Trust & Obey

Do you love discovering new interests? The feeling of finding something you really, really like and wanting to keep doing it. I have felt that way about many different things like painting, crime podcasts, or researching. It’s especially during the summer when I am elated to find a hobby. I feel less overwhelmed with things to do and have free time to do as I please so a new hobby is nice.

Last week, my two brothers left for my Oma’s for a week and whenever they leave my sister and I will hang out and do things. This time, we got into the 1960s show “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” and it is SO GOOD. We pick and choose the episodes because there is no overarching plot. There are definitely certain episodes we prefer over others. On average, we prefer the intense and intimidating over the interesting and intriguing.

Both Livi and I have enjoyed the lack of propaganda and virtue signaling as well as the simplicity of it all. Even though it’s meant to scare, there’s something relaxing and easy-going in this show. Don’t let that fool you though! There are moments where Livi and I have had our mouths hanging open in shock and astoundment at how far Hitchcock was willing to go. I’m surprised how much Hitchcock pushed the envelope with the suspense genre. He has stories of stalkers, corpses, and murderers. He’s got it all and little material is off limits! The key is that he does things under the radar so it may not always feel obvious because he doesn’t always spell it out. There is a lot of implying what happened; not showing or explaining what happened. Hitchcock will also leave you to resolve the story in your own mind. He leaves you at a decent enough point but not with the plot resolved.

I think there’s something fun in watching television from another era. In a way, I can almost pretend I’m there and am engaging in the 1950s and 60s era. It’s so fascinating to see the styles and technology of the era that my great grandparents experienced. It connects me to them in a unique way. It’s hard to connect with the older generations because our lives are so dissimilar. So, having this type of thing is awesome when talking to my grandparents. I have enjoyed talking to my Oma about Hitchcock’s other films like “Birds”, “Psycho”, and “Rear Window”. She watched them when they were edgy and terrifying! All three were phenomenal but very different from the Hollywood of today’s idea of suspense and thriller. Those three movies are other classics I would suggest for teens!

I am having so much fun watching this show and I would totally recommend you try it too! It’s been nice taking a break from the television of today and watching something that has more depth and isn’t about instant entertainment. It moves a bit slower but by the end, I knew the characters and cared about them. I felt the horror and the anxiety of the episode. As my sister said after an episode the other day, “He [Hitchcock] is just so clever!”