"SouthLAnd" And My Bridget

As you may or may not know, I have a three beautiful kids:

     1.  Andrea, who is 24
     2.  Bridget, who is 22 -- and --
     3.  Scott, who is 20.

They have all watched "SouthLAnd" to one degree or another.  Scott refused to watch it after sampling a couple of episodes because they reminded him too much of his Criminal Justice class, and -- according to him -- that was just depressing.  (For the record?  He is now a History major.)  Andrea, who has a "film degree" thinks the show is fantastic, but it is a bit too violent for her taste.  That leaves Bridget.  And this is how she ended up being roped (by me) into being a "SouthLAnd" fan.

One year ago, Bridget was finishing up her senior year at Thomas Aquinas College.  I, meanwhile, was enmeshed in watching all the episodes of "SouthLAnd".  I hadn't been aware of the show until the middle of the fourth season.  After the season ended, I assumed re-runs would be shown and that I could see the part of the season I had missed.  Can you tell my age now?  There are apparently no such things as re-runs, anymore.  Frantically, I tried to determine how to watch the first part of season four.  And I discovered this thing called iTunes, with which I could download ALL the episodes from ALL the seasons onto my new iPad.  Imagine my excitement.

Anyhow, Bridget was busy writing and defending her senior thesis and studying her massive pile of books, so that she could graduate from college.  I was busy downloading and watching the adventures of Sammy, Ben, Cooper, Lydia, and company.

One Sunday, Bridget called (as was her custom) to chat with her old mum.  She was rather tired and suffering from senioritis.  In an attempt to cheer her up, I said, "Bridget, there is this great cop show you can watch with me when you come home.  It's so much fun.  And it has this hot blonde guy that you'll really like."  Bridget, in her exhaustion and faced with her mum's silly priorities, said in exasperation, "MUM.  YOU HAVE TO STOP NOTICING ALL THE HOT MEN."  "I am not noticing them for me," I told her.  "I am just thinking of you."  (I may be middle-aged, but I am Italian.  So, you just figure out if that was a little fib or not.)

Come mid-May of 2012, Bridget did graduate.  YAY!!!  She came home quite run-down and missing her friends.  So, I snuggled up with her in my bed and we began watching "SouthLAnd" together.  Keep in mind that she had just graduated from a school where:  there is basically no internet, you aren't allowed to watch movies alone in your room, you are not allowed to watch movies (even with friends) that are basically rated above PG, there is a strict dress code, a curfew, the girls aren't allowed in the guys' dorms, the guys aren't allowed in the girls' dorms, and the kids swing dance for fun.  So she was, at first, a bit overwhelmed by this "dark and gritty" cop show.  Occasionally, she would try to get up and walk away while squeaking in horror.  But, I would -- gently -- haul her back.

As I predicted, though, the show did start to intrigue her.  And the blonde guy did hold some appeal.  Quickly, though, she realized that his ethics and temperament were not quite her cup of tea, so she switched her allegiance to Sammy.  (And let's face it.  Sammy is every bit as hot as his junior partner.  Well... ex-partner.)  She has actually declared -- in her own blog -- that she would marry Sammy.  For my part, I would not object to this.  He would make a fine son-in-law.

Bridget, having earned a degree that is, essentially, a double major in philosophy and theology with a minor in math, also came to appreciate and explain to me many of the finer points of the writing of "SouthLAnd."  It is, put simply, a wrestling match between St. Thomas Aquinas's Aristotelian worldview and the ideas of the Modern Philosophers (i.e. Nietsczche).  

And that is the story of how my sweet, gentle, classically-educated daughter came to be watching "SouthLAnd" with me every Wednesday night -- right up to and through last night's heartwrenching season five finale.   As you can probably tell, she really loves her old mum, in order to agree to participate in this activity.  Because in many ways, watching the show has been hard on her.  She is a sensitive person and wants so very much for each character to have a "happily ever after."  I think Officer Ben's saga has been especially difficult for her to witness.  (Although, my "film major" daughter reminds her regularly that Ben McKenzie has a home, a dog, many adoring fans, and -- most importantly -- craft services.  No teary sentimentality out of that girl.)

So, I would like to thank you, my Bridget.  Watching the show alone was fun.  But, having your company has made it infinitely more enjoyable.

And in case you are wondering where my dear husband is in all this:  He doesn't really watch TV.  Sometimes he'll stand in the middle of the room and watch a few moments of something, but he prefers reading and playing his guitar.  And that is fine by me.  I enjoy seeing him do the things that make him happy. ;-)