I want Ellen Pompeo's job. Think about it. The fortuitous Ellen gets to snuggle with Patrick Dempsey, take bubble baths with Patrick Dempsey, and kiss Patrick Dempsey, all the while getting paid oodles of money to engage in all of the above. Talk about injustice! I sit at a desk, my neck aching from staring at a computer screen all day, my ego bruised and patience tested as customers chew me out relentlessly, eight hours a day, five days a week. Oh-and did I mention the minimum ten hours per week I spend commuting? (Commuting is a joy in and of itself. Don't you agree?) On a positive note, "extreme customer service" will look better on my resume than "making out with Patrick Dempsey" does on hers. Still, I'd gladly trade places...
A few weeks ago, I was seeking a television series to stream on Netflix, wanting one that was more than a half dozen shows, like Happy Valley, but not as many as Breaking Bad, which has sixty two. I decided on Grey's, which has...one hundred. I am ridiculously hooked on the show, and continuously get sucked into watching episode after episode as, in typical soap opera fashion, the end of each show leaves me dangling, impatient to see what happens next. Do you know how long it takes to watch one hundred episodes at forty three minutes each? I'm embarrassed to admit that I've already invested more hours than an average work week, time spent commuting included.
The other day I was speaking to my son on the phone, and I indicated I was puzzled because sirens were blaring all morning in my neighborhood, which is typically very quiet. It was only later that I realized the sirens were...background noise on the show! Duh... I have yet to disclose that revelation to my son, who loses patience with me when I get caught up in my incessant streaming. In my defense, I have not been watching any other television shows. I have abandoned my (former) favorite show of the past five years, The Good Wife. I pondered my likes and dislikes about the series, and came to the realization that I was dissatisfied by many of the story lines, for example, Calinda's criminal husband, and her extreme toughness. I hold Peter in utter contempt, and I cannot tolerate the fighting and yelling that has become characteristic of the show. What did I like about it? I liked Alicia's cleverness, and her professional demeanor. I admired her strength in rebounding from her husband's very public indiscretions. I relished the unexpected humorous moments, like when Alicia stood atop Owen's SUV to access phone service while out in the wilderness. And I liked Will Gardner. I liked Will Gardner with Alicia. When they killed his character off last year, in the ultimate shocking episode that single-handedly usurped "Who Shot JR?" in shock value, I pretty much knew I was done. The course that the show has taken, and many of the characters, no longer charm me. In comparison to the classy Downton Abbey and ever popular Grey's Anatomy, shows which also killed off main characters, I continue to be fascinated by their various compelling characters and story lines. For The Good Wife, however, I believe that killing off Will was the beginning of the end. It certainly was for me.
