Oh my goodness gracious! I am one happy camper.
Still enchanted with thoughts of the As Time Goes By shows I wrote about in my last post, I went searching to see if the series lasted after 1992 and if so, were they out on DVD. What did I find but that the series lasted through 2002, with a reunion special in 2005. And all of them are on DVD. Now those DVDs are all sitting in my Netflix queue.
I do so hope that the show remains this funny and endearing throughout all those episodes.
I was thinking as I drove to the airport late last night (to pick up someone returning from Christmas spent with family) why I enjoyed this show so very much. Quality of acting and quality of writing are certainly a huge part of it. But I think it’s because I can relate to these characters. Judi Dench (as well as her character) is 58 at the series’ start and the Lionel character (if not the actor who plays him) is 60. These are two intelligent people who sometimes bemoan what has happened to their bodies with age, their aches and pains, their "wrinklies." They know they are not so old they need to be put out to pasture, but they also have doubts about expectations in their later years. They remember all the falling in love feelings, but they have also experienced life’s disappointments and heartaches.
Since I am no longer on the left side of 50, I understand these characters. I feel their wistfulness and their weariness. I love their humor and their crotchety moments, too.
You know, this is what I always want to do with my books. I want a reader to continue thinking about my characters and their world long after the book is closed. Speaking of which, my writing didn’t cooperate yesterday, so I’d best get to work.
-rlh-
