Unreal.

Okay, I know I've joked about "The Real World: Key West" before, but I need to be serious for a second. And also use foul language. Because that was some fucked up shit that aired just now.

I sort of don't even know where to begin. MTV really backed itself into a wall with Paula, I think. They got so used to the Trishelles of the world, who can turn eating disorders and daddy issues on and off, yet still swing Playboy while smiling vapidly and filling out a bathing suit, that they didn't, I think, truly realize what they were getting into with Paula.

That girl is sick. Literally. I think she has a good heart, but she needs serious, serious help, like, more than the usual brand of mess that's been flitting about Bunim-Murray Productions since the dawn of time.

MTV has had to deal with sickness before, and just look to that in terms of how far they have fallen. Take Pedro. Not that I am comparing anorexia to AIDS, but in terms of how the network has handled illness. Back in the days of Pedro, MTV was still trying to produce a legitimate show about The Real World. AIDS is a horrible and unfortunate reality, and Pedro, I think, educated a lot of people on a personal level that had been previously missing from popular culture. And back then, I think that while they did try to cast colorful characters, MTV was still looking for real people, not caricatures of the most ridiculous specimens imaginable.

Also, Pedro was sick in a way that couldn't be reversed with therapy. He couldn't do much at that point besides try and manage his disease, and have good quality of life, and fight for as long as he could. Which he did. Some argued that Pedro was too tragic, too serious for MTV, but I think that back then, hearts were honestly in the right places, and even if they weren't, the end result was what Pedro seemed to want -- people learned about, and hearts were softened to, an epidemic that most affected MTV's main demographic.

The stuff with Paula...first, MTV is so far gone at this point in terms of their casting. I mean, it's obvious that they look for people who are drunk, oversexed, bad-tempered disasters from the get go. That's what the show's devolved into. So someone like Paula seems horribly out of place in that regard. She's obviously not faking the anorexia. Yet, MTV still deemed it appropriate to air a diet pill commercial right in the middle of a Paula-centric ep about her disease! (Thanks to Gael for pointing this out. Scroll down towards the bottom to read.)

And from all evidence, Paula's not lying about Keith's being an abuser. She was absolutely terrifying tonight, with the baby voice -- soooo creepy. And you could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she spun the situation, regaining control, telling her therapist, her roommates, herself, that Keith could change. She sank back further and further into the "no one can understand my relationship; no one should judge." She compared Tyler's being gay to...I'm not even sure, exactly. But basically she said that because Tyler had been judged his whole life, he should not judge Keith and Paula. Huh? How is that in any way the same???

The very fact that she is even indirectly painting Keith as a victim here, when he is in fact, NOT AT ALL, is a huge warning sign that she is not in any way able or likely to "not tolerate bad behavior from Keith," as Svetlana seemed to think. She is sick. She needs help. It's great that she's going to therapy, and I do think she is a good person, but that's not the issue. My real issue with tonight's episode is not with Paula. Paula is sick; she's been a victim; she's trying to get help. Yes she should just leave him, but abuse is much more complicated than that, and that attitude doesn't help.

I also don't blame the rest of the cast. They're in way over their heads, and I do think they are trying to do the best they can, for the most part.

My huge, seething hatred tonight is reserved for MTV itself, because besides the things I mentioned above, what I find truly disgusting about tonight's episode was the editing. Did MTV not realize who their "characters" were tonight? Now, I think Tyler's a bitch, but they really amped up the "Tyler as Villain" thing tonight. Tyler was the villain, Jose and Janelle were his cackling minions, John and Zach were the comic buffoons, Svetlana was the sweet confidante, and Paula was the victim princess, trapped high in her tower, kept away from the one she loved, because their romance was so misunderstood. It was a freakin' Shakespeare play over on MTV, which I would normally find funny, but not when a matter like physical abuse is at stake.

If you haven't already, you should seriously read The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. It was recommended by Sars, and probably one of the most informative books I've ever read -- possibly even life saving. Physical abuse is no joke, especially in romantic relationships. It almost NEVER diffuses, but does often escalate to murder.

From any other network, I'd try to give them the benefit of the doubt, that they were trying to paint abuse as a very complex subject, which it is, or else no one would remain in an abusive relationship. But it's MTV. Now is not the time for them to start with intricacies and shades of gray. Kids watch this show. Young teenage girls. Not that I think they should, but they do. And seriously, if I didn't know better on this subject NOW, at 30, I might walk away from this episode like, "Hmmm, yeah, they shouldn't judge, Keith apologized, he seems nice, those other roommates are just nasty and cruel anyway, they don't understand at all." That is really the last thing ANYone should be thinking here. Keith PUT PAULA IN THE HOSPITAL. More than once!!! And it's not like his anger issues are exactly *well hidden,* he's at the boiling point every time we hear him speak. And the most dangerous and insidious element in abusive relationships is that concept right there -- that "nobody else gets it" but the two in the relationship.

But now, from the looks of things, Paula's back with Keith. They're all smiley and happy on their Myspaces! So, yay! Message: It's okay if your boyfriend hits you, as long as he says sorry and gives you Cristal. And anyone who thinks that he's bad news, well they're just mean! Any doubt? We'll close with the anti-Keiths being as spiteful, petty, and mean as possible, with their burn book! Obviously, they can't understand what it's like to truly love!

MTV sucks even more than I ever realized. Which is saying a lot.