It’s Thursday night. Some of us are celebrating the fact that our week is over since Friday classes are not a thing. Others are dreading Friday deadlines. And still, amongst the range of plans that happen to Mawrters on Thursday, we are all tied around the stress. TGIT stress, that is.
Shonda Rhimes, Executive Producer of all TGIT (Thank God It’s Thursday) shows on ABC Network, is possibly one of the most influential people to have ever lived. The three hit shows, Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder, that air on Thursdays consistently blow people’s minds and add to the already extant stress of a collegiate’s life. It is really a brilliant marketing plan when you delve deeper into the dynamics of watching said shows.
1) You are usually watching at least one of the shows with a close friend or a group of people, spreading the viewer audience. How else are you supposed to scream and shout at a television without being judged? How else are you supposed to get through each crazy plot twist? How else are you supposed to be able to make sense of the events that just unfolded right in front of your own eyes? On one hand, you have a support system to get you through the three hour marathon. On the other hand, different perspectives create different theories as to what is going to happen next. And, not everyone agrees on the stuff that just happened, so you have a heated argument which takes away time from homework or other tasks, and possibly leads to friendships being broken. I mean, #TeamFitz vs #TeamJake is a real struggle.
2) Because of the emotional toll, you most likely post on social media. In an attempt to de-stress and to rationalize what just happened, many people take to the trending hashtags on Twitter and share posts on Facebook, but being the civilized viewers that we are, only post mysterious and nebulous comments, which makes the other followers who have not tuned in yet desperate to watch the latest episode.
3) With all the details that you are likely to have missed because of emotional interludes or someone freaking out, you obviously have to watch the episode more than one time. At least, you have to watch certain scenes over and over again to relive the dire emotions and to prove to your friends that you were right and they were wrong about what exactly unfolded.
4) Because of the immanent addiction, all your friends know exactly where you will be and what you will be watching on Thursday nights, therefore spreading the word about the shows.
Partly specific to Bryn Mawr is the How to Get Away With Murder pride. The show filmed a bunch of scenes for the pilot episode right here on campus during our Spring Break in 2014. All of the bonfire scenes and one party scene were featured repeatedly throughout the first season; so, there a bond has been established. Bryn Mawr even hosted a screening of the pilot episode and was accompanied by cake in celebration that Mawrters and our campus were shown on national television during a much anticipated premiere. So, with all of us already hooked, we might as well enjoy the other shows that night, right? At least, that is the mentality of many students here. Shonda Rhimes holds our sanity, but also all of our emotions, in her hands each week as Mawrters all over watch in anticipation of the next insane plot twist. So, when professors, friends, colleagues, and others ask us how we are, it is usually not a Happy Friday.