A Friday Night Update...on a Sunday

Sam and I continue on with our tradition of making popcorn and watching a show together on Friday nights. This tradition started almost five years ago (wow!) when we began watching Monk together.

When we finished watching Monk, we went onto MacGyver (the original series, not the current knock-off). Making this transition wasn't without some amount of trepidation.

We really enjoyed watching Monk together. Not only was it a good show, it was kind of Sam's first introduction into watching something a little more mature than what he was typically used to. It was a show that he (and I) enjoyed, partly due to the company we were keeping (for me, anyway) but mostly (for Sam) it had stories - and especially characters - we both enjoyed. The fact that the main character some obsessions, not unlike some of Sam's, helped.

I don't think Sam saw it that way but there were times, when Sam faced a particular struggle, we could (sometimes) relate it back to Mr. Monk. 

After spending about two years worth of Friday nights watching Monk together, we finished the series and, as with finishing a good book, a good long book - finding something we could both get into for a non-disappointing follow-up was a bit of a challenge.

We landed on MacGyver. One reason for MacGyver was I wanted something a little bit different from Monk, mostly because something too close might pale by comparison. But like before, I also wanted it to be something which, maturity-wise, would be a good fit for Sam. (It's also possible that the DVDs were on sale. This would have given it an edge in my decision making process.)

After a somewhat rocky start, we finally watched each and every MacGyver episode - and enjoyed, with a few exceptions, pretty much all of them.

Discounting the aforementioned "rocky start", it was kind of startling to me how progressive the show was. Not only was it progressive for it's time (presumably) but it was especially so in watching it through the prism of today.

Back when MacGyver was approaching it's inevitable conclusion, I spent a good bit of time trying to figure out what we would segue onto next. At first, it was going to be Chuck. I even bought the DVDs in preparation for this momentous event. (Also, the DVDs were on sale.)

But before we launched into the era of the Chuck  Friday-night-athons, things took a left turn. The left turn was spotting a "Lightning Deal" for a show called Quantum Leap.
 
As with MacGyver, I wasn't particularly familiar with Quantum Leap. But the show's description read like something Sam might enjoy. Here, because I'm too lazy (re: untalented) to think of a concise description, is how IMDB describes it: "Former scientist Sam Beckett finds himself trapped in time due to an experiment gone awry, leaping into the body of a different person each week." 

 In addition to sounding interesting, I figured that since the show was produced in the same era as MacGyver, it might have a similar ambiance to it, which might make a transition easier.


It's been difficult for Sam to get used to the idea that, each week, the show's Sam is "playing" someone completely different, located in completely different surroundings and living in a slightly different era. Why the main character would be confused by this situation is something we've struggled to understand. But we're doing better with it and it prompts a lot of discussion - which is always nice.

Anyway, Sam and I just finished the first season and we're enjoying the show more and more with each episode. 

If you're cooped-up and looking for something distract you, you can kill a few minutes and read this almost-a-year-old interview with the show's then star. It's pretty short and you might actually enjoy it.

If you want to go further (and you should), do two things. First, check out the show's first episode - or technically, the first two episodes, (since I think it was a two-parter). It's called, "Genesis". And then, if you do nothing else, skip ahead to episode eight, titled, "The Color of Truth". And while you watching this episode, imagine this episode playing on network TV in this day and age. It wouldn't happen.

And while you're watching this episode, imagine watching it with someone like Sam and imagine how many times the show has to be paused for questions and for explanations.

And if you decide to go still further, and again, you should, imagine that it's Friday night and imagine that you have a bowl of popcorn in your lap. And imagine that we're watching this show (or any show, really) together - because it makes any good show (or anything, really) better if we're doing it together.