I have a serious addiction. To The Gilmore Girls. I used to dislike the show. Didn’t watch it; wished I liked it because it would theoretically be fun to watch, but in practice I found it annoying, superficial, too fast and shallow. Also not deep.
When I was in Switzerland a couple summers ago I ended up watching a few episodes at a friend’s place and, while it was still a bit annoying, I was quickly drawn into the story line. And when I saw it on sale at Costco a few months later, I bought it. And started watching it a number of months after that. And kept watching. The start of the addiction!
After baby was born, with the breastfeeding problems, I watched constantly to pass the time while nursing. I could go through 4 episodes in a day, sometimes 8. I couldn’t stop. I had to know what happened next. While the characters were still sometimes immature, their motivations made more sense to me. After listening for a while they didn’t seem to talk as fast as before. Some of the relationships seemed to have real depth. The story was well plotted, quite dramatic, funny, homey and fun. Completely hooked.
After I watched the last episode I went into withdrawal. A few weeks later I started the series over again – just finished it again today. I swore I wouldn’t, didn’t think it would be true, but I think I want to watch it AGAIN. So why the addiction?
-yummy food
-location
-prestigious higher ed and high-level academic achievements
-the fantasy of money and travel
-fun. They have fun – they do things they enjoy
-good clothes and hair
-road trips
-being young again
-the search for love
-lifestyle: disposable income, take-out food, shopping, friends, music, travel..
I think the show captures things I’ve had in my life to varying degrees, and miss now. And things I always wanted but never had (college in New England, good hair :), enough road trips). I’m in a different stage now.
Plus: fun. I don’t have enough fun. I’m not even sure what I would consider fun anymore. I think adding fun to my life needs to be a high priority for me. Is, in fact. And I hope some real-life fun will cure some of the addiction. AT least some.