I Don’t Want to be A Trauma Doctor

I also don’t want to be a greedy lawyer. Or a sexist ad man or a person of nobility from 300 AC.

I’ve been trying to find a common thread between some hugely popular shows and why they turn me off. We recently watched episode one of The Pitt. It’s a medical drama about an overcrowded, underfunded ER staffed by a variety of personnel. Fans and critics – and real-life doctors – praise it for its realism. I get that. It’s well acted and moves at a brisk pace. So why am I turned off?

Frankly, The Pitt pushes my anxiety level up to a range I don’t want to revisit. It feels like working with breaking news. If I want that type of rush, I’ll go back to morning radio and live on coffee and Timbits. It’s just too manic for me. A recent promo showed the beloved Dr. Robby trying to reason with an anti-vax, anti-science Mom whose son lay in a coma from measles. Just the promo was enough to make my heart rate increase and justify my avoidance of it.

We usually need to identify with someone in a story. You might say, well, Lisa, you’ve never cooked or sold meth. Why did you love Breaking Bad? Probably because Walt was a regular under-achiever who was desperate to provide for his family. And the ever-present risk of him getting caught was the ultimate cat and mouse game. Even though he became a bad guy, you wanted him to get away with it. BTW, the series is back in our viewing rotation for a third time.

I’m Not Sure of my Theory

Do we have to see ourselves in the shows we watch? Probably not. But there has to be – for me anyway – a character or a goal to root for. People have practically begged me to try again with some series I’ve given up on. Sometimes I will and sometimes they were right. But Succession? You can show me the awards and viewership numbers and I won’t budge. I despised every character and wouldn’t spend five minutes in a room with any of them. As I watched, I found myself making a face like I’d been sucking on a lemon. That’s not a good way to spend my time.

It’s not just a manic pace that can turn me off. The first few episodes of White Lotus season three were so slow, I thought I’d doze through them. I asked on social media whether it picks up and people assured me it does. But even later episodes went on forever. There was so much longing and thinking and illusions of action that led nowhere. But we were in too deep. If we turned back, what were those four hours for?! (Final decision – it was NOT worth the investment. Creepy and icky and slow.)

I’ve never forgotten times I’ve watched a show I disliked only to have someone else say it’s their fave. Or the other way around. There’s no one universal “good” or “bad.” Thank goodness we have so many choices.

It Goes for Movies, Too

A great example is Anora, the recent winner of five Oscars. If watching a sex worker on the job in every possible position is great film making, well, I’m missing something. I wouldn’t have given it one full star out of five.

I expected to dislike Emilia Perez. It’s a musical about a Mexican cartel lord who fakes his death to undergo sex reassignment surgery. It was wonderful. Zoe Saldana won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for her work in the film. Some say the reason Anora won big is because the star of Emilia Perez was canceled over old tweets. All I know is, Emilia Perez was alluring and remarkable. Anora was a couple of scenes away from porn. However, the Academy obviously disagrees with me. Viva la difference.