Ideas of Oldenburg in Modern Television
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Ideas Of Oldenberg In Modern TV Shows
There are a plethora of shows I watch pretty regularly on TV. I don’t categorize myself as a big TV viewer, but there are probably about 10 shows that I keep up with either through Ti-Vo or the internet.
For this assignment, I decided to watch an episode of One Tree Hill. The name of the episode is “The Same Deep Water As You.” I assume that you have never seen this show so in the next few paragraphs let me give you a brief synopsis of the series in an effort to catch you up.
Lucas Scott is the main character of this “Dawson’s Creek” type show. He is sort of an outside the popular crowd person until he joins the Tree Hill basketball team and becomes a local star. His half brother, Nathan Scott plays the part of the popular jock who can’t stand Lucas. All that changes through the seasons, however.
Over time, Lucas and Nathan have learned to quell their differences and have become “brothers” in the best way they know how. It isn’t always easy; as friends, girlfriends, and a wife for Nathan (Her name is Haley, and she has been Lucas’ best friend for years), and all sorts of problems constantly challenge their relationship.
Other characters in the story line are Nathan’s mom Deb and Lucas’ mom Karen. Nathan and Lucas share the same father, Dan. Dan has become the de facto villain in the series since Lucas and Nathan have made up. Lucas’ girlfriend is Brooke, and Brooke’s best friend is Peyton. As mentioned earlier, Haley is Lucas’ best friend as well as Nathan’s wife.
In this particular episode, Nathan’s uncle and a young girl crash off a bridge and are drowning. Nathan jumps in the water and saves them (maybe, we’ll find out for sure next episode), which leads to a lot of time spent at the hospital and other places where the characters just talk and figure out the meaning of this tragic situation. 3 lives hang in the balance while the hospital staff works tirelessly to save the victims.
In One Tree Hill, there are two places that serve as bona fide Third Places. The first and most prominent was also seen in the episode I watched.
The “unpopular” kids that enjoy playing basketball all hang out by the basketball court near the river. They commonly refer to this as the “river court.” and on any given night, the regulars can be found shooting hoops, talking, and playing around. There isn’t a set schedule or time to meet, they all sort of just show up and discuss the day or events of the week. This is probably the ultimate example of Third Place in the entire show.
Not featured in the episode being talked about is the Diner all the kids go too throughout the show. The Diner is owned by Karen (Lucas’ mom) and Haley works there. In addition to there being a place to eat, there is also a club where bands come to play.
Almost every character on the show comes to eat at the diner or catch a band play during any given episode. It too meets all of Oldenberg’s requirements for a Third Place. Lots of conversation happens here, as different characters happen to run into each other.
The last instance I see of a third place in this episode is not along the lines of what Oldenberg would have thought. In this episode, the majority of the time is spent at Tree Hill Hospital.
Now, according to Oldenberg a Third Place must:
Occur on Neutral Ground
Be A Leveler
Feature Conversation As The Main Activity
Be Accessible and With Accommodations
Have Regulars
Have A Low Profile
Have A Playful Mood
Be A Home Away From Home
If we examine each of these points not as a requirement, but instead as a list of items that could make up a Third Place, then the Hospital waiting room in this episode of One Tree Hill definitely serves as a Third Place and as a friendly reminder that even the worst of situations can be a little less awful when you have friends and family around.
The Hospital easily meets many of the “requirements” of a Third Place. Firstly, it’s very neutral ground nobody has any sort of power in a hospital save the staff. Getting favors or special treatment in a hospital is nearly impossible. It is also a leveler because when in a waiting room awaiting news of someone’s welfare, there is nothing you’re power can do.
When waiting with those closest