The Letdown

The Letdown

There is that moment when it is all over.  You have finished the last page of the epilogue of the last book in the saga.  The about the author page is the only thing left to read at this point.  The author’s biography is the same as the last books, except for the fact that she has now become one of the richest people in the world.  Nothing you’ve just read eases that weird feeling of ending such a time spanning literary event.  You stay there consoling yourself with thoughts of “at least there are two more movies left”.  Those will be interesting.  But now two years have passed and you’ve just walked out of a crowded movie theater.  The film didn’t have a fun after the credits scene or anything to stop the inevitable from happening.  It is truly over.  Now, it is time to wrap yourself into a new spanning sensation.  Start by marveling at the dawn of a dominant new pitcher.  But nineteen years down the road, that career is coming to a close and you have the same feeling you had before.  A feeling of emptiness.  The television series that has enthralled you with many a twist and turn, the well-used guest stars, and the moments of earth shattering laughter and soul crushing drama is soon coming to an end.  No celebratory last episode party can stop the emptiness from creeping in.  The finale ends and it was good, but the show is still over.  A movie based on the television show is the only glimmer of hope you have left to see your favorite characters again.  But for some reason the movie is in infinite hiatus.  Emptiness has appeared once again.  But the emptiness doesn’t just arrive at the fade out in the closing scene of the epic movie trilogy or even in the last chapter of the thirteen book series.  It again arrives at the conclusion of the 224 page standalone novel which moved you for a good day and caused endless thoughts on the themes. We can call the feeling the emptiness or my preferred term, the letdown.

It’s such a peculiar feeling, the letdown.  All these matters discussed usually have no dire consequences.  Watching the end of a long running series has no effect on our physical health.   It just sucks.  Watching a piece of pop culture end is just a sad thing.  It signals an end to the familiar and something we held as supremely comforting.  There was always that episode to look forward to each week from September to May.  Every Thanksgiving was punctuated by the release of another movie in the series.  Nothing was more fun than the anticipation of the furthered exploits of your favorite gang.  Questions would arise like how is the next movie going to top this one?  Or will the author turn it around because that last book sucked?  When the letdown happens these questions cease to exist.  There is no thrill or anticipation.  You have to find a new obsession or interest.  Now that your favorite band is on hiatus the emptiness begins to freely run through you.  It is a fear that we will never be able to love something as trivial so dearly again.  In the end a favorite movie director simply makes movies that you happen to enjoy.  In the grand scheme of things it really doesn’t add up to much.  Your love and admiration for something so seemingly trivial though, is a feat to be admired.  Putting time, meaning, and effort into a series of books or a baseball player’s stellar career is a matter of intense devotion.  A celebration should be had for those who accomplish such a wondrous feat.    

If the penalty for having devotion and love for any form of popular culture is the letdown, I will gladly accept and welcome it.  The letdown is a sad and existential gnawing at the inevitability of time, but it also represents the opportunity to delve into another obsession.  The only way to get through a letdown is to get into something else.  To beat the letdown, savor the thrill of reading something new.  Marvel at watching a young team with a core of exciting players develop towards greatness.  Enjoy the meteoric rise of a new musical talent.  When those new passions end, and the letdown begins to rear that familiar face, greet it as an old friend.  Let it consume you for a bit, but then take its’ hand and walk on with it towards the next thrill and passion and enjoy the process together as two old friends.