I don't spend days upon days marathon watching Netflix shows because I have nothing better to do. I don't mindlessly watch season after season because I'm bored. I watch television because it amplifies my emotions. It's my form of soul-searching, and I have no shame whatsoever.
The best television shows skillfully craft together protagonists and antagonists with such subtly that you don't even realize the contrasts that exist between them. They can magically pair together people that automatically sync together in their actions. The most talented ones can rip my heart out and leave me sobbing at 3 AM with one little plot twist. Now, I'm not saying I enjoy the pain that comes from killing off my favourite characters or the agony that occurs from the falling out between two characters, but it evokes emotion. And boy, am I an emotional person.
I definitely have a problem with getting emotionally attached to the characters in television shows, but can you blame me? How do you not feel some love for the people you've been with for seven seasons? You've learned their quirks, their mannerisms, their sayings. I've even found myself familiar with their slang. It's inevitable. I always get really invested in the lives of television characters, and while they are fictional and not at all like real life, I indulge in my little guilty pleasure. I live vicariously through them. I've slept with the President. I've traveled through time, saving the world from ferocious and conniving aliens. I've killed demons, gotten kicked out of Stanford only to become an international spy, and worked for the Santa Barbara Police Department as their prime psychic detective. Through the characters' passions, interests, and life experiences, I've discovered myself. Living in the suburbs doesn't give me much opportunity to pursue my own life experiences; I've scoured the Internet reading about adolescents that have climbed mountains and para-sailed over volcanoes, but at the same time, I've come to accept that my life just isn't all that interesting. It has interesting moments, that's for sure. I've gone to amazing concerts, spent a whole summer with the most brilliant people I've yet to meet, and I've traveled all around the historically significant villages of China. I've definitely cashed in quite a lot of money at the bank of memories, but I don't live a life of adrenaline and hype. Luckily for me, I have the privilege of watching television (on the computer... that counts, right?). I've spent endless nights watching Netflix til 3 AM, to which I promptly tell myself I need to sleep. I never listen to my own advice though.
However, through my self-rebellion, I've learned more and more about myself. I've realized that I am, despite what I tell myself every day, that I am a hopeless romantic. I'd be a sucker if I found myself a fiance like Evan R. Lawson on Royal Pains. I've realized that I oftentimes feel like I'm different from other girls, like Robin on How I Met Your Mother. Yet, at the same time, I've realized that I'm a kid at heart, like John Dorian from Scrubs. I've realized that it's okay to not fall into peer pressure, like Poussey from Orange Is the New Black, and I love that I've realized that feminism is necessary and of grave importance thanks to Oliva Pope from Scandal. I've realized that I do indeed have major problems with my family. Television has broken the wall that I have built around my vulnerabilities and delved straight into the war with my insecurities and fears. It has dug the repressed memories and neglected problems I've buried under piles and piles of concrete.
I know Hollywood is far from accurately depicting real life; there's always a happy ending, and the high schoolers in TV shows are all, in actuality, 20+ years old. That's okay; that's capitalism and marketing at its finest -- hazard of the trade. But television does the same wondrous and magical thing that books do; it teaches you. From the mistakes made on shows, you learn how to apply them to your life. Even in horror movies, you learn to never go towards the creaky noises and to always call the police immediately.
As I keep watching TV shows, I find myself seeing myself in all the characters, good or bad, and that's because I'm not a product of directors and writers. I make mistakes, and I screw up more times than I'd like to admit. In TV shows, there's usually an obviously "good" character and a notoriously known "bad/evil" character. In life, it's not always that easy, so sometimes it's easier to watch someone else go through the runs of their, albeit made-up, life. And through their story and perspectives, you start to see yourself reacting the same way they would. You begin to understand the mindset and ideologies of the villain. Most importantly, I've begun to really grasp the fact that I am human, which means that I am far from perfect. And that's okay.
Being an adolescent is tough; there are nights when a blanket of angst and aggravation veils upon the atmosphere. There are times when I am devoured by my over thinking. There are way too many days when I feel hopeless, lost without any motivation or determination. The littlest of things seem like Mt. Everest to overcome. Television has broadened my perspective. Do I owe my maturity to Netflix? Maybe, maybe so. But that's beside the point; the point is that everyone feels a little different when they're growing up. Everyone feels a bit like an outcast, and that's perfectly acceptable. Ironic, though. Ironic that we are all somehow united in our feelings of difference. So, sometimes it's nice to use fictional characters as a safety net. It's okay to bond with made up stories and relate to their made up adversity.
Now onto my third year of having Netflix, I've come to predict many events in shows. So far, I've been able to accurately call ever major event in Bates Motel. Even when I was little and had "family movie night", I was able to figure out all the plot twists before their big unveiling. Directors can't seem to fool me. But that doesn't mean all the joy is sucked out of them. I still anticipate the big shock, and it's very obvious that plot twists are common in every television show -- some more cliche than others. Directors, writers, and anyone and everyone that works with the production of a show have power. You do too. We all do. We are the directors of our own show. We get paid in life experience. We have season finales too. We have dramatic buildups. We have tragedy. We have bliss. So watch some television. Learn from the characters; learn what you like and what you don't. Learn what kinds of people you'd envision a future with. Learn what types of people to avoid at all costs. Learn what kind of scenery makes you wake up in a good mood every day. Learn all about yourself, and explore the sea of your personality, and produce one hell of a show.
1, 2, 3... Action!
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