Log 2: The West Wing
I was born on a Wednesday morning. My mom was happy about this, because it meant she could watch The West Wing when it was on that night, instead of having to worry about putting my brothers to bed. This was before DVR, so if she missed it, she missed it. But, since she was in a hospital bed with a newborn baby, she knew she wouldn't miss it. I spent my first night on this planet sleeping next to my mother and watching the The West Wing.
Fifteen-and-a-half years later, we still do this. The format has changed, of course, because now we watch on Netflix rather than NBC. We jump around in the seasons, picking and choosing our favorite episodes. This would've seemed crazy to my mom back in 2001, when she would rush to get home so she could watch The West Wing. Every Thanksgiving we watch "Shibboleth," a Thanksgiving episode. On my birthday, we watch "The Women of Qumar," the episode that aired the night I was born. I deeply appreciate this time I spend with my mother, which in turn makes me deeply appreciate the show.
This makes me wonder: do I really love the show or do I just love the memories I associate with it?
It's hard for me to separate the show from my mom. It's a great, well-written drama, and I genuinely do enjoy watching it. Since I've been watching it as long as I can remember, I know al of the actors and actresses first and foremost as their West Wing characters. But for as much as I love The West Wing, I don't know if I would love it as much if I didn't associate it with spending time with my mom.
Fifteen-and-a-half years later, we still do this. The format has changed, of course, because now we watch on Netflix rather than NBC. We jump around in the seasons, picking and choosing our favorite episodes. This would've seemed crazy to my mom back in 2001, when she would rush to get home so she could watch The West Wing. Every Thanksgiving we watch "Shibboleth," a Thanksgiving episode. On my birthday, we watch "The Women of Qumar," the episode that aired the night I was born. I deeply appreciate this time I spend with my mother, which in turn makes me deeply appreciate the show.
This makes me wonder: do I really love the show or do I just love the memories I associate with it?
It's hard for me to separate the show from my mom. It's a great, well-written drama, and I genuinely do enjoy watching it. Since I've been watching it as long as I can remember, I know al of the actors and actresses first and foremost as their West Wing characters. But for as much as I love The West Wing, I don't know if I would love it as much if I didn't associate it with spending time with my mom.
Good post bud! I understand and relate to the idea of relating to the emotional attachment of a show rather than the contents of the show itself. I think it goes to show just how interconnected media is within the fabric of our lives. We find ourselves not being able to separate what is the synthetic and produced material of television or advertising, and what truly is our authentic lives. I guess the question is, is that is a bad thing? I don't think so. I think television is a positive addition to our lives, a medium, like in your case, upon which we create our own meanings and memories. Television can become our authentic lives, not fully, but more as a companion. And that's cool!
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