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“I Love You, You Hate Me” effectively focuses on “Barney Bashing” but with a partially blurry lens
Barney the Dinosaur is an era that I was actually old enough to remember. The kid’s star was everywhere and everyone remembers the notorious song “I Love You, You Hate Me”. There are some families where Barney was an afternoon staple for entertainment.
But the new Peacock limited series “I Hate You, You Hate Me” focuses on the darker side of the history. And while effectively produced, it does blur the lines of the role Generation X played in the chaos and is missing several important figures in its history.
We learn about Barney creator, Sheryl Leach, and the toll taken on her family during the rise of the singing dinosaur. We’re informed that the original Barney costume wearer joined the military. We’re also notified that the next Barney, is now a tantric energy healer. As well as some other not so lovely dimensions behind Barney.
It’s well produced and I wasn’t bored.
There are some objections I have. The truth is that the animosity behind the anger towards Barney might be floated a little too high. Generation X ran parallel to Barney Superstardom but the direct assault on the show was something that was fringe, even back then. If you were a weirdo back in the 90s for attacking Barney, then you were probably nuts for other things. Heck, you’re probably “not playing with a full deck” right now.
Also, none of the Leaches were interviewed for the documentary, despite a heavy concentration on the effect Barney had on their lives in the presentation. A doc will always lose points for that.
But “I Love You, You Hate Me” does a strong job in taking us back to an important fixture in the home of families of the period.
And if you were a Barney kid or on the perimeter of the phenomenon like me, it could be worth a look.