Guilty Pleasures…

Dear Piper, Paige and Phoebe,

My name also starts with a P. Alas, I do not have magical powers. I do, however, watch Charmed. Kind of one of my favorite shows, beyond all reason and logic. Then again, I never was logical to begin. At first, I really did like the fantasy element. Now, having aged just a bit, and fighting just as many demons, albeit invisible ones inside my head, I see the more metaphorical aspect of the show. I guess that’s what drew me in the first time around.

I don’t think I’d say the primary focus is on demons. I mean, they’re pretty central. But if applied to real life, there are no demons throwing fireballs at people or other magical sorts. Viewed under the lens of psychology, and the show takes on a whole new meaning. For me at least. I can tell when I’m battling my own inner demons when I start watching Charmed. I haven’t moved into watching the morning schedule yet, and hopefully won’t. That definitely wouldn’t augur well.

When we lived in the dorms my junior year, I had decided that I would get up every morning at 8, to help prepare me with the transition to working life. The end result of this was actually just sleeping a lot later on in the day. In order to wake up, I’d have my TV timed to come on at eight o’clock. In the morning. I’d do this all the time in high school. I really can’t stand the sound of alarms; it stresses me out first thing in the morning and all I want to do for the rest of the day is kill, maim, or annihilate humanity. So, the TV would pop on, and luckily Charmed would play. At 8 in the morning. To Begg’s immense chagrin. There they would be, fighting demons and saving the world repeatedly from Balthazar, Zankou or the Source. I would have the sound low, so it wouldn’t disturb him too much. Still, he’s never been favorable to Charmed. We joke about it now, but he still has flashbacks.

I know the show’s kind of campy. That’s the appeal. The same reason Ugly Betty appeals to me. Who cares if the acting isn’t serious. We all take ourselves too seriously anyways. Plus, I get my fill of serious through Law and Order these days. Any LAO marathon has the potential to shut down all life around the apartments as we know it. Amy and I are unable to move from our respective couches. Beggs is unable to go to class. Cho, somehow, is immune to LAO and LAOSVU’s effects (A big no to CI. And that music? Overdramatic. That’s saying a lot with the other shows) We’ve yet to discover his secret. The other day, Jack McCoy showed up in my dreams. On a party bus.

Still, Charmed ends up teaching me a lot about myself. I identify with Phoebe the most, and her search for love in her life while habitually choosing the wrong guy. Battling inner demons and struggling between good and bad (she was Queen of the Underworld.) Wild child who went off to New York, raised hell in high school, and now trying to settle down and find normalcy in her life. I identify strongly with finding normalcy and relationship.

To end, I think we watch the shows we watch to find out more about ourselves. There’s the entertainment aspect, of course. But within every show is some sort of message, and we watch for that message so we can apply it in some way to our lives. We are social creatures, and we learn best by watching others and then doing for ourselves. What better teacher than TV drama.

Signed,

Patrique

P.S. - A special shout out to B.D. Wong from SVU. Anaylze! And to the judges on both shows. Crazy ass liberals/conservatives. Judges in general just make me chuckle. But no one profiles like B.D. Wong. He was in something else. That’s the whole reason Beggs and I got excited when he came on…

P.P.S. – Also, sometimes I wish I were a whitelighter. Just between us, though.

P.P.P.S – Someday I want a green tween blazer like in that picture. And to look all important and have a writing job. Really, I should just become Phoebe.

Guilty Pleasures – Disney Movies

Guilty Pleasures – Marie Antoinette

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