Lawrence Leung is on a quest to discover significance in a life that seems to be slipping away all too quickly. But though he looks earnest enough, every episode finishes with the suggestion that 'serious' is the one thing you should not be.
Lawrence is an Asian Australian with a decidedly nerdy, stay-at-home character. Each episode begins with his frank confession that to date he has not managed to capitalise on any of his ambitions:
"When I was ten I dreamed of being and doing so many things . then I grew up."
His goal is to redeem his wasted years by going out and achieving some of those life goals, and so become the person he always wanted to be.
The premise sounds familiar because it's classic mid-life crisis talk; the irony is that it's coming from the mouth of a 20-something. Lawrence's on-screen persona is that of a member of Generation Y who has grown up with all the benefits of the Lucky Country but failed to emerge from childhood with any strong sense of direction.
Of course, Choose Your Own Adventure is basically a comedy at heart; Lawrence's methods for getting his life goals are highly improbable. He wants to 'find love' so he flies to Los Angeles to get dating advice from pick-up gurus. He dreams of being a rock star, so he internet-sources band members from India. But though the series is clearly a 'mockumentary', the underlying problem seems to be a real one. At least it's the basis of the appeal for viewers to join Lawrence on his quest - the mutual agreement that our lives haven't added up to all they could have been.
Lawrence's haphazard quest for meaning will remind many viewers of that other television enfant terrible John Saffron. And to be honest Lawrence does seem to be following fairly closely in his footsteps. His quest takes him through interviews with his family, references to childhood friends and trips to old schools. Now Saffron doesn't have the market cornered on off-the-wall investigations; he in turn built on a style set by Andrew Denton. However Denton and Saffron always seemed to be searching for something that doesn't really concern Leung: meaning.
Whether it was The Money or the Gun or John Saffron Vs. God, the hosts eventually reached a point where the antics were laid aside for the sake of delivering real insight into the problems posed. However Choose Your Own Adventure seems to settle on the idea that enjoyment rather than understanding is the ultimate key.
Lawrence's quest may seem serious, but he's clearly laughing on the inside. He draws relationship advisors and rock stars in with earnest naivety, but ultimately stands back with the audience and smiles as they hang themselves with the rope he's spooled out. His Choose Your Own Adventure is emblematic of a generation that recognises life has its disappointments, but the first step towards finding a solution seems to be learning to not take any problem too seriously.
The bedrock of this approach is the notion that being at peace with yourself is the most important thing. Does your lack of masculinity concern you? Well maybe martial arts will help raise your self-esteem. Are you troubled by the idea that the love of your life doesn't find you attractive? You could change yourself to impress her, or conclude instead conclude with Lawrence,
"Maybe I should stop looking for love. and let love find me."
Choose Your Own Adventure is more than a title, it's a philosophy. Satisfaction comes from constructing an identity you can live with. You only really have a problem if you can't accept who you are. But what if our essential identity isn't something that we construct? What if we are not self-creations, but someone else's work? Therein lies the rub.
The moment we discover we are someone else's creation, we realise that we are bound to their expectations. It's why parents have such a significant hold on us; why God has an even greater claim. I suspect it is the instinctive realisation that there is a Maker that continues to drive our 'Do I measure up?' questions, even in the age of the individual. Past generations made the mistake of measuring themselves against other people; the current one seems determined to measure themselves only against their sense of comfort. However it is God who sets the ultimate standard in His son, Jesus - and that is a standard that should leave us feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
Choose Your Own Adventure is one of those low-budget ABC gems that is sure to achieve cult status. You've got to love Lawrence, from his street-scuffed sandshoes to his fascination for Rubik's cube. And his crazy solutions to life's common problems are sure to entertain. But in the end Lawrence's attraction is rooted in the persuasive idea that he has no-one to please but himself.
