April 5, 2020
How are Sadcoms and Palm Sunday related?
Something we all know is that life has no background score, and also has no laugh track for those “funny” moments. Laugh tracks were introduced to comedy shows because they helped audiences follow along to what the studios thought was humorous. But shows like M*A*S*H and The Office started to popularize the comedy with no laugh track. Similar “sad coms” struck reviewers as: “shocking, difficult and heartbreaking,” with honesty that “resonated deeply with its audience.”
There are ways the Gospel is a similar experience, which can also be shocking or heartbreaking, and can still resonate with us today. As we approach Holy Week, while experiencing the self-isolation and quarantine to combat covid-19, there are high points and low points in everybody’s lives. Palm Sunday and Holy Week show this mix of triumph, praise, and also weeping and sorrow, capturing so many ideas and emotions in such a short time.
Easter is still coming, but without the Crucifixion, there is no Resurrection.