I’m a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory. There is so much I could relate to with a few of those characters (mostly Leonard). Recently we’ve been watching Young Sheldon (essentially a TBBT prequel). If you are familiar with any of Chuck Lorre‘s sitcoms, he often adds “vanity cards” at the end of the credits of each episode. There is one particular vanity card about fictional character affection that hit home.
Chuck Lorre has been appending these vanity cards to the ends of his shows for nearly 25 years. The content of these cards can range from venting frustration to random images or just a simple brain dump. Politically, I may not always agree, but they are often very humorous.
“It’s A Strange and Wonderful Thing”
The final episode of Season Two of Young Sheldon there is a particularly interesting vanity card. This also exactly coincides with the final episode of The Big Bang Theory series. Chuck Lorre quips that “it’s a strange and wonderful thing to feel affection for a fictional character”. In this particular case he’s referring to Sheldon Cooper. He also lists off several other fictional characters for whom, I assume, he also felt this strange connection.
I’d like to list mine. I felt the same way when Fraiser, Friends, Castle, Scrubs and The Big Bang Theory ended. I, equally, loved Sheldon, Fraiser Crane, Chandler, J.D. and Richard Castle (to name a few). I hated to see these shows end. In an article I found on Refinery29, a media psychologist, Dr. Karen-Dill-Shackleford, said that we “get really attached to them because they bring you joy or cheer you up after a rough day.” This is absolutely true about Star Wars, at least for me. It doesn’t matter if its the sequels, prequels or the original trilogy. After 9 (or 11) movies, you feel a connection.
It Happens In Books Too!
These fictional character affections extends beyond just television series and/or movies. I have often felt a similar parasocial relationship with characters in books. Eragon from The Inheritance Series comes immediately to mind. I’ve felt similar connections to Harry Dresden, Ender Wiggin, Shawn Hagan, and Wade Watts (to name a few more).
We spend years and/or hundreds of pages living their lives, albeit fictional. If the author or screenwriter is any good, we begin to develop an emotional connection. It’s normal for all of us to feel this way, as long as that passion remains healthy. We live vicariously through their triumphs and their defeats. These connections explain why we are so devastated if the character dies or when the actor passes away.
Who are some of the character’s that have made you feel this way?
/cheers
If you live in Ohio (or other parts of the eastern United States) then you’ve been enduring the 
When I was in college I had a ritual every Tuesday. After classes were done for the day I drove to Best Buy. Tuesday’s is when new releases hit the store shelves and they were always on sale the week their first week. Lately I’ve noticed a terrible trend. A dwindling supply of physical movies in stores.
The things that go through my mind when I’m alone with nothing but my thoughts for entertainment is dangerous. Some might even say eccentric. Consider this your warning about today’s Random Thought of the Day
Grammar is so important and I cannot emphasize that enough. In a world where social media has such influential power, grammar even matters on your Facebook posts. Potential employers will research you and they will judge how lazy you are or even how intelligent you are simply based on your Facebook posts. If I were a hiring manager or if I am screening potential candidates, I will research your social media. I don’t expect people to have the grammar prowess of an Oxford English professor but I do expect people to know proper comma usage and punctuation.
The most sickening thing I’ve seen are blog authors taking advantage of the fan divisiveness to attract readers. Instead of reporting accurate information, they tailor facts to prey on people’s emotions simply to manipulate them to read their awful articles. This isn’t a prevalent blog but I still won’t sacrifice quality just to attract more readers. I will never manipulate the facts and I will never try to disguise my opinion as fact. I’m concerned this is a microcosm of all journalism.
We are in a Star Wars lull now. We are between movies and television series. Amid this well deserved break, what is a Star Wars geek to do? We do have the Clone Wars finale season coming up in February so watching the other seasons is an option. There is also Rebels and Resistance I could catch up on. However, much sooner than Season 7 of The Clone Wars is the new