As I’m sitting here on my big comfy chair bawling my eyes
out over the death of two TV characters (and let’s make this clear, just the
characters, not the actors who actually play the characters), I’m struck by how
invested I get in TV shows. It doesn’t matter if it’s the series premiere of a
show I’ve never seen, the season finale of a show I’ve watched religiously for
years, or an episode of a random show that I’ve seen 12 times already, I simply
love TV. Some might even say I’m addicted, which is why I’ll refrain from
listing the number of shows I watch… let’s just say, I know my way around the
TV guide. I love spending years learning about the characters and watching them
grow as the series goes on. I love watching the story unfold and screaming with
joy when a good twist happens. I love talking about what has happened and what
will happen with my friends. I love how I can learn about myself and how to
improve myself by watching TV.
I’ve never really sat down and considered why I enjoy it so
much, though. The most obvious answer is that I love a good story, especially
when someone is telling it to me in picture form (though I have a love/hate
relationship with the suspense of waiting all week to see how so-and-so will
get out of whatever problem he’s found himself in). I don’t care how
unrealistic the storyline is (obviously people can’t grow a tree out of there
heart, but that doesn’t stop me from viewing!) If a show has a captivating
storyline, you can be fairly certain I’ve seen at least one episode. But even
more than that, I crave the lessons I learn from my various shows. Sometimes it takes Susan Lewis reminiscing
about love lost to remind me that I need to tell the important people in my
life that I love them and appreciate everything they do for me. Other times I
need to see Leslie Knope falling into the pit to remind me that it’s important
to laugh at myself. And sometimes I just need to see Morgan and Prentiss
putting the bad guy behind bars to remember that good can beat evil. Television gives me the chance to encounter
situations I’d never get into in real life, which broadens my horizons and gets
to me use that lump that’s three feet above my @$$ (thank you, Jimmy Dugan).
How could you not love TV??
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not always looking for the hidden
(or blatantly obvious) message in my 23 minute sitcom or 44 minute drama. There
are times I’m “watching” TV while also playing a game on my phone or updating
my Facebook status or I’m just watching for pure entertainment. I never really
thought much about it before. Or if it did cross my mind, I let it slip away
before I had to spend too much time analyzing it. But lately I’ve been spending
more time trying to think about things, and since I watch so much TV, I figured
it would be a good subject to tackle. I mean, if I’m going to cry when my
characters die or rejoice with them when something good happens to them, I
might as well take something away from it. (The proper response may be to watch
less TV, but let’s be serious, I don’t see that happening anytime soon…so on to
the next best thing!) And that’s why tonight, I’m sending some love to my
friends. Thank you for the reminder, primetime TV :)
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