show also describes itself as "interactive", with fans sometimes being named or even making cameos in the series. However, it is probably best known for being one of the earliest Vlog Series.
The show may be watched at its official website, although this episode listing omits some early episodes (including the first episode) and includes videos from the old OPAPHID Alternate Reality Game, behind the scenes videos, and some fan videos. A complete list of episodes, with the original numbering, may be found here.
A character sheet has been created.
The show was followed by LG15: the resistance, a Spin-Off featuring Jonas and Sarah.
- Abandoned Warehouse (where the Season 1 finale is largely set)
- Adorkable (Spencer)
- Adults Are Useless
- The Alcoholic (Daniel)
- All Girls Like Ponies (Sarah)
- Alternate Reality Game (has inspired several, one of which was made official)
- Ambiguous Gender (P. Monkey)
- Ancient Conspiracy (the Order of Denderah)
- Anyone Can Die
- Are We There Yet? (Bree in "Swimming!")
- The Artifact (P. Monkey)
- Artifact Title (particularly after Bree's death)
- Ascended Meme ("Jennie is a plantcake!", among others)
- Avenging the Villain (Bill Porter's Shadow)
- Badass in a Nice Suit (Virgil)
- Beach Episode ("At the Beach")
- Beethoven Was an Alien Spy (Aleister Crowley)
- Better as Friends
- The Big Board (frequently used by both TAAG and the old Resistance)
- Black Helicopter (used by the Order)
- Black Sheep (Jonas)
- Blessed with Suck (trait positive girls)
- Breaking the Bonds (subverted, as it is later revealed that they had been loosened beforehand)
- Breather Episode ("Backyard Bikini Patrol" is an obvious example, a fanservicey character-based episode following numerous Wham! Episodes)
- Call Back
- Catch Phrase ("Proving science wrong!")
- Character Blog (it's the entire premise)
- Character Development
- Chess Motifs ("Cold War Revisited")
- Christmas Episode ("Christmas Surprise")
- Claymation (several of Taylor's blogs)
- Commuting on a Bus
- Companion Cube (P. Monkey and the other stuffed animals)
- Cowboy (The Cowboy)
- Crossover (OpAphid in season 1, Kate Modern in season 3)
- Cult (the Hymn of One)
- Curse Cut Short (several times, Played for Laughs)
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon (Sarah's threat to breathe on the nonplussed Jonas)
- Dawson Casting (most of the central cast)
- Deadpan Snarker (Sarah)
- Disorganized Outline Speech (Spencer in "What Up Blogosphere!")
- Doing In the Scientist (the revelation at the end of the third season that trait positivity derives from the line of the Goddess Hathor)
- Don't Think, Feel (parodied in "Mission Alpha")
- Double Entendre (courtesy of Sarah, more often than not)
- Downer Ending (both season 1 and the Grand Finale)
- Dropped a Bridge on Him (Gina)
- Drowning My Sorrows (Daniel and Jonas, on separate occasions)
- Dumb Blonde (subverted)
- Eccentric Mentor (Spencer, although considerably younger than most examples, behaves in this manner)
- Elite Mooks (Shadows)
- Emo Teen (Sarah)
- Enemy Civil War (in season 2, LaRezisto, first against the rest of Order, then against one another)
- Entendre Failure
- Esoteric Motifs (the Order loves these)
- Mr. Fanservice (Jonas)
- Everything's Better with Monkeys (P. Monkey)
- Evil Brit (Lord Carruthers, and others)
- Evil Gloating (Edward Salinas)
- Expospeak Gag (Spencer's nociception)
- Face Doodling (Jonas does this to Daniel)
- The Faceless (Drew Avery)
- Failure Is the Only Option (bringing down the Order)
- Fan Nickname (several, some of which made it into the show)
- Fan Service (frequent from season 2 onwards)
- Flash Back (in "Comfort Food" and "I Miss Her")
- Fourth Wall Mail Slot: (In the early days of the lonelygirl15 series, "Bree" would respond to the users' comments at YouTube.)
- Gender-Restricted Ability (trait positivity)
- Genre Shift (takes a sharp turn away from straight realism and comedy towards increased action, conspiracy and drama)
- The Ghost (the OpAphid characters)
- Goofy Print Underwear (Daniel's "English flag" - actually Union flag - underwear)
- Grand Finale ("The Ascension")
- Gratuitous Spanish (while the gang are in Mexico)
- Growing Up Sucks
- Have a Gay Old Time ("He thinks she should try a fish taco...")
- Heel Face Turn (Sonia and Dr. Hart)
- Hello Boys ("Backyard Bikini Patrol")
- The Hero Dies (at the end of the first season)
- Hey, That's My Line!
