"Facing Grief Head On"
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What You Need To Know:
The episode teaches strong biblical values, emphasizing family and how it can help us heal and grow. Furthermore, multiple scenes prominently feature a cross in the background. However, there is mild foul language and one reference to false religion; thus, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children and teens.
Content:
(BB, C, FR, L, S, A, D, FR, Ho, M) Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements: Strong Christian worldview as Matt and Riley look out for each other and encourage each other to find healing from the loss of their wife/mother, which they have both not fully dealt with. Furthermore, Matt feels terrible when he snaps at his granddaughter after she borrows one of her grandmother’s top and apologizes to her before agreeing to get professional help. Additionally, many shots include a cross in the background clearly displayed on the wall of Matt’s bedroom. Unfortunately, the episode also features false religion values as Riley references seeking healing in many places such as meditation, and wishing wells, although none of these attempts fully helped her; Foul Language: 10 instances of foul language including 2 potty humors, 1 instance of the Lord’s name being taken in vain and 7 obscenities – 3 he**s, 3 da**s and 1 a**; Sex: Riley references the fact that she got pregnant outside of wedlock while she was still in high school, Matt also recalls a time when his wife flashed a security guard, a brief scene were a male delivery driver makes sexual advances towards one of the male mechanics working at the shop. Though his advances are not reciprocated, it is not portrayed as negative either; Nudity: No nudity; Alcohol Use: Riley asks for her wine opener after Matt comes home from therapy; Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse: Riley references that all she did in high school was smoke; and, Miscellaneous Immorality: Riley lies about joining Matt for therapy.
More Detail:
Episode 1.4 of ABC’s SHIFTING GEARS explores grief and its impact when not adequately dealt with. Even though it’s been years since Matt’s wife died, he has yet to deal with his grief about the event, keeping a closet full of her stuff, without throwing anything out. Though Matt believes that he has no reason to face this grief, he comes to realize the negative impact it has on him after he snaps at his young granddaughter undeservingly. Though he quickly apologizes, he realizes he must go to counseling to overcome these feelings.
Matt’s daughter, Riley, schedules a counseling meeting for him so that he can get professional help for the grief he has buried. Though extremely hesitant, Matt eventually agrees, particularly because he feels bad about yelling at his granddaughter that morning. Happy that her dad will get help, Riley books him a therapy appointment later that week.
Though Riley led Matt to believe that she would be attending the therapy with him, it quickly became apparent that that was a lie. When Matt realizes this, he begins to walk out, but the therapist starts asking him questions, which makes him decide to stay. Once the session is over, he realizes that keeping all of his wife’s things will never allow him to let her go, so when he gets home, he starts cleaning out the closet.
As Matt is cleaning and boxing things up, Riley enters Matt’s room to see how he is doing. Matt explains that he is extremely mad, not because he has to get rid of his wife’s things but because she is gone in the first place. His struggle with her death comes from the fact that she was an amazing person, and now she is gone, while many evil people still walk the earth and will live longer than she did. He’s especially mad because his wife can’t be there for her grandkids, which is all he wants for her. Riley shares that she is also angry, and they bond over how much they miss her.
Riley returns to the therapist and receives a session of her own when she realizes she hasn’t fully dealt with her grief either. The therapist tells her that she may never get over her mother’s death, something that bothers her. When she talks with Matt later that day, he offers her the wisdom that rather than living life looking in the rearview window, she has to look forward and focus on her future, not where she can never return. They finish boxing up the clothes to donate to a homeless shelter.
Episode 1.4 of SHIFTING GEARS is a great example of a show leveraging its popularity to discuss difficult topics. It reveals how, even for a no-nonsense guy like Matt, there are consequences to bottling up emotions rather than expressing them in a healthy way. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of family and how those in our family can impact us in ways that our friends and colleagues cannot.
The episode teaches biblical lessons because of its emphasis on family while also promoting Christianity through a prominently featured cross in the background of multiple scenes. There are, however, also references to false religion as Riley discusses how she has approached her grief, turning to meditation and even a wishing well to overcome her sadness rather than turning to the Lord. Furthermore, the episode features mild foul language, including one profanity, seven obscenities, and two instances of potty humor. Thus, Movieguide advises caution for older children and teens.
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