Many of you know that I don’t have a TV at home. No, I don’t think those of you who do have them are immoral, carnal, foolish, or lesser Christians (well, perhaps lesser Christians - just kidding). I don’t own one simply because I fear the amount of time I would waste if I did.
Three years ago I visited Blockbuster Video and walked out with a DVD that would change my life. When I walked into the store I had no idea what I wanted to rent. It was a Saturday night after a long week of camp. Most of the staff was headed to their various homes that weekend. I just wanted to rent a movie I could fall asleep to. Upon asking the cute blonde behind the counter for her recommendation she pointed me toward Lost.
“Do you like JJ Abrams?”
“I’m not quite sure who that is,” I said.
“He does Alias.”
I knew that Alias starred the ever-lovely, red headed Jennifer Garner, so I said, “Yeah, I guess I like that show.”
“Then you should try renting Lost.”
“What’s it about,” I asked.
“Well,” she thought for a moment. “It’s about a group of people in a plane crash who land on a strange deserted island.”
The plot interested me.
“Alright. You win. I’ll try it.”
With that I walked out of the store carrying Lost, Season 1, Disc 1. When I got home I must admit I wondered whether or not I’d made a good decision. Other than Alias, which the Gwilts got me watching, I’d not seen a good TV series that really held my attention. I’d heard 24 was entertaining, but I’d never given it a chance.
I popped in the DVD, hopped on the couch, and pressed Play. The first episode caught my attention, but I wasn’t convinced. Jack, the heroic doctor, runs out of the jungle and begins saving lives. Kate, the adorable girl-next-door, sews up wounds and treks through the jungle with Jack and Charlie. Locke, and bald old man, smiles and makes strange statements. Was this something I really wanted to invest hours and money in?
Then things began happening. Kate, the girl-next-door, was a federal fugitive. Never saw that one coming. Charlie was addicted to heroine. Didn’t see that one coming either. Locke, who begins episode four staring at his wiggling toe, ends the episode by revealing to everyone that before the plane crash he was a paraplegic. Never, never, never saw that coming. That’s when I was convinced. This was a show for me!
It kept my attention. It twisted and surprised me constantly. Instead of renting the rest of Season 1, I went to Targer and bought it. I raced through all six of the DVD’s, convincing Jeff and Michelle Gwilt to try it as well. They too fell in love. Then my parents began watching. Then John Sinclair. Valerie Shaffer was my greatest success as she watched all 24 episodes straight during a snow day.
Dave and Keara were two of my last and most wonderful converts. At the time they ministered on the island of St. Vincent without a TV or cable box in sight. Our whole family visited for Thanksgiving and I gave Keara season 1 for her birthday.
“24 episodes?” she asked still not knowing quite what the show was about.
“Yep. I figured that would give you guys many hours of mindless entertainment,” I replied.
“Wow! We can watch one episode a night, and it will last us almost to Christmas!”
They were both excited. The first night we watched two episodes. The second night they watched three. Like everyone else who’d seen it, they couldn’t get enough. Before my parents left the island they’d seen every episode. Thank goodness for Itunes. Though Keara and Dave couldn’t enjoy the new episodes each Wednesday night on ABC, they could download them on Thursday from i tunes for only $1.99. Keara later described this experience.
“We’d buy popcorn and stuff to make milkshakes. Dave would begin downloading the episode as soon as it was posted. Sometimes I would take almost four hours for the stupid thing to download. Other times we’d almost have almost the whole thing when the internet would go out for three days. We couldn’t believe it.”
I didn’t help matters. I’d call to talk about the episode with them only to discover they hadn’t seen it it yet.
After watching Season 1 on DVD I watched Season 2 at the Rochon’s home. They’d given me a standing invitation. On Sundays the Rochon’s, Gwilts, Gwilts, and Thomas’s would discuss the episodes and ponder what was going on. We wanted answers. Still do actually.
Now, we’re just beginning season 4. There are less than 48 episodes to go. I’m not as interested as I used to be, but still love the show. The first three seasons live in my closet on DVD. If any of you need to borrow them to get you started, give me a call. It’s a great series!
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