So, I have to admit, even though I don't watch many shows (I only get 4 channels, sometimes 5), I have guilty pleasures in the television world. I love "Lost" and occasionally catch late-night reruns of Sex and the City. I used to watch "Everwood" on the WB (oh!) and when I'm at my Grandma's, I find myself looking for "Project Runway." Okay, no more confessions, except for this - I've always wanted to "get" Desperate Housewives. I never wanted to see it during the first season. So, I didn't watch. Usually, this means I won't ever try to catch up. After the show started getting a lot of hype, I wanted to see what it was all about, but I wasn't ambitious enough to spend an hour trying to figure it out. However, Jo and Chris took care of that. They're closet Desperate Housewives watchers. Shhh... don't tell. :)
As the show began, Chris feverishly caught me up on who was married to who, who was pregnant and who was faking, who was having an affair and who attempted suicide... drama, drama, drama. Why ARE we so fascinated by other people's drama? An American phenomenon, I suppose. So for an hour, the 3 of us were hunkered down, being sucked in by the women and their charades on Wisteria Lane. We talked about how we're bombarded with commercials and advertisements for hundreds of television shows that are vying for our attention. The more dramatic, it seems, the better chance that people will check it out. The laid-back atmosphere in which we watched set the stage for a happy-go-lucky viewing environment. We all agreed that Desperate Housewives is the equivalent of a primetime soap opera that continues to suck you in every week because you're dying to know what's going to happen next. Is he really going to kill her? Will she die of cancer? What's the big secret about her past? People who wouldn't normally be watching TV find themselves a part of these imaginary worlds. While our television choices might not necessarily reflect our internal attitudes toward the real world, these kind of programs provide an escape from reality. Viewing together creates an opportunity for collaboration and connection. The characters are well-developed, edgy, and semi-realistic enough to keep viewers interested. Desperate Housewives invites a mature audience into a neighborhood where gossip and drama are the name of the game. In the end, we're all (viewer, actors, and characters) seeking the same thing - success and happiness in a very busy, complex, confusing world.
2 comments:
Well, it's nice to know there are other closet Desperate Housewives viewers out there... I must admit, I was also looking in on Wisteria Lane on Sunday night. What drew me to the show during the first season was the idea that appearances can be deceiving. I really enjoy that the entire series is pretty much based on the premise that there is always more to people than they let on-- even in (and maybe, especially in) suburbia. This show is a great example of dramatic TV, though-- I feel like every new storyline and every new episode is more and more over-the-top. The realistic elements of the characters have started to wash away for me, after having watched them go through so many unrealistic twists and turns... But will that stop me from watching? I guess we'll see on Sunday.
Aside from my Netflix TV rentals, I don't really watch TV shows, so I'm not acquainted with Desperate Housewives, but it sounds a little like the primetime soaps my friends’ mothers watched when I was a kid. Shows like Dynasty and Dallas had the same elements of sensational drama that you describe in Desperate Housewives (and Lost, for that matter). While I find these types of shows entertaining sometimes, I try my hardest not to get drawn into anything that will require continued viewing—who has time these days to arrange their schedules around a television show? I sure don’t.
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