Everyone these days is talking about the TV show called "This Is Us". I am hooked on this show as well. It's in its 2nd season and I think of all the episodes, there have only been 3 where I haven't cried. This drama is deep and was filmed in such a great way that it touches every viewer is some way. The title "This is Us" is talking about the Pearson family and their life...but it could also mean "This is Us" as any family in America. Families that have ups and downs; tragedies and addictions, but love each other in a unique and beautiful way. I don't mind TV shows that make me cry, in fact, sometimes it's nice to have a reason to let the tears flow, you know?
As much as I like "This is Us", there is another TV show that currently has me captivated, and yet at the same time dreading the day where I catch up to current day (thanks Netflix). This show is called NCIS (Navy Criminal Investigative Service). It's a crime show. There are a million out there, but there's something about this one. I've been watching the live seasons of NCIS for the last few years, and the show is mostly designed to be a different story; a different crime to solve each week. Unlike "This is Us", you can jump in to NCIS at any time and not be lost. So that is what I did, until recently when I decided to go back to the beginning and watch the entire (15 seasons) show in order. What I found is that the story line of the core cast is incredibly rich and you get to the point where you feel like you are part of their family. Now that I know this group of people like their my friends and I'm (emotionally) invested in their lives, I find myself both excited to go home and watch more episodes and yet sad that I'm running out of episodes to watch. Don't judge me.
It's funny because I don't relate to these characters (yes, I understand they are characters and not real people) in the same way I relate to This is Us. I'm not from a military family. I feel no need to go into law enforcement. I didn't have a bad childhood. I have no daddy issues (My dad will be happy to hear that). But yet, there is something special about the relational dynamics of this group of co-workers. The team leader, Gibbs, often has to fight for his team and explain why they should not be split up. Because they often have their lives on the line, they have to trust each other completely to have one another's back. And yet, they find ways to use humor and lighthearted banter to lift each other up. The psychology side of me is fascinated, yet also fully pulled in to the emotions of this group.
I applaud the acting of these men and women. They have succeeded in making me as the viewer feel a part of their world. To cry with them and agonize with them. My heart breaks when theirs does, and I laugh along with them. After watching it now from the beginning, I understand how they have made it through 15 seasons without being canceled. It's not a flashy show, and there's no overt sexual encounters like most TV shows these days feel they must have. They simply have been successful at making the viewer (me at least) feel like I want to be part of their world.
McGee has always been my favorite character. He's smart in that computer geeky kind of way. He's picked on as the "probie" yet confident and understated. Most people probably gravitate towards DiNozzo as their favorite. He's charismatic, outgoing, and always cracking jokes. He's never been my favorite character, nor his partner Ziva. But something changed when I watched their story from the beginning. Because they were good for each other. Independent in their own ways, strong, a bit annoying to us (the viewer) and to each other. But over the years as they learned to trust each other, and as we watched how their connection grew, it was easy to find myself rooting for them when their relationship turned romantic (in a subtle way). You just knew, particularly with DiNozzo that his life became better. And that look he gives her...my heart broke into a thousand pieces. To have someone look at you like that...wow. Spoiler Alert...they don't end up happily ever after. But you know their lives were forever changed by their love for each other. If those two actors never dated in real life...they are incredibly gifted actors.
So I have no real specific point to this post. I guess I just want to capture the moment, and to dream a little about love and life, with the help of a TV show.
1 comment:
NCIS is a favorite in this house, too. We jumped into it in a similar way. We were watching episodes here and there and then one summer, back when TV box sets on DVD were a big thing, we borrowed early seasons (I think from the library) and binge-watched it from the beginning. I think we enjoy it for all the reasons that you mentioned. We also like NCIS: New Orleans. In fact, if we had to pick one TV network and give up all the others, I think CBS would be our choice because most of the shows we watch are on that network. They air shows that are well-written, yet traditional; they don't try too hard to be edgy. There are times when I enjoy unconventional or even shocking programming (I adored the UK version of Skins, and that is not for the faint of heart!), but more often as I get older I appreciate the gentler programming on CBS.
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