hard to express

[toll_gate_91]

I'm new at this forum, I've been reading for the last 3 days.

I picked up the DVD set today and watched the pilot and the series finale, which I had never seen.

There's so much I wish I could say but for now the emotions are just so powerful and overwhelming. I can't put much of it into words right now.

MSCL came out when I was 20 and in college. It reminded me very much of high school(where a stunning red-headed alterna-girl approached me in a way that was similiar to the angela/jordan interaction of MSCL). More than that it brought out all of the romantic feelings that I had put away upon entering college. It's like - all this economics and math - no feelings of love in my life.

I watched the show when it aired, and especially on MTV when it was re-aired. But finding it again on the web in the last few days has really impacted me.

Claire Danes is incredibly beautiful, and it DOES hurt to look at her. And it hurts to think that I didn't stay true to the person I was in my late teens - an attractive, compassionate, vibrant person. I'm not trying to brag, just being honest. And it hurts to think that I put away my feelings of vulnerability in college despite my best efforts. It's so strange to look up after hours of math & econ. And these disciplines(particularly econ) can affect your worldview so that you become cynical.

To me the show captures an innocence and an idealism that I am only reclaiming now, at age 30. I went from such a powrful person in high school and my late teens to an introverted and weak person in my upper undergraduate years - terrified of love.

I look at claire danes and I want to recapture the spirit of my teenage years. Perhaps I'm immature. But the connections - including romantic relationships - seemed so much powerful in the age 16-20 interval. I find myself wishing I could love a woman the way I was in love then.

So if the show has changed my life it's made me look at my life and realize what's important - beauty,passion, and love.

Do I have the courage to follow through?

[Anthony]

I know exactly what you mean, Toll. I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago when I rediscovered the show for the first time in seven years. I could say a lot about what I was feeling after seeing it again, but it is probably best summarized as simply feeling overwhelmed. In actual fact it sent me into some serious depression, and I'm only just now coming out of it.

Claire's character made me respond in a similar way to you too. I think there is something about the clever observations and the narration of her thoughts. Somehow it draws you in, and you feel as if you know her intimately. Couple that with the fact that her character is instantly likable and that Danes's acting is utterly convincing, and you are hooked. I don’t know about you, but for me I think I almost feel sad that it is not real, as silly as that sounds.

Anyhow, I'm relieved to read that someone else out there is having a similar experience because of the show. I think for a lot of us, for some curious reason, it manages to hits a nerve and bring up things from our past or in our psyche. Whatever it is, the effects are powerful, dare I say overpowering.