Kate Modern



"We always put a frame around everything. It's how we make sense of things. Delineating things. It's useful but it causes a lot of problems. Everything has a beginning and an end."

- Kate

KateModern (one word, CamelCase; also known as in the name of ...KateModern) is an online drama series hosted by Bebo, something of a cross between a Soap Opera and a cult TV show, told entirely through video blogs posted by the characters.

The story begins when Kate, a 23-year-old art student living in London, posts a series of videos about her life, her friends and her artwork. In one of these videos, she reveals that she has a secret: her name is not really Kate. One Thursday, she goes to visit a specialist about an abnormality in her blood, and wakes up in her bed the following Friday evening with no memory of anything that happened that day. Dismayed when her boyfriend Tariq Bhartti and her best friend Charlie believe that she was off with her ex, Kate goes to research memory loss and encounters Steve Roberts, a man who claims to have been suffering from memory loss all his life. Charlie, however, is suspicious of Steve, considering him a creep.

Meanwhile, Tariq and his friend Gavin Taylore have quit their jobs and plan to set up a new IT business. After various setbacks, they manage to rent an office, Gavin having mysteriously obtained a loan from a rather sinister someone. However, Tariq is more concerned with Kate and her memory loss, and believes there is something suspicious about "Creepy Steve", who he discovers is a member of a new religious movement, the Hymn of One. Researching on the Internet, he finds rumours that the Hymn are connected with a shadowy "Order" who were responsible for the death of a girl in America. Deeply uneasy, he confronts Steve, who dismisses this as a hoax.

As the series continues, various other characters are introduced, such as Lee Phillips, a work experience boy; Dudley Griffin, a man who poses as a police officer; and Sophie, a Bebo user who is a fan of Kate's videos. The series is initially concerned mainly with the everyday lives of the characters, but gradually introduces more plot elements, forming an overarching Myth Arc.

KateModern takes place in the Breeniverse, the same universe as Lonelygirl15, and includes occasional references to that show; the two crossed over in April 2008. However, the two are very different in style, and it is not necessary to watch lonelygirl15 to understand KateModern. The show ended on the 28th June 2008, with a suitably epic 12-part Grand Finale, entitled "The Last Work".

KateModern may be watched on its Bebo profile or its official website. Also has a character sheet.


