Lynchian: refers to a particular kind of irony where the very macabre and the very mundane combine in such a way as to reveal the former’s perpetual containment within the latter. David Foster Wallace
It has been a while since I needed to escape reality through television shows. Usually I watch TV shows that parallel my family life like Blackish or Fresh off the Boat (TV show parallels), serve as bonding time with M as with Top Chef or Chopped Junior, or feed my craving for intelligent horror, The Returned.
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| Definitely in my Top 5 of Best TV shows EVER |
Last week offered the return of my beloved The X-Files.
Rambo met me at my parents’ house so we could watch the premiere with my dad. Due to recent events
(and nope, not at home), I decided to Netflix and chill with one of my all-time favorites, Twin Peaks.
You may wonder how a spooky, surreal telenovela (folks who are insulted by the comparison need to check out Cuna de Lobos and El Maleficio; telenovelas aren’t always big hair, big fights, and big weddings) from the 90s could serve as an antidote to reality.
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| Bad but badass villain; she’s my secret Patronus |
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| Ernesto Alonso serving in El Maleficio; must find on Netflix stat |
Twin Peaks hasn’t lost its edge over the decades; it is as creepy, funny, and mind-boggling as ever. From its lovely yet nightmarish soundtrack to its iconic images, I felt transported to that small town where not one thing is as it seems. On a Saturday afternoon following what has been a mentally challenging week at work, it was the right counterpoint.
I have learned, after years of hard work (and, as I like to joke, thousands of dollars), that my thoughts and emotions are best checked. In other words, I can’t let my mind wander. #icant. So after this week of bizarre and confusing events, I could not sit around and think about them for too long. I seriously compromised my health and my career at one point in my life. I realized I had to learn how to heal. I committed to change. I know I thrive through routine, discipline, and spiritual practice. I train for half-marathons. I train for Carnaval. I pray the rosary daily. When I’m really good, I pray the Liturgy of the Hours. My schedule and calendar, sometimes the cause of controversy with certain family members and friends, is full, mostly with cherished events and activities. This is on purpose. This is deliberate. I made a commitment to health that will not waver. So, when faced with others who haven’t yet learned that important lesson and perhaps never will, I need a break. Why not be entertained while being comforted?
Reality can be daunting. Indulging in some fiction that is somewhat stranger than the truth helps me. As for confronting those strange truths, I am grateful that I now have the mental strength to face them all. I also have the experience to know I can’t do much to help those who do not. (Marsupium crotalus epidemic)
Mujer Evolving 