I watch a fair amount of TV (though I work in the industry so I tell myself it's excusable... It's research!). I'm very excited that new seasons are starting right now, and I find actually that TV can be very helpful to me romantically at times. Or at the very least, cathartic.
Last year around this time, I was in a long distance relationship with a guy in the military and we were just finding out that even though he was supposed to be getting out of the army, he was being stop lossed and was going to be sent to Iraq in the future. I (of course) was freaking out. Not only was our relationship complicated because of the distance but it was now even more complicated because he had very little control over his own life. Plus his life kind of fell apart at that point.
Anyway, so my two cathartic TV shows at that time were Ugly Betty and Pushing Daisies. In Ugly Betty, Betty was in love with Henry but he had to move to Arizona to help raise his child with his pregnant ex girlfriend. I went through a lot of "should we even bother trying since this is clearly a doomed relationship? Am I ready to go down this road and be a soldier's girlfriend (who opposes the war btw) and risk all the heartache that comes with it?" and Ugly Betty's conclusion was that yes, we should try because if you don't put yourself in situations that allow you to get hurt, you won't really experience love. Granted, it clearly didn't work out for the best for me since I'm single as I'm writing this, but that's ok. I'm still glad I gave it a shot or I probably would've always been wondering "what if?"
The fairy tale-esque Pushing Daisies was cathartic for me because it's about two people who are in love but can't touch (if they touch, Chuch - the girl - will die. And if you don't know why, then you need to watch the show. It's SO good). Being in a long distance relationship is really hard for me because I'm a very physical, cuddly, touchy-feely person. So is Chuck (the girl) in Pushing Daisies. I found comfort in that and sometimes, when they would wrap their arms around themselves and give themself a hug and pretend the other person was hugging them, I would do the same (yeah, I'm a loser. Whatever. I've grown to accept this).
And now, regardless of my relationship situation, one of the best relationship shows is How I Met Your Mother. Because it's a comedy, everything seems so outrageous but I think it's one of the most true to real life dating guides you can find on television. You have Barney, the merciless player who really shouldn't be as successful as he is. Lily and Marshall, the married couple who have pretty much only dated each other in their lifetime. And Ted and Robin, the on again - off again couple. Between the five of them, I feel like they have addressed so many of the dating issues I've come across in my relatively short experience. Plus the show is just freaking hilarious.
What shows do you take romantic advice from? Or what shows remind you of your own relationships?
Comments (2)
I really enjoy "How I Met Your Mother" but until your post, I have never looked at the show as a model or "advice" for my relationships. I can see how it can be used as such and it should be made known that not every situation is the same.
As much as we would like our lives to be a sitcom. (But sometimes it feels that way, doesn't it?)
I usually do that with movies. I am probably doing it wrong as I am still single writing this too. For a few hours (or days) after the movie, I would think of the situations and wonder if I would do the same. The few times I was in similar situations, I can confidently say that I do not even during those times I remember what I originally thought I would do.
Btw, the hugging self thing doesn't make you a loser. If it makes you feel better and doesn't hurt anyone (or yourself), why would it be bad? Why would it make you so bad for doing it?
yes, i do the whole hugging myself thing too (=
and i usually see myself in peyton from one tree hill.
sometimes i hope i get as lucky as her and end up marrying my first love.