an analyzed look at our emotional attachments to TV

As I write this, I find myself in a mood that is very familiar to me: a little shaken, really passionate, somewhat heartbroken, a little bit happy mixed with a tad bit of sadness. The funny thing is- this has nothing to do with real people in my life, only fictional. You’re probably thinking to yourself “Wow, this girl is insane,” but you’ve all been there too. Through the gut-wrenching breakups, you’ve wept, and through the heartwarming friendships, you’ve found joy, all in your favorite TV show. Right now, I’m shaken at the fact that one of my favorite characters just got hit by a car. I’m hardcore ‘shipping Lucas and Peyton (as I will forever), whose love brings me great passion to find something like that in my own life. I’m heartbroken, mainly because the whole episode is a whirlwind but also because I will never date/marry Lucas or Nathan Scott (*cries actual tears*). “Why am I so emotionally invested in this television show?” is something I think literally every time I click “Play Episode” on Netflix. In fact, every show I begin I become a little too attached to the people that I’m watching and the scenarios that are being portrayed. I want to be friends with FRIENDS, I want to live in a town like Stars Hollow with the Gilmore’s, I want to be a badass like Buffy and have a vampire boyfriend like Angel, I want to go to a club like Tric and jam to all the sick bands that the cast of OTH is jamming to, and I want to have all the money in the world like the Upper Eastsiders in GG. What does this say about me? I’ve been aggressively contemplating what my significant attachments to fictional people and unrealistic story lines means and how in the world I let it consume my being in the way that it has. Here’s what I’ve come up with… I watch TV in pursuit of being entertained for 30 minutes to an hour at a time. Upon searching for this amusement, I find something that catches my eye or ear. For myself, It takes as much as the perfect song playing in the background to get me hooked, thus, instantly drawing my attention for the rest of the scene. Suddenly, I find myself wanting to know more about the characters I just watched in that glorious scene with the perfect music. Uh-oh, here comes my surrender. As I learn more about what’s going on in the story, I feel a little bit of myself slipping into the story, connecting to these imaginary people and in some (sometimes really outlandish) ways I relate to what they’re going through until I’m 100% all in. I’m rooting for my favorite characters to get together, I want to punch the mean girl in the face, I’m drooling over the brooding hunk, and I feel like I’m right in the middle of it all. As if my own real life wasn’t full of its own happiness, sadness, heartbreak, and passion, I’m craving that of people who don’t actually exist. We see these “perfect” people living these not-so-perfect lives on TV and relate with them because we are them. We might not be dealing with the same crazy things that they are, but when you strip all of that sugar-coating away, they are people going through everything we are. If you’re like me, you find it easier to write/listen/watch the things that you feel rather than saying them. TV is an escape. You see the characters having a problem, solving a problem, and moving on and that’s all you want for yourself. As long as we keep putting ourselves into the shows we watch we will continue to be emotionally attached to it. As for me, I’ll keep dreaming of my Lucas Scott, and keep my emotional attachment right where it is. One Tree Hill: Season 4, Episode 9 “Some You Give Away”