Fawning TV Rec: Invest 30 Minutes, Now
Saturday, October 10th, 2009 04:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jesse_the_kSeason 2, Episode 1 of This American Life/TV is called "Escape." It's the best 30 minutes of documentary TV I've ever seen.
The first story is quite brief and, unusually for this show, told solely through pictures and first person narration. It's the surprising tale of urban cowboys: young people whose beautiful horses step proudly along Philadelphia sidewalks until they reach a huge park. There the horses and riders pound down the turf.
The second story introduces us to Mike Phillips, a 27-year-old blogger who has muscular dystrophy. At the time of filming, he can move his facial muscles and one thumb. He had a recent emergency tracheotomy which prevents him from speaking, so he uses a voice synthesizer program to speak.
Remarkably, this story is not about bravery, overcoming, or any other standard disability narrative. It's about families, independence, finding love and freedom via Craigslist. Mike's been able to stay out of a nursing home mainly because his mother has slept by his bedside for most of his life, ready to reconnect any of his life support systems when they fail. Partly thanks to talking about his life via email and in person with the This American Life documentary crew, he's hired his first personal care attendant; he hopes to use Medicaid waivers to eventually move out on his own.
Check Mike's blog, My Whole Expansive I Cannot See, for his thoughts on the process of making the documentary. A nice photo of Mike and his sweetie, Sara, is featured in this pretty good "human interest" piece from his hometown paper, the St Petersburg [FL] Times
This American Life's Escape episode is viewable for a limited (but unknown) time as a teaser on the U.S. Showtime network. (You have to sit through three minutes of commercials first; although the DVD is captioned, the online stream is not.) It's also available from iTunes and Blockbuster, but neither have captions. Grrr.
The first story is quite brief and, unusually for this show, told solely through pictures and first person narration. It's the surprising tale of urban cowboys: young people whose beautiful horses step proudly along Philadelphia sidewalks until they reach a huge park. There the horses and riders pound down the turf.
The second story introduces us to Mike Phillips, a 27-year-old blogger who has muscular dystrophy. At the time of filming, he can move his facial muscles and one thumb. He had a recent emergency tracheotomy which prevents him from speaking, so he uses a voice synthesizer program to speak.
Remarkably, this story is not about bravery, overcoming, or any other standard disability narrative. It's about families, independence, finding love and freedom via Craigslist. Mike's been able to stay out of a nursing home mainly because his mother has slept by his bedside for most of his life, ready to reconnect any of his life support systems when they fail. Partly thanks to talking about his life via email and in person with the This American Life documentary crew, he's hired his first personal care attendant; he hopes to use Medicaid waivers to eventually move out on his own.
Check Mike's blog, My Whole Expansive I Cannot See, for his thoughts on the process of making the documentary. A nice photo of Mike and his sweetie, Sara, is featured in this pretty good "human interest" piece from his hometown paper, the St Petersburg [FL] Times
This American Life's Escape episode is viewable for a limited (but unknown) time as a teaser on the U.S. Showtime network. (You have to sit through three minutes of commercials first; although the DVD is captioned, the online stream is not.) It's also available from iTunes and Blockbuster, but neither have captions. Grrr.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 05:19 am (UTC)Even after having been a long-time fan, I was stunned by how amazing this episode is. (Even more so because it is one that I think could not be done on radio to as great effect as it is done here.) I think that it is the kind of disability narrative we need more of. There is empathy, but not pity. There is unflinching honesty from all parties. It is so much more humanizing than a lot of disability narratives I can think of. I felt it did an excellent job of giving those of us who do not live as Mike does a glimpse into his life without doing a lot of the icky, voyeuristic stuff you might think it would.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-13 02:54 am (UTC)From various web commentary, it sounds like S2 was when the show really began to get how to use pictures instead of voices.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 08:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 04:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-12 02:56 pm (UTC)(I like the cowboys, too!)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-13 02:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-11 05:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-13 02:52 am (UTC)I'm sad that they broke up, but not surprised: first love is never easy, even if you're 27.