Why do we cry when something happens to characters in our favorite shows? If one gets sick, we cry. If one dies, we cry. If one gets married, has a baby, moves away, we cry. Could it be that in the progress of faithfully following a show we become emotionally attached to these characters? We don't grow attached to the actors/actresses playing them, but the character they are portraying. Actors/actresses have said that people have treated them cold because of a character they have portrayed. On the other hand, people have tried to console them when something tragic has happened, as if they were consoling the character themselves.
The shows that have impacted me the most are Army Wives and (gasp) The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I have felt the loss of certain characters on Army Wives and mourned right along with them. Since I was an Army wife, a lot of what goes on in this show impacts me on a personal level. As far as Secret Life, the greatest impact was when Adrian lost her baby. I cried for days over that one. I felt that loss as if it were my very own. At the point when they were told the baby was dead, I kept hoping for a miracle. I was hoping they were going to come back in and tell them that the baby just suddenly started breathing.
This is not something we talk about to our friends or family. It's something of an embarrassment to admit that we cry over fictional characters. But, guess what? We ALL do it. If you don't feel for these characters, most likely something is dead inside of you. I think I would be more worried if I didn't cry along with them, or laugh and feel great joy when something wonderful happens. Let's face it, they're family.
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