Ok, my physical television set hasn’t disappeared, but almost all of my favourite shows have. Whether it is because the show was cancelled or because it is the end of the season, I realized this week that there is almost nothing left for me to watch on television! Of course, the inspiration for writing this particular blog is the ending of ER, which I watched consistently from the beginning. They say it will be the water cooler subject today.
I hate to admit this but I am an avid TV watcher. I have pretty broad interests ranging from comedy to documentary (but not much reality). I read a statistic in SHRM that the #1 show among HR professionals in 2008 was Grey’s Anatomy. I have to laugh because that is the one show I do not watch. I am curious if this really is a popular show for other HR professionals in Canada.
The one show I have been most disappointed to see end is Battlestar Galactica (e.g. “BSG”). It may surprise you that I like this show. I even surprise myself. It became a standing date for my husband and me. I loved it. What I liked most about the show were the characters played by women. My favourites were Laura the President, Starbuck the tactical fighter, and Caprica the Cylon. Each of these characters had their own brand of true grit, and played it tough without losing touch with their femininity. Perhaps this is modern feminism. Television is getting better about finding new “centres” for women, and I thought BSG did a great job. If this is not a show you watched before, you should try to catch the reruns. I promise you will not develop any urges to dress like a Klingon!
I tried to watch BSG through the lens of someone in HR. Galactica was not a model for best practices, yet it worked. It was run by gifted leaders with many shortcomings. For the crew, the road wasn’t easy, but they stayed focused. There were aliens aboard and it was hard to know who to trust. The suspense was intense.
From a wellness perspective, the humans tried to find peace and simplicity in a tough existence. Even the Cylons tried to understand the human concept of God.
Ultimately in BSG, a community was established where humans and a faction of Cylons worked together. The generation on Galactica found a home. We the viewers were left feeling satisfied until the final moments when we realized that the prophecy revealed that there is no such thing as a happy ending, that the space-time continuum is warped, and life revolves instead of evolves.
Sometimes that is exactly how I feel at work.
I think the only show that is left for me to watch now is Ice Road Truckers. Will someone please rescue me?