Hurray for Netflix—From the Woman Who Doesn’t Watch TV
By Linda Rodriguez
As some of you readers of this blog know, I’ve been through
a real run of bad luck lately, battling cancer and complications and then, once
free of that, breaking two bones in my right wrist. In recent months, I’ve felt
more than a little like Joe Mphstlspk of L’il Abner cartoon strip fame, who
traveled everywhere under a black cloud.
a real run of bad luck lately, battling cancer and complications and then, once
free of that, breaking two bones in my right wrist. In recent months, I’ve felt
more than a little like Joe Mphstlspk of L’il Abner cartoon strip fame, who
traveled everywhere under a black cloud.
One of the problems these two health situations have had in
common is trouble with sleep, due to pain and side effects of medication. I’ve
spent all too many nights sitting up in the living room in the middle of the
night in the past year or so. Normally, in such circumstances, I would read or
knit or spin yarn to use in knitting or weaving. Unfortunately, the surgeries for cancer and the
lymphedema that accompanied them—and later the broken wrist—all affected the
right arm/hand, and holding a book and turning pages was not an option. Neither
was holding knitting needles or a spindle.
common is trouble with sleep, due to pain and side effects of medication. I’ve
spent all too many nights sitting up in the living room in the middle of the
night in the past year or so. Normally, in such circumstances, I would read or
knit or spin yarn to use in knitting or weaving. Unfortunately, the surgeries for cancer and the
lymphedema that accompanied them—and later the broken wrist—all affected the
right arm/hand, and holding a book and turning pages was not an option. Neither
was holding knitting needles or a spindle.
Decades ago, I gave up watching television. This was not
some intellectual I-refuse-to-watch-that-trash kind of thing. Rather it was
simply an I-have-to-give-up-something-to-find-time-to-write thing. During this time I have battled these health
issues, my youngest son was living at home with his big-screen TV and Netflix
subscription, something I paid little attention to until I ran into these problems.
Suddenly, TV has become my friend once again.
some intellectual I-refuse-to-watch-that-trash kind of thing. Rather it was
simply an I-have-to-give-up-something-to-find-time-to-write thing. During this time I have battled these health
issues, my youngest son was living at home with his big-screen TV and Netflix
subscription, something I paid little attention to until I ran into these problems.
Suddenly, TV has become my friend once again.
As I’ve struggled through these sleepless nights, I’ve
watched all the great Inspector Morse,
Inspector Lewis, and Endeavor (Morse as a young man)
television series I’d missed. I’ve also taken myself out of myself with the
flawless Foyle’s War, the British and
the Swedish Wallander series, all the
Poirots and all the Miss Marples. I’ve watched all the trite
romantic comedies I never saw and all the treacly, weepy death dramas.
(Remember, this period in my life has lasted for almost a year.) Finally, I sank
to the lowest point and aimed the remote at a 1980s television series I’d never
even heard of, Beauty and the Beast.
Linda Hamilton of Terminator. Ron
Perlman before his Hellboy fame. “Beautiful
NYC DA falls in love with subterranean-dwelling lion-man,” the blurb said. I
wrinkled my nose and asked myself, “Can it really be worse than something
called Scrotal Recall (an actual TV
series on Netflix)?”
watched all the great Inspector Morse,
Inspector Lewis, and Endeavor (Morse as a young man)
television series I’d missed. I’ve also taken myself out of myself with the
flawless Foyle’s War, the British and
the Swedish Wallander series, all the
Poirots and all the Miss Marples. I’ve watched all the trite
romantic comedies I never saw and all the treacly, weepy death dramas.
(Remember, this period in my life has lasted for almost a year.) Finally, I sank
to the lowest point and aimed the remote at a 1980s television series I’d never
even heard of, Beauty and the Beast.
