Edge of sofa safety
THINK. Who doesn't love a good (insert name of your streaming service) show? Edge of the seat, intense, thrilling, deep. Leaving a lasting impression. Forcing some unwanted questions. Giving you goosebumps.
As a culture eater, I like how things connect and draw inspirations from one another. As a light gamer, I have my 'type'. Immersive stories that combine character development, puzzle solving with some action in a fantasy, science fiction or post-apocalyptic setting. 'The Last of Us' series is all of that.
Avoiding spoilers, let us only focus on a relationship of a make-shift family in an infection-ridden world: Joel, a middle-aged man and Ellie, a fostered teenage girl. They travel together, face everyday dangers from the infected, raiders, self-righteous militias, religious cults... well, the entire world is a very hostile place, when people take one day at a time. Survival skills and following protocols becomes a matter of life or death. Trust is hard to find. So is joy.
Some aspects remain the same, though. Building closeness, teaching and providing (often unsolicited) guidance, enduring storms of adolescence. Desire to shield children from mistakes, pain, and setbacks, futile as ever. All part of parent and child relationship. Every year, Joel gets Ellie something special for her birthday. One time he takes her to an abandoned museum of nature and science. They explore a command module of Apollo 15. Astronaut's helmet, old voice recording and solar system model help them imagine living a different life, where space travel was a growing technology. This is a dreadfully distant possibility in their world. But they keep dreaming, even just for a day.
I find myself driven by the desire to go out of my way in creating unique experience for people i deeply care about. Despite all we might think about the world in 2025, we are thankfully light years away from the reality of 'The Last of Us'. Watching post-apocalyptic movies from the safety of our sofas is a great reminder to appreciate what we take for granted. It also unfolds some crucial truths about human nature, applicable with or without a threat of deadly fungus!
FEEL. Put up your hand, who never made an unwanted sacrifice.
I only discovered 'The Bear' series a few weeks ago. 'Fishes' episode is a masterpiece of scripting emotionally loaded situation that unearths the roots of intrinsic motivations of main characters. I felt I am watching a Christmas dinner afternoon in a set of short scenes, but at the same time see through people's souls during their lifetimes. Intense acting, situation culminating to inevitable eruption, facial expressions that relay more meaning than a long monologue.
I felt punched right in the gut.
Two reasons. It followed 'Honeydew' episode, that was a near complete opposite: appreciation of slow perfection, drawing meaning from simple acts of culinary art, nurturing creativity and living in a cozy, highly aesthetic world (Copenhagen!). The gap could not have been more striking.
The other is more personal. I sometimes wonder about some sacrifices I am making. At work, at home, in social context - how much do I decide and control, as opposed to a behavioral pattern I follow. And how much this really is expected, not what I imagine the expectation must be. Wondering, I cannot be alone feeling that? Or am I?
DO. My birthday last weekend. The most heartwarming card from my daughter. A few sentences proving that every moment we made memories together was worth every bit of energy poured into her and our relationship in her 15 years. A surprise set of gifts from my wife - books to nurture my desire to learn about humans, a pair of boxing gloves and a voucher to some boxing trainings. Never boxed in my life, but was always curious to try. She knows me well.
* The illustration was snapped from Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman' vol. 7 'Brief Lives'... another recommended read!
