Over there

So last Wednesday I watched this horribly wrenching, violent show called Over There. It's about the Iraq war. I had heard some buzz about it, but only tuned in by accident, b/c it was playing in the time slot of 30 days (Wed, 10pm, FX).

I wasn't sure how to react right after I watched it. It definitely pulled me in and kept my attention.. but it was so horribly graphic, so horribly brutal. This couldn't possibly be entertainment, I thought. I was pretty sure then that I wasn't going to watch this show ever again.

Over the last week though, I've managed to digest it.. and, without doubt, I'm going to watch again. It sounds corny, but I feel like it's filled a void. Even though I listen to NPR, and I get Newsweek, and I hear every day about the people dying in this war - I still feel like I don't have enough information. Like I'm still completely ignorant. I want to know who these people are. Know HOW they died. Know who killed them. Know what happened after they were killed. Know what's being done differently b/c of their deaths. This information will never make it to me through the news, though. This show, although fictional, fills that void.

In the last week since I watched the show, I've heard of at least two groups of Marines killed in Iraq. Each time, I was truly devastated. It knocked the wind out of me. This didn't happen to me before I watched this show. Now I have a vested interest. Now I care. It's sad to say, but these fictional characters have painted such a vivid picture, that I can no longer nonchalantly dismiss the real reports of real people dying. It makes me sad that our news media can't do this job itself b/c of fear of "editorializing." Anyway, I'll quit rambling.. the bottom line is this: if you feel disconnected from this war in any way, you should watch this show. Even if you think you can't stomach it, watch this show.