Always Watching

Last Sunday night I almost had a television break down. There was absolutely nothing on t.v. And though various columns and news stories had warned me this would be coming the horrible reality of it was almost too much to take. I was reduced to going through a bag of shreadables to see if there was anything in it useful for my taxes this year. Who does that? Clearly a sign for help. Thank God for good friends. The silver lining to this horror story is this: I've discovered the Sopranos and the Canadian television series Slings and Arrows.

No doubt my mention of the Sopranos has left you thinking I'm not that into t.v. as I say I am. And to that I say, yes, yes I live in the United States, and yes, I heard all the buzz. But by the time I ever considered the Sopranos it felt way too late. Only now after all the hype and the parodying of its ending can I quietly catch up. And good for me! Because while others are suffering with nothing to watch I'm watching the series that revolutionized t.v. and brought serials to cable television, which most likely saved the medium by reinventing it.

"To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?"Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1). There is where Slings and Arrows takes its title from. A great show which begs the question what is art? What is it useful for? Should it be useful?And when old forms of accepted art become overused and overwrought are they still viable forms of art? This show is so funny, touching, black, and honest that the word entertainment isn't enough to describe it. It layers and layers and makes fun of everything and nothing. Mostly it reminds us of our own definition of art and whether or not we should suffer the slings and arrows to achieve what we want to in search of our own creations.

Both shows take their characters and stick them into extraordinary circumstances. Allow their characters to get away with things most of us only dream of and that is apart of their draw and entertainment factors. What keeps viewers coming back for more is the honest portrayals of the complexity of human relationships.