On Tuesday night after the boys were in bed and all was quiet I sat down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn a couple popsicles. In the ways of my father I put the popsicles in the microwave for just a few seconds so they are soft and each bite melts in my mouth. I put in a dvd recommended by my family, a BBC miniseries called Cranford, based on a few short novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. (Think Jane Austen, 1840s, English countryside, etc.) I watched two episodes and they ended much too soon. Let me just summarize what I adored so much about this show. The script and dialogue were clever, humorous and used words either new or rarely used in my vocabulary. The characters, while they had their flaws, were admirable, moral and endearing. The scenery was breathtaking at times and simply charming at others. The plot was creative and engaging. All of these things combined left me in a contented state as I lay down to go to bed. I felt like a better person.
In contrast, last night I crashed on the couch, and having watched all available episodes of Cranford I turned on primetime t.v. There is that dream that people frequently mention, where you are running and running but can not get away from the villain that is chasing you. That is how I felt last night. I flipped channels frantically and could not get away from the sleeze. No single show interested me or failed to disgust me for more than five minutes. Sadly I sat there for about 40 minutes desperate to find something entertaining. Instead I found terrible acting, poor writing, lame plots, a lot of women in lingerie, a pregnant high school cheerleader who was unsure of the baby's father, women getting drunk and describing their sexual fantasies, and well I won't bother you further with the other demoralizing behaviors and references.
When I went to bed I felt awful. My mind was busy with images and frustrated by what I had seen. I felt much worse as a person.
I don't mean to say that there aren't good shows on t.v. (I occasionally watch The Biggest Loser.) But apparently there just aren't any on Wednesday nights. I rarely watch tv, I have found other ways to waste my time. So perhaps after not being exposed to primetime sitcoms and dramas for months it was a bit of a shock to my system. Shocked I was indeed. Can anyone relate?
I can't wait for the next Cranford dvd to arrive.
5 comments:
I will have to check into Cranford. I love those kind of shows. I rarely watch tv as well. Usually just house remodeling, makeover type shows, the rest is junk pretty much. Hope Cranford arrives quickly for you.
we don't even have t.v anymore. since the switch over we never went and bought a converter box. i can't say i miss t.v cuz i don't. just like you said, most the shows just polute your mind with garbage anyway. we do love to watch movies so i will have to rent those ones. i have never heard of them, so thanks for the recommendation.
i have to agree i had that same night last night i even had a hard time sleeping compaired to the night before when i had watched pride and predjudice i will have to look for that show!!
I love Cranford! and all Elizabeth Gaskell books and movies. We keep our tv in the closet so it only gets pulled out and turned on if there is something we really want to watch...like football. Keeps us from turning it on just for the noise and watching the sleeze.
I agree that TV these days is disgusting! I have not watched TV in months... for this reason and for lack of time. Movies, yes, but not TV. Even commercials are gross now. I will have to see if Netflix has Cranford-- I'm excited!
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