 * Actor Allusion: "Half the Week Away".
 * All Devouring Black Hole Loan Sharks: Terrence.
 * Always a Bigger Fish
 * Anyone Can Die
 * Apologetic Attacker: Charlie in "The Last Work".
 * Arch Enemy: Over the course of the series, makes a personal enemy of most of the main characters.
 * Ascended Meme: Several, including the Fan Nickname "K-Team", the non-existent MerylModern, and Lonelygirl15 fandom meme "436".
 * Aside Glance
 * Avenging the Villain:.
 * Ax Crazy:.
 * Bald of Evil: The Watcher (not Tariq).
 * Batter Up: Lauren in "Batwoman".
 * Battle Butler: The Shadow.
 * Belief Makes You Stupid: Creepy Steve.
 * Big Bad: Michelle Clore.
 * Bittersweet Ending
 * Bloodstained-Glass Windows: "Resolution" and "The Wedding Video".
 * Bound and Gagged: does this to his victims.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Several times, but most directly on screen in "The Last Work".
 * Catch Phrase: Gavin's "Keep your socks on!"
 * Celebrity Paradox: Gavin, played by Ralf Little, in "Fictionality".
 * Celebrity Star: Jamie Bell in "I Am Hallam Foe".
 * Crossover: With Lonelygirl15, as was inevitable.
 * Cult: The Hymn of One.
 * Cut Himself Shaving:.
 * Death Trap: Employed by Terrence in "The Ice Man".
 * Department of Redundancy Department: Gavin's list in "Deal with the Devil".
 * Diagonal Cut: In "The Wedding Video".
 * Domestic Abuse:.
 * Dramatic Unmask: in "Julia & Rupert".
 * Dream Sequence: "Awful Dream".
 * The End: Mid-series.
 * Enemy Mine: The K-Team and Terrence.
 * Evil Feels Good: in "Precious Blood".
 * Eviler Than Thou: Michelle and Terrence.
 * Faking the Dead:.
 * Faux Affably Evil: Terrence... most of the time...
 * Foot Popping: Lee in "The Hen Night".
 * Fourth Wall Observer: Gavin has his moments.
 * Frying Pan of Doom: Kate in "Ding Dong".
 * Gilligan Cut: Twice in a row in "Spiders".
 * Girl Watching: Gavin in "Birdwatching".
 * The Glasses Come Off: Terry.
 * Grand Finale: "The Last Work".
 * Groin Attack: Used by Jennifer in "Back on Brick Lane".
 * Handsome Lech: Gavin, on occasion.
 * Harmless Villain: Lee Phillips.
 * Heel Face Mole:.
 * Heel Realization: Steve.
 * Her Codename Was Mary Sue: Charlie, in her animations.
 * Ho Yay: Gavin and Tariq, somewhat. Later Steve and Jonas, which is lampshaded.
 * Hurricane of Puns: "Drive Goo" and "Arma-Goo-Den".
 * Immortality Seeker: in "The Last Work".
 * Important Character, Important Evidence
 * Improbable Weapon User: Terrence.
 * Improvised Weapon
 * Institutional Apparel: The St. Grinstead inmates.
 * I Was Just Joking: Combined with a Gilligan Cut in "Spiders".
 * Jigsaw Puzzle Plot
 * Jittercam
 * Lampshade Hanging
 * London Gangster: Terrence.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia: Kate in "I can't remember anything!"
 * Laughably Evil:.
 * Life's Work Ruined: Project Orwell.
 * Locked in a Room: Gavin and Charlie, in the short arc starting with "Trait Positive".
 * Long Bus Trip: Tariq in series 2.
 * Love Triangle: Gavin, Charlie and Steve.
 * MacGuffin: Project Orwell
 * MacGuffin Delivery Service: In "Seven Dials: 5pm - 23rd November 2007".
 * Mad Scientist Laboratory: The Science Lab in "Precious Blood".
 * Making a Spectacle of Yourself: Lee.
 * Male Gaze: Parodied in "Birdwatching" and "Much, Much Worse".
 * Mall Santa: Well, advertising Santa. Tariq in "Grabbed by the Bells".
 * The Mole: half way through season 2, and later.
 * More Dakka: Attempted rather poorly by the FTO.
 * Motive Rant: in "Precious Blood".
 * Mysterious Watcher: The Watcher, obviously.
 * Myth Arc
 * Nerd: Terry.
 * Ninja: Charlie, in her animations.
 * No Longer with Us: Inverted in "Janet".
 * No Name Given: The Shadow, the Watcher, and for some time Kate herself.
 * Nothing Can Stop Us Now: in "Precious Blood".
 * Oddly Small Organization: The Order.
 * Only a Flesh Wound: in "Answers".
 * Path of Inspiration: The Hymn of One.
 * Phlebotinum Rebel:
 * Post Modernism: The whole concept, but especially in the later half of series 2.
 * The Power of Blood: Trait Positive blood is a "Type AB" variant.
 * Precision-Guided Boomerang: In "The Wedding Video", using a bent katana.
 * Product Placement: A lot, since this was their main source of revenue.
 * Punch Clock Villain: Creepy Steve.
 * Punny Name: The series' name is a play on London's Tate Modern art museum. There's also the character of Justin Credible (groan).
 * Rage Against the Author: Subverted in "Straight to the Top".
 * Reclusive Artist: Michelle Clore.
 * Religious Bruiser: The Shadow.
 * Room Full of Crazy: "The List".
 * Scary Black Man: The Shadow.
 * Scrapbook Story
 * Sequel Hook
 * Serial Killer:.
 * Shout-Out: Several to Lonelygirl15, and once to fellow Bebo series Sofia's Diary.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: Lee and Toe.
 * Sinister Shades: Michelle Clore, Kate and "Dr. Specialist".
 * Slasher Smile:.
 * Special Guest: Various actors, musicians, art critics and British media personalities.
 * The Starscream: in "The Last Work".
 * Taking You with Me: in "Precious Blood".
 * Ten Little Murder Victims: The "Trouble in Paris" arc.
 * Terrible Interviewees Montage: "Skittle Yourself".
 * Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Taken to extremes in the animation "The Wedding Video".
 * Torture Technician:.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Charlie's love for "sangas" in early episodes.
 * Trampled Underfoot: Done by in "The Last Work".
 * Turn Off the Camera
 * Twenty-Four-Hour Party People: Present in "Charlie's Party" and "Raise the Roof".
 * Villain with Good Publicity: Michelle Clore and Rupert van Helden.
 * Villainous Breakdown
 * Visible Silence: Obviously the episode "...", as well as a couple of episode descriptions.
 * Wastebasket Ball: In "Anything can happen on Halloween!", and inverted in "Sinking In".
 * We Need a Distraction: Gavin in "Charlie's Party".
 * Wham! Episode: "Precious Blood".
 * Who's Laughing Now: Lee in "The Leak".
 * With My Hands Tied: Steve in "Precious Blood".
 * You Are Number Six: Patient #12 in "The Last Work".