What Television Taught Me in 2012

SPOILER ALERT! Read selectively if you come to a show that you haven’t seen and plan to see. Sorry. Ha.


Everyone who knows me knows I’m a cinephile and a television-ophile. If that’s a real thing. This blog post is desperate attempt to justify all the television I watch by finding lessons in the stories. So enjoy, and Happy New Year!

In 2012, Deb from Dexter taught me that if you keep falling in love with the wrong people (I.E. the Ice truck killer, Detective Quinn, Lundy- a man old enough to be her father) it doesn’t mean you default to your non-blood related siblings. If you do this, you might just end up a murderer. You’d think it would be common knowledge, right? Deb, thank you for encouraging me to make better decisions than you in 2013.

The Walking Dead taught me to show the ones I love that I love them, even when they piss me off by sleeping with my best friend and getting pregnant. Don’t let anger keep you from forgiving those you love, because she might just die in childbirth and turn into a zombie.   

Shahs of Sunset taught me that it's okay to be an intergalactic persian priestess and drink diamond water. Wait --or maybe it taught me that it's okay to tell a Persian who hasn't gotten a nose job (yet) that you love their big nose, BTW. In case you were wondering, it's not. Off limit topics in Persian conversations: noses, hairiness and weight. In the words of Reza, "Did that Bitch just call me fat?"

Walt’s carelessness in Breaking Bad taught me to watch what I keep lying around from my past. It MIGHT just come back to haunt you. Or maybe the real lesson here is not to start cooking meth, especially when my brother-in-law is a DEA agent? 

Adventure Time reminded me to have fun, as it does every year. If you’re not watching this show, you definitely need to. AT reminds me that sometimes its okay for things to not make sense and for life to be absurd. In 2013, I’m going to be inventive like Princess Bubblegum, proud of my lumps like Lumpy Space Princess, and mischievous like Marceline the Vampire Queen.

 

Parks and Recreation taught me that Adam Scott is really cute when he’s not the A-hole brother in Stepbrothers. Go Adam SCOTT! Hot T! P.S. I love you, Leslie Knope.

Jersey Shore surprised us all by revealing that even meatballs can have cute babies. Who knew?! Baby Lorenzo is a cutie patootee!

Girls taught me that “white girl problems” can also be anyone’s problems. Okay, so we may not all accidentally smoke crack at a party like Shoshanna and run 10 miles down the street or get married to some extreme capitalist after knowing him for a week. However, we can relate to the confusion and pain Marnie and Charlie go through as they end their relationship and the stress Hannah experiences as she tries to find her place in the world. Let’s just say I’m looking forward to Season 2 =)

Finally, Parenthood taught me that family is important, and that doesn’t just mean the people you’re blood related to. It's about the family you have and the family you make. Life isn’t perfect and we are all going to face things we don’t want to. Having a support system and positive influences in your life makes it all worth bearing.

See, who said TV can't teach you anything? I think I need to go read a book now....
I hope everyone has a wonderful new year in 2013. Peace!!!!!!

What Television Taught Me in 2012

Is it Possible To Love Someone You've Never Met?

One of my new favorite shows on MTV is called Catfish, stemming from the same-titled  documentary by Nev Schulman, which is based on online dating. The most recent episode inspired me to write this blog post. I’m going to try my best not to spoil anything about the episode!!  

Basically, all of the episodes so far have provoked me to question whether its possible to truly love someone that you’ve only spoke to online. I’ve always thought that a relationship is not “real” unless it's face-to- face, and that building a prolonged online relationship could never end well, but this most recent episode made me think twice.


First of all let’s face it, we’ve come along way from AOL chat rooms. Online dating is a huge craze these days. People are meeting, dating and marrying the people they meet online.  It has become a legitimate way to meet new people! If I was single, I’d definitely do it. It can be beneficial for a person who’s extremely busy or a little shy.... or someone who simply doesn’t want to waste time weeding through all the drunk people at bars to find a diamond in the rough (some say that's a lost cause ha.) On the other hand, online dating can be dangerous and you risk falling for someone who isn’t who they say they are, as Catfish (or unfortunate personal experience) has shown us.

So back to my question, can you truly be in love with someone you’ve never seen face to face? Something that stood out to me in this weeks episode is the fact that Dani said he didn’t feel like the relationship really started until they met. However, when they did meet it was obvious the connection and foundation of a relationship was there and had been there for quite awhile. Maybe there are limits to online relationships and how they can grow, but it doesn't mean a person can't fall for someone they meet online before they've met them?  

 
I’d love to hear people’s thoughts about online dating, whether they’ve seen the episode or not. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you check it out!

 
This episode of Catfish taught me that love is found in many ways and it shows up in different forms. I will never again judge the way people fall in love and I will embrace the fact that two people can love each other outside of race, gender, culture or class. Thanks, Catfish.

Comment away!

Is it Possible To Love Someone You've Never Met?