Picture this: You're in middle school (I know, just keep reading). You have roughly three friends. You don't play sports or participate in any extra curricular activities. Your bedroom is where you spend most of your life. Also, you have your own laptop. So what do you do when there's no more homework to finish? Well, I'll tell you. You go on Netflix, you find something to watch, and you binge it. All of it. However many seasons it is. Your best friend watches it, too. You both love the show, however, you love it just a little more than she does. Fast forward ten years later, you can still somehow recite the lines of each character and your best friend is telling you to get help. How does this happen?
The show is called "New Girl". Yes, that one with Zooey Deschanel. It lasted 7 seasons from 2011-2018. If you haven't seen it, I suggest closing this out and watching it instead.
If you asked me how many times I've seen "New Girl", I wouldn't be able to tell you. I've had it playing in the background while I fall asleep, while I'm doing work, folding laundry, etc. This show has been something that I consider "safe" for the majority of my life. What I mean by that is, it can comfort me in a way that no other show or movie really can. At least, not in the same way. When I first started watching it back in middle school, I was going through a lot of insecurities. As I continued to dive into the world of "New Girl" more and more, I realized that I didn't feel insecure while listening to the characters bicker at each other. They made me laugh, cry, and most of all, feel safe.
I believe that this show has stuck with me for many reasons, but the humor in it has played such a big role for me. Personally, I laugh every single time I watch it. It could be a scene that I have nearly memorized by now, but it still gets me. Sometimes, the actors will take a pause during a bit to just stare at each other which makes the whole thing even funnier. Other times, it's just so ridiculous that I have to laugh. There's an episode where Nick and Jess go "undercover" to someone's house to find out if they're a murderer or not- I'm gagged the whole thirty minutes. Boom. Easily. The way Schmidt talks when he's angry- I'm chuckling. When Jess says that they're upsetting Winston and then the camera cuts to Winston smiling the biggest smile ever- Dead. I've also been told that I laugh at everything so maybe don't take the humor part too much to heart, but I swear it is so funny. It's weird but it really does feel like, at this point, I've truly been in on the joke with all of them.
Now don't get me wrong, I know how this all sounds: A girl who got way too invested in a show during her developmental years and now cannot seem to let go of it. I hear you and I am self aware, but I also know that there are people out there who have this same kind of connection to a different piece of media. I know this for a fact, because when I Google searched, "Why do people re-watch the same tv show over and over again?" it gave me some reassuring answers. Some reasons that I found were because, 1. It helps with anxiety or feeling "in control", 2. It helps connect us with our past self or past emotions, and 3. Because... we like to (?). I mean, I can agree with all of those. This show is like my security blanket. I didn't choose for it to be, but it is. I can rely on these characters to bring me comfort in times where I really need it. Something like an old friend would do.
Maybe you understand where I'm coming from, and maybe you are like my best friend that tells me I know way too much about this show. Either way, I hope you all have something that can make you feel safe, whether it's a television show, a movie, book or song. We could all use a little comfort in this world. Mine just happens to be Nick Miller.
- Koiz
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