Lockdown and The Last Dance

| pinaymama@sg
Image credit: Netflix

It was a sign of how far we’ve come since the 1990s when, after finishing the first two episodes of The Last Dance – a much-anticipated Netflix/ESPN limited TV series about Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls – I told my husband, “O, i-play mo na yung susunod” (Play the next episode) and he replied, “Walang susunod, next week pa” (There’s no next episode, wait until next week), I was momentarily taken aback.

What? In this age of Netflix’s autoplay-the-next-episode and real-time news feeds, they’re making us wait*?

But wait we did. It evoked faint memories of other, small intervals of anticipation:

… minutes, for Donita Rose to play my request on MTV Most Wanted (there was no YouTube replay option back then, I either heard the song or didn’t),

… hours, for my favourite cable channel cartoons those early Saturday mornings (no alarm clock needed!),

… years, for the next Harry Potter book to emerge from J.K. Rowling’s imagination (excruciating, when I devoured the latest instalment in mere days).

*

I’m not a basketball fan, by the way. Unlike my husband, a.k.a. Hub, who watched the series like it was a ‘greatest hits’ reel. The Shot, The Flu Game, The Shrug, The Last Shot – he’d seen them all before.

But The Last Dance remained a compelling watch, especially for me seeing most of the behind-the-scenes dynamics and winning shots with fresh eyes. Jordan’s career followed the classic storytelling arc – a solid beginning (a hungry and talented athlete eager to win the NBA championships), crises in the middle (Jordan’s father’s murder, his alleged gambling controversies, tensions with Krause as team GM), and the final redemption (winning his last NBA season proving all the naysayers wrong).

There were moments in the series that left me emotional – that scene where Jordan bawled on the floor after winning a Father’s Day game following his dad’s death felt so raw, I felt like I — along with the rest of the world — shouldn’t be watching. It felt so personal.

All the elements of a good TV drama, right?

*

The Last Dance, for me, will forever be linked to our early days in partial ‘lockdown’ here in Singapore. The last episode aired two weeks shy of the circuit breaker period ending.

We couldn’t step outside. Working from home and managing home-based learning for our kid blended the days and weeks into each other, though I recognise the privilege of having these options.

Hub and I needed a break and The Last Dance was a welcome distraction. It was a good feeling to have something to look forward to every Monday that was not related to what was going on in the ‘real’ world.

The world the series inhabited couldn’t be further apart from today – the 1990s vs. the 2020s – and the nostalgia of looking at images from my childhood was jarring, to say the least. I can’t think of anyone nowadays who can unite people across cultures the way Michael Jordan did in his heyday (maybe Tom Hanks?).

These days the world seems to be breaking apart at the seams, with no redemption arc in sight.

Photo by Howard Chai on Unsplash

Think critically dear readers,

* Strange as it may be, I’ve only ever consumed TV series once all the episodes are out. Game of Thrones, WestWorld, The Wire – you name it, I only watched when the season was done. Not a good strategy if you want to avoid spoilers though.

16 thoughts on “Lockdown and The Last Dance”

    1. Restrictions are gradually being lifted, thankfully! We watched the series when it was first released in April. 😊

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          1. It’s very strange that Italians have become strict: usually this is the pinakamaluwag na bansa sa Europe but this time they are taking things seriously…for the first time in history

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  2. I haven’t seen The Last Dance. I’ll have to check it out on Netflix USA. I’m the same way ha. I only start watching when the shows are over. I remember I got so addicted to Lost and I kept talking about it to friends, only they’ve moved on….two years ago ! Lol

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  3. Thanks for sharing. I had not noticed this show as I am not a big sports fan, but we ALL know Michael Jordan. So, I will have to watch it too. I’m Italian, I noticed the comment above. Poor Italy, we could not travel there to see our relatives this year. We communicate and hope for the best for ALL of us. Wishing you well too.

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    1. Yes, I’d recommend it! 🙂 Hope you’re staying safe, it seems the US case numbers are climbing again…

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      1. Yes, unfortunately… what to do, every 100 years, it seems a virus strikes. My Italian great grandmother died of the Spanish Flu. Luckily, this time Italian relatives were safe.
        I don’t think they have had a spike again.

        It’s an invisible virus, so must hope for the best. I’m in Chicago, we must wear masks all the time. Our new normal for the time being.

        OH — I read your post about finding a caregiver/nanny, my children are grown, but I know how difficult that is. They hated having someone watch them. So, I worked in sales a lot from home office. I wish you the best on your search! 🙂

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        1. Thanks! 😊 I really can’t do without the help.

          Good to hear your relatives in Italy are safe… hoping that’s that and there’s no second wave.

          I learned a new word recently from Dr Fauci — “protean” — which I think describes the virus perfectly. Hope you and your family are getting used to the masks!

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