Anyone watching Showtime tonight was assaulted by death in a one-two punch.
On The Borgias, the Pope was devastated by the death of his knavish, syphilitic son. He carried the son into the woods, envisioning him as a beautiful little boy. As Jeremy Irons began to dig a grave, I scolded my television and turned to my computer.
But then, on Nurse Jackie, the mean new hospital administrator was stunned when his drug-addicted son arrived in the ER on a gurney. I watched in horror as Bobby Cannivale tried in vain to revive his dead son. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
While I sobbed hysterically, Nurse Jackie cut away to a happy scene in the maternity room. In real life, we can’t cut to another scene. The attempt to reassure us with a birth, as if to say “Turn turn turn, there is a time for birth and a time for death!” was cheap and sanctimonious.
I think about death constantly but I don’t want it shoved in my face, Showtime. The death of children is literally unbearable. I realized that the specter of the shattered parents is what drives home the tragedy. The children have flown away, but the parents are left with eternal suffering.
Some of my friends and family wish I would cut to a new scene. One of them has even blocked me on facebook. What’s good on Showtime is less good in real life. If people could watch me on TV, they would switch to another channel.
My husband knew that the Housewives of New Jersey would make me feel better. We marveled at Theresa’s hairline, which threatens to devour what’s left of her forehead.
What would I do without my husband! We went to the Los Angeles County Museum on Sunday, and while we wandered through a dark spiral corridor in the Japanese Pavilion, he remarked, “This is kind of like Disneyland for adults.” Yes,” I answered, “if the Pirates of the Carribean was an adventure in dread, with no pirates.” He sticks with me through everything, all the adventures in dread that my life has become.
As I never cease to remind the ‘Memsahib’, you can never do enough for a good husband!
David – So true. Tell her not to stint on those wifely duties.
I fucking hate television. So much. You have my blessing to violently throw projectiles at yours if it upsets you again.
You deserve a husband like that SW. The universe has done something right there.
Meanwhile, I can see why you spend so much time on tumblr. Just started my own one solely because I loved yours very much: roseheartedgirl.tumblr.com/archive – I wasted all of Sunday on it, and then some. Escapism at its best! I like the strange sense of achievement that it brings, even though it is really just a fantastic waste of time.
Wait, is tumblr a form of ‘curating’?! Please say yes!
I am so glad you have that wonderful man.
There is a great love for all of us. Sometimes it takes a long time to find each other.
I know this.
I love tv to cure me of the angst and famine and what not of the real world. I do NOT appreciate it when it turns on me in attempt to be relevant and shit. I will never ever forget an evening when after divorce and losing a job and being in a new country where i knew very few people my favorite tv show, called young riders i think, it ha a lot of attractive young men riding horseswith no shirts on, took it upon itself to kill off my favorite character. I felt like the doom and horror had followed me into every attempt i made to escape it.
hate that.
Friend me on fb, ok, and i’ll never unfriend you. I promise. I might actually even look at the damn thing every once in a while. <3
You are so funny even when you are grief stricken…..Theresa’s hairline is the stuff of legends. Hang in there…..
amy – YES, thank you for understanding, xo
dana – Okay, deal. How do I find you there?