Is it possible to miss something that never truly existed?
That’s how I feel when one of my favorite television shows goes off the air. Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I become so emotionally invested that it feels as if I’m a part of that world for a little while.
Don’t get me wrong, I prefer real life over television; but when you become so wrapped up in a show that takes place over several years of your life, it’s almost like you’re saying goodbye to an old friend, something you’ve become used to in your day-to-day existence.
This past week, I finished Downton Abbey, a six-year adventure of which I, along with many people throughout the world, have lover every second. I feel as if I have come to know every character, feeling for them in their trials and triumphs. I’ve enjoyed watching them grow, crying with them, laughing with them, and ultimately being part of a world I never would have had the chance to experience were it not for this period drama.
That’s the beauty of television though – it gives us all a chance to glimpse into a life that we may not have personally ever experienced otherwise. Obviously there are not many people living today that were around in the 1912-1926 era in Britain, much less capable of remembering it.
People may say that television is a waste of time, that it is turning our brains to mush and dampening any creative, independent-thinking cell in our body. I can definitely vouch that that is not always true.
True, there are PLENTY of reality television shows that don’t exactly offer much purpose in life other than mind-numbing entertainment; these are not the shows I am referring to in this post. (Though, honestly, I am guilty of watching such shows at times…hey, I’m not one to judge. It can be entertaining! Reality television just isn’t the genre of shows I’m advocating. Anyway, I digress…) The shows that truly resonate, and are seemingly hard to let go of, are the ones that immerse you in their world. The shows that cause you to re-think life, to imagine yourself in their position, and to ultimately connect with their characters. Those are the shows I find most beneficial, and are extremely hard to let go of.
Downton Abbey, I have enjoyed the chance to be a part of your sTory. Julian Fellowes did an INCREDIBLE job in creating this wonderful world, and was kind enough to share that with the rest of us. For that I am deeply grateful.
While it may seem silly to some that I am even writing this blog post, I don’t feel that I am alone in this – we as millennials seem to watch quite a bit of television. It is just us empathetic personalities that tend to become wrapped-up in the stories, and forever hold a piece of them in our hearts.
callmecalli 