You’re trying to study for an exam that you should’ve started studying for a week ago. Your brain starts to wander faster and faster, your bed gets warmer, and you decide to take a study break you don’t deserve to watch Netflix. The show you’re going to watch is kind of like your life in college in the strangest but most unambiguous ways, whether it be On My Block, Friends, or Stranger Things (my personal favorite, season 3 July 4th let’s go).
I have four days left of class this semester, and 2 exams to study for, 2 papers to write, and 2 presentations to make all due this week before finals…so what better time for new blog post than now?
It’s wild to think that I’m halfway done with college because one year ago I couldn’t even believe I was a college student. I’ve been using this analogy to describe what my experience has been like.
My first two years of college have been like a Netflix tv show where the first season is my freshman year and the second season is my sophomore year. You only started watching this show because everyone you know told you to (kind of like how going to college is an expectation nowadays). So you start the tv show with no idea what the plot will hold, so you take in each scene and try to keep the storylines straight. You think that this show is overrated initially and tell your friends that they overhyped the show. They tell you to keep watching, that it’ll get better as the show progresses. You meet a bunch of different characters in each episode, and you wonder if they’ll have any significance or just be a passerby that plays no major role in the story. Then you slowly start to relate to the characters you meet by learning about their upbringings. You might even get attached to some characters. Or some characters may seem like they have potential, but you just have to feel them out a little bit longer. And of course, there’s some characters that you can’t stand, so you patiently wait for them to get killed off the show (for the purpose of this analogy, let’s say ‘dying off the the show’ is like dropping out, transferring to a different school, graduating, or just following a different crowd so you don’t see them on campus anymore).
By the end of the first season, I didn’t want the show to end. I didn’t want to wait for the second season to come out.
I created this analogy in my head because of how different this school year has been from last year. Back to the analogy….
So the second season drops on Netflix and you’re excited as hell, right? You’re filled with anticipation about what fate your favorite characters have ahead of them. So you neglect your homework, seek refuge in your bedroom, and tune in…. On this season, you meet A LOT of new characters. And have you ever watched a show that brought in new characters that COMPLETELY changed the vibe of the show?? (*cough Grey’s Anatomy). You’re a little hesitant to accept them, but you keep watching. Or maybe you find characters that you like just as much if not more than the original cast. You realize that the first season was only there to give you context. The second season is where shit actually starts going crazy. Drama is at an all time high, the story picks up fast, you’re watching at the edge of your seat. At the end of every episode, you feel disoriented, depressed, filled with questions, ready to fight Netflix when it says “Are you still there?” because of how tense you are, and in need of a resolution.
Right now, I’d say I’m at the point where you know you’re almost done with the season, so you’re going through withdrawals and thinking “where do we go from here?” but also relieved to have completed the commitment that is binge watching a tv show. I have two weeks left of school, and I feel every kind of emotion right now as you would when you finish a show.
Looking back on these two years, there was a considerable amount of character development for me. I came into college shy, scared of vulnerability, and I had my second worst episode of depression since I was a kid. Now I’m stressed, overcommitting myself, putting too much responsibility on myself, and a lot more confident but insecure in different ways… so let’s see if I get it right in the third season lol. Nonetheless, I’ve grown into the woman I want to be because I’vefinally figured out who she is, and I have so much love for the characters- good and bad, sidekicks and antagonists- that have taught me something in this season.
That’s it for the finale. We’ll touch base on this topic again when Season 3 drops in September.
Carpe Diem – Seize the Day!
Manyi.