72 Hours in Crazyland

If these folks are your best friends, you've got a problem.

I am a fan of the TV show called Grey's Anatomy, which I started watching about two years ago when I was recovering from my hip replacement surgery. I liked it for the medicine, and for the superb acting, cutting-edge music and interesting stories, although there was much about it to hate as well. I got off the couch soon enough and stopped watching it, but wouldn't you know something else got me down -- this time it was a heart attack -- and I was back on the couch for a few weeks, at which time I checked in with the gang on Grey's again. Now I'm hooked and watch it on Netflix on the nights my husband is out of town.

A few days ago I had the thought, "I wonder if anyone else hates Maggie as much as I do," Maggie being a character on Grey's that makes my skin crawl. She can't act and is borderline creepy, yet is suddenly being presented as the love interest of the hottest doc in the hospital. So I looked on Facebook and found a closed fan group devoted to the show and clicked "Join Group."

My first indication that something was amiss came when I received an "application" to fill out before being allowed to enter the group. It was in essay form, and asked three questions I had to answer, in 250 words each, about my feelings for the show and its characters. "Hmmm," I thought, "this is sorta nutty," but I did it anyway.  About a week later -- a whole week! -- I received a message saying I had "passed the test" and I was in. And let me tell you, it was quite a scene. I only lasted three days before heading for the exit, but what I learned in there was almost life-changing.

For example, did you know that many, many -- and I mean many -- folks live, eat and breathe Grey's Anatomy? They watch it over and over -- all 14 seasons, with 24 episodes each -- and can recite chunks of dialogue from personally meaningful episodes. They cry over this couple breaking up or that couple getting together. They reminisce about the highs and the lows. They post pictures and GIFs of their favorite scenes. They ask who's the hottest guy, who would you want to have dinner with, what would you tell this character or that character, and on and on. They also talk about their own problems -- "My boyfriend left me and I'm going through hell!" -- and seek advice from others who obviously would know because they watch the same show. ("I need some happiness from my Grey's peeps.") All of this goes on non-stop, day in and day out, with almost no time off for sleeping.

The scariest part is that many of those people are permitted to vote in our political elections.