- Highly-Visible Ninja (parodied)
- Hollywood Hacking
- Hollywood Nerd (most of the characters)
- Hollywood Tone Deaf (Sarah)
- Human Resources (the Order's blood-draining antics)
- I Just Want to Be Normal (Emma)
- I Know Mortal Kombat (Taylor)
- I Never... (with M&Ms!)
- I Should Make A Vlog About This ("He Said, She Said")
- I Uh You Too ("l'care")
- If I Wanted You Dead... (inverted and subverted in "Prom: It's To Die For")
- Immortality Immorality
- Incurable Cough of Death (Elizabeth Avery)
- The Insomniac (Shadows)
- Intentionally Awkward Title (several episode titles)
- Ironic Echo ("It's not that easy.")
- It's What I Do
- Jigsaw Puzzle Plot
- Jittercam
- Jump Cut
- Lampshade Hanging
- Laser Hallway (in "Mission Possible", in what was at the time an uncharacteristic departure from plausibility)
- Le Film Artistique (Professor DelMundo's film)
- Lie Detector (Bree produces a very low-tech and unconvincing example)
- Living in a Furniture Store
- Lonely Rich Kid (Jonas)
- Look Both Ways (Bill Porter's Shadow)
- Male Gaze
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl (pretty much any of them, but mostly Bree, and later Sarah)
- The Masquerade
- Metaphorgotten
- Mind Screw (certain Order videos)
- Missing Episode (several early episodes, although viewable on YouTube)
- The Mole
- Mrs. Robinson (Sarah & Taylor's mom)
- Ms. Fanservice (Sarah)
- My God, You Are Serious
- Mysterious Watcher (Watchers)
- Necessary Drawback (the side-effects of Shadow drugs)
- Nerd (Spencer)
- Never Say That Again (Bree says this to herself in "Training Hard")
- Ninja
- No Theme Tune
- Obfuscating Stupidity (Sarah, at least some of the time)
- Oddly Small Organization (the Order)
- Open-Heart Dentistry (Jonas in "Flesh Wound")
- Open Sesame
- Order Reborn (the Resistance)
- Pac-Man Fever (the classic Video Games in "Mission Gamma")
- Parental Abandonment
- Parental Betrayal
- Path of Inspiration (the Hymn of One)
- Phlebotinum Muncher (the Elders)
- Pistol-Whipping
- Plot Hole: One of the main complaints from the fans was the multitude of plotholes the series gained as it continued.
- POV Sequel (only with episodes instead of sequels)
- The Power of Blood
- Precision F-Strike (season one only - from season 2 onwards the swearing is much more frequent)
- Product Placement
- Punch Clock Villain (Hymn of Oners)
- Recap Episode
- The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified (subverted in season 2)
- Schedule Slip
- Scrapbook Story
- Season Finale
- Sequel Hook
- Shirtless Scene (Jonas, repeatedly)
- Show Some Leg (Sarah)
- Sinister Shades (Watchers and many members of the Order)
- Sleeping Dummy
- Smug Snake (Edward Salinas)
- Soapbox Sadie (Jennie, especially in series 3)
- Something Completely Different
- Something That Begins With Boring (Bree and Daniel, in "On The Run")
- Spin-Off (EQAL seems determined to have a spinoff in as many countries as they could. Kate Modern for the UK, N1ckola for Poland, and ones being currently developed in Italy and Japan.)
- Stern Chase
- Stick'Em Up
- Storming the Castle (averted: referenced in an episode title, then mentioned in the episode itself, but never followed through with)
- Strapped to An Operating Table
- Stripperiffic (lampshaded)
- Subject 101 ("Interrogation 101")
- Sunglasses at Night (Lucy, who wears sunglasses, even in the dark or while fighting)
- The Tease (Sarah)
- Technicolor Science
- Tempting Fate
- There Is Only One Bed
- Tonight Someone Dies (Done in the ads for "Bloodlines" and "Prom: It's To Die For")
- Took a Level in Badass (Emma)
- Total Eclipse of the Plot
- Touch of Death (but not really)
- Trope Maker (usually regarded as the first "YouTube celebrity")
- Turtle Power (Owen)
- Unwanted Rescue
- The Verse (called the Breeniverse)
- Villain Episode
- Viral Marketing
- Virgin Sacrifice (subverted)
- The Voiceless (Lucy, at least until "Prom: It's To Die For")
- The Watcher (Virgil)
- Wax On, Wax Off
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head (Daniel's "English flag underwear" in "Crazy Emo Chick")
- We Need a Distraction
- Wham! Episode ("On The Run" and numerous others)
- What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?
- Wiper Start
- Yawn and Reach
- You Are Number Six (Patient #11 from season 2)
- You Are Too Late