Linda Hamilton of Terminator. Ron
Perlman before his Hellboy fame. “Beautiful
NYC DA falls in love with subterranean-dwelling lion-man,” the blurb said. I
wrinkled my nose and asked myself, “Can it really be worse than something
called Scrotal Recall (an actual TV
series on Netflix)?”
Folks, Beauty and the
Beast is a writer’s TV show, a show about books and reading and ideas and
people trying to take care of each other in the face of a greedy world.
Produced and often written by George R.R. Martin back before he was really
famous for Game of Thrones, it’s the
only network television series I’ve ever seen where a major feature of each
episode is the reading aloud of a passage from some great book. It’s basically
a romance—and I’m not a big romance fan. But this series had so much more. And
it didn’t hurt that it had this hunky lion-man who recited poetry to the woman
he loved.
Beast is a writer’s TV show, a show about books and reading and ideas and
people trying to take care of each other in the face of a greedy world.
Produced and often written by George R.R. Martin back before he was really
famous for Game of Thrones, it’s the
only network television series I’ve ever seen where a major feature of each
episode is the reading aloud of a passage from some great book. It’s basically
a romance—and I’m not a big romance fan. But this series had so much more. And
it didn’t hurt that it had this hunky lion-man who recited poetry to the woman
he loved.
Unfortunately, it would seem that Ron Perlman was much
sexier in his pounds of makeup and lionesque prosthetics than he ever was in
real life. If the man had just kept his lion mask on and stayed in costume, he
could have been on one of those People
“Sexiest Man in the World” covers.
sexier in his pounds of makeup and lionesque prosthetics than he ever was in
real life. If the man had just kept his lion mask on and stayed in costume, he
could have been on one of those People
“Sexiest Man in the World” covers.
My son has finally moved into his own place and, after
months of promising to move his stuff out of our house, has finally taken the
big-screen TV and his PlayStation which ran Netflix. (Though our garage is
still full of plastic bins and boxes of his stuff. *sigh*) I finally have the
cast off my right wrist, although I still don’t have much use of it, and
sleeping through the night is becoming more possible. But I will remember my year-long
venture into television-land and, with special fondness, that there once was a
major television series that celebrated writers, books, and reading.
months of promising to move his stuff out of our house, has finally taken the
big-screen TV and his PlayStation which ran Netflix. (Though our garage is
still full of plastic bins and boxes of his stuff. *sigh*) I finally have the
cast off my right wrist, although I still don’t have much use of it, and
sleeping through the night is becoming more possible. But I will remember my year-long
venture into television-land and, with special fondness, that there once was a
major television series that celebrated writers, books, and reading.
REPLIES TO COMMENTS (because Blogger. *sigh*)
Sparkle Abbey,
Thanks so much for good wishes. May it be so!
Bethany,
Foyle’s War is amazing! Perfect writing, directing, acting. It’s a treasure.
Mary,
Who knew the 1980s had such a cool TV series, full of Shakespeare, Dickens, Dylan Thomas, etc.? One where the hunky male lead was willing to risk everything to meet his favorite writer who had, he said, “shone light on some dark places in life for me.” Ah, if Perlman had only stayed in costume and kept reciting all that great writing, he could have been the biggest star around. 😉
What a year you've had, Linda! Wishing you bright days and smooth sailing ahead.
Yes, here's hoping that you won't need television to keep the long night time vigil with you anymore! And I agree, one of the best parts about Netflix and the other streaming services is that ability to give shows another chance. I also love Foyle – I find the actor's timing to be a thing of beauty! Good luck with getting the son's stuff out of the garage.
One of my all-time favorite series! My heat gave an extra beat when the photo popped up on-screen (don't be fooled by the newer re-make, even using the same character names). I bought the LP of Perlman reading sonnets and played it for my Shakespeare classes. When it was first released, he said in an NPR interview that they figured they'd at least sell some to English teacher, so I had to get one.
I hope the health issues go away, but I'm so glad you found a way to be entertained. I have no Netflix or other service, but my library has many DVDs.