Yesterday was the last day of school. Jed’s been watching Alice Cooper’s appearance on the Muppet Show. He sings along to School’s Out. He’s also been requesting and watching Killer Klown’s From Outerspace. He’s 6.

Last night, I disappeared after dinner and climbed into bed. I spoke into the remote, “La Femme Nikita on Tubi.” I watched a couple of third-season episodes before Jed found me. I don’t know why this show moved me but it still moves me. It originally aired on television from 1997 to 2001. I think I started watching it after it ended. 2003ish or so, whenever Lifetime started airing repeats of it. It’s now been off the air for 21 years… which got me thinking…

In 1990, A&E aired The Avengers with John Steed and Emma Peel. I remember watching The Avengers with the same verve that I (still) have for Nikita. Diana Rigg played Emma Peel from 1965 to 1968. Watching the show in 1990, it had been off the air for 22 years! Almost the same amount of time that Nikita’s been off! Somehow the Avengers felt older then than Nikita does to me today. Perhaps it’s because La Femme Nikita occurred in my lifetime?  I was 16 then; I am now 47.

I was talking to my sister a couple of years back about the Queen/Freddie Mercury movie that had just come out. Watching it, it looked weird to me. The clothes and overall vibe felt off. I mentioned to Lisa how it puzzled me that movies that are filmed recently but take place in the 1800s or 1920s or even 1960s look fine to me but movies that take place in the 1970s or 1980s almost always look cartoonish. Lisa said that it might have to do with having experienced the 70’s and 80’s directly. And having actually lived during the time, I can see the inaccuracies and anachronisms. Or not. I don’t know.

Just reread a few old entries and found this gem, “I relate to Nikita– I related to her in my 20’s and I still relate to her in my 30’s. I think it has to do with how I always feel like I am fighting for my life.” And no surprise, I still feel like I am fighting for my life in my 40’s.