On the nature of magic
Carol & the End of the World
— (versión en Español aquí) —
Frielatives, a few days ago, The Love Life of an Asian Guy (LLAG) published a comment on the limited amount of stories available to us. That post reminded me that the media we consume is essentially propaganda endorsing the Behemoth. However, there is always some “flesh and blood”, some “juice”, in the elongated ads we are served, even if very limited.
I believe that many of the main characters in popular stories are consumed by fear, and any resolution they find is only a temporary fix; a plaster poorly covering a foul-smelling festering wound. The underlying issues remain unaddressed and the “flesh and blood” in the story serve only as emotional hooks to grab people’s attention.
Fortunately, there are still stories containing high quantities of “flesh and blood”. Whenever I’m lucky enough to discover one of those exceptional examples, I am also eager to share it with my loved ones (AKA you, my framily).
One such gem is Station Eleven, a stunning show I saw a while ago. Back then, I enthusiastically recommended it to everyone. However, one thing I failed to do was to include a warning strongly advising people to pace themselves and make an effort to digest and integrate, as watching it was emotionally challenging for me. After watching a few episodes of Station Eleven, I experienced several nights sleepless or filled with nightmares because that show made me realise the level of destruction our civilisation is heading towards. Thus I ended up saving the rest of the show for when those ideas had landed more and I had fully come to terms with them.
Come to think of it, because of the attributes I appreciate in many of the shows and films I enjoy and recommend, they may require a warning: “Be mindful and proceed with caution”. In this case, although the show I want to highlight today also hits the same apocalyptic spot as “Station Eleven”, only a mild warning is needed (mefeels).
The show I want to talk about is called “Carol & the End of the World” and its premise is that the world is soon ending via a cataclysm and everyone has known about it for a while. The protagonist, Carol, is a middle-aged woman navigating such a scenario whilst dealing with her elderly parents and sister.
Spoilers ahead.
I had mixed feelings about Carol’s behaviour. On one hand, I admired that, unlike most people in her world, she didn’t make a bucket list once she realised she had but a few months left to live. She didn’t rush to jump in a parachute nor did she party non-stop. She simply decided not to do anything at all and feel her feelings. I also appreciated that in that interim, she hooked up with a guy that later she ended up lovingly distancing herself from because he was a desperate codependent man seeking a relationship solely to find a mother to his child. On the other hand, her attachment to things like Applebee’s felt very foreign to me.
I didn’t know where all this was going and I got hooked on the unpredictability.
When Carol decided to start working, I was puzzled though it didn’t feel like it was such a crazy idea. I could understand how having a container, a routine and a structure, could be comforting; especially when everything else is going to shit.
What in the end had me binge-watch it was her behaviour in that odd work environment. In there, Carol showed she was a born disruptor, a rebel, and a very talented person in the art of bringing more love, compassion and generosity to that office environment. She was someone who was able to face her fears and challenge the status quo.
Through her story, I came to realise that for many adults, work is the only place that gives them an opportunity where they can connect and engage with other people. The one place where they can witness outside the jaded family or social roles and experience being honestly and vulnerably witnessed.
I feel that happens because families often don’t effectively operate as loving and supporting communities; education, yet another bastion of coerced connection, is for most adults a thing of the past; gatherings, hobbies, religion and even supporting a cause tend to be for many people, superficial engagements that rarely lead to meaningful connections or evolve into purpose or practice.
So, in a world where work is pointless but people are still seeking it out as a means of coping with a doomsday scenario, Carol excels at fostering connection in the workplace.
With an annoying voice and often shy, she doesn’t seem to be the ideal person for the job. However, Carol is relentless. She constantly tries to connect with people where they’re at, levels with them, pays deep attention to them and makes constant invitations for mutual witnessing. She is an ever-so-gentle force of nature.
Carol has that very elusive thing called power within.
Even her extroverted and well-adjusted sister recognises that what Carol embodies is powerful yet difficult to face because Carol has a natural inner compass that is not swayed by trends. Her quality of being knows exactly what she wants and is willing to pursue it and say NO to the rest.
Civilisation was unable to extinguish Carol’s inner fire, and now, as her world comes to an end, she has the opportunity to stoke her fire, share it and ignite more people’s fire.
An effin’ magician!
A fixer.
Her spells are made of very ordinary actions. Things that people wouldn’t consider magical or even worth noticing.
Frielatives, witnessing a showcase of the power of these ordinary actions tastes like manna from heaven for me!
This is because I am of the idea that most of what makes magic magical is a fuckton of “boring stuff” (namely patience, discipline, a repeatable practice to handle day-to-day shit) plus a smidge of “scary stuff” (such as is heading towards wherever your inner torch calls you to shed some light).
Carol does magic, the kind of magic I am talking about, unassumingly. Little by little, she succeeds in bringing joy to herself and others.
Episode 9, “Saltwater Lullaby: A Surf Odyssey”, highlights the magic power of ordinary actions by providing an exploration of the story of an alternative “more normal” Carol. Because its self-discovery plot is rather formulaic it feels bland and uninteresting in comparison with the rest of the show. That “more normal” Carol is so “samey” that her conflict is solved in a predictable manner that could have been extracted from the about section of a stereotypical wellness influencer (a daughter of the energies, the psychedelic therapy or kitsch cacao ceremonies). If that surf ploy was the main thing in the show, I wouldn’t have continued after episode 1. But, because it was presented as a standalone “what if”, it allowed me to better taste and appreciate the rest of the show.
I want to end this review by inviting you, dear reader, to pay attention to ordinary magic, and to reflect on the magical and ordinary actions you will take today.
Other stuff that sparked joy for me:
- Sidekicks not only sidekicking but being vital to ignite that office revolution. There was space to lovingly develop their backstories. I particularly liked Donna’s.
- Many people choosing to head towards the apocalypse and continue living without wearing clothes and/or engaging in polyamory.
- Status of humanity constantly being restored; for example: David’s death and the pirate invasion.
Based opinions:
- A big part of magic is creating games to entertain the mind by adding some difficulties whilst navigating the boredom of magical practices. Carol also uses games but without the need to smudge, use mantras or establish herself as a superior being.
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