Last week I watched an interview with Pauley Perrette (who plays Abby Sciuto on the TV show NCIS), where she recounted her experience of getting attacked by a homeless man. In her interview, she mentioned that after that experience she got more involved working with homeless people and organizations that are dedicated to helping them improve their lives. I found it very interesting that just a few days later I was watching an episode of NCIS that had homeless veterans at the heart of the story.
The episode, titled "Shooter" from Season 11, started off with a very different vibe. It did not feel like the average NCIS episode, but I quickly grew to love the direction it took. As soon as the theme of the episode became apparent, I wondered if Pauley's experience might have been the inspiration for the story of this particular episode. I watched the episode a couple days later for a second time with the commentary track turned on. Neither Pauley nor the writer of the episode specifically mentioned her experience being the inspiration for this episode. However, Pauley did talk about parts of the episode hitting really close to home for her.
One character on the show told another (Ducky to Gibbs for those of you familiar with the show):
"I recently read a HUD report. It estimates, on any given night, between 50 and 60,000 [veterans] who have served are sleeping on the streets or in shelters." At first I wondered whether these statistics had any weight or if they were just made up. When I watched the commentary, the writer said that all the facts they included in the episode were true.
I looked up the HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) report myself for curiosity's sake. Since this episode originally aired in April 2014, I found what I guessed would have been the most recent report available to the writers at the time. The report I found said that on a single night in January 2013, an estimated 55,779 veterans were homeless. (Click here to see the report) I also looked at the subsequent reports and the estimates for a single night in January 2014 and January 2015 were 49,993 and 47,725, respectively. (Both of these numbers come from the 2014 report and 2015 report presented to Congress in November 2015)
A man by the nickname of Blue was the homeless veteran character featured in the episode. During the commentary, Pauley said he reminded her of a homeless man she used to know and how similar the character's story paralleled her experience with the man. Pauley said she used to see the man on the street often, but one day he was suddenly gone. Later she found out that he had died. She spoke of how sad that experience made her and that she keeps a photo of him on her phone. This was a testament to me of the lasting impact other people can have on our lives, and vice versa.
We are surrounded by media, and it has the potential to inspire us to do great things. Rarely do I get emotional when watching a TV show, but this episode was one of those exceptions. NCIS is one of only a few I can think of that has ever has touched me. The media we choose to consume can have a positive or negative impact on us. I wish there was more media content available that promoted prosocial behavior such as the episode I have discussed in this post. When we do find positive media we can let it serve as a pleasant reminder that there is good in the world; or we can act on the inspiration we receive, get involved in some capacity to make a difference and be the good in the world.
One character on the show told another (Ducky to Gibbs for those of you familiar with the show):
"I recently read a HUD report. It estimates, on any given night, between 50 and 60,000 [veterans] who have served are sleeping on the streets or in shelters." At first I wondered whether these statistics had any weight or if they were just made up. When I watched the commentary, the writer said that all the facts they included in the episode were true.
I looked up the HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) report myself for curiosity's sake. Since this episode originally aired in April 2014, I found what I guessed would have been the most recent report available to the writers at the time. The report I found said that on a single night in January 2013, an estimated 55,779 veterans were homeless. (Click here to see the report) I also looked at the subsequent reports and the estimates for a single night in January 2014 and January 2015 were 49,993 and 47,725, respectively. (Both of these numbers come from the 2014 report and 2015 report presented to Congress in November 2015)
A man by the nickname of Blue was the homeless veteran character featured in the episode. During the commentary, Pauley said he reminded her of a homeless man she used to know and how similar the character's story paralleled her experience with the man. Pauley said she used to see the man on the street often, but one day he was suddenly gone. Later she found out that he had died. She spoke of how sad that experience made her and that she keeps a photo of him on her phone. This was a testament to me of the lasting impact other people can have on our lives, and vice versa.
We are surrounded by media, and it has the potential to inspire us to do great things. Rarely do I get emotional when watching a TV show, but this episode was one of those exceptions. NCIS is one of only a few I can think of that has ever has touched me. The media we choose to consume can have a positive or negative impact on us. I wish there was more media content available that promoted prosocial behavior such as the episode I have discussed in this post. When we do find positive media we can let it serve as a pleasant reminder that there is good in the world; or we can act on the inspiration we receive, get involved in some capacity to make a difference and be the good in the world.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed the angle (hence the title of my post) presented by this episode of NCIS on the issue of homeless people. Although the main story was about homeless veterans, the episode also touched on homeless people in general. Though I am not entirely sure how I can get involved in the cause, I plan to find out what I can do to have a hand in reducing the number of homeless individuals, wherever they may live. I would like to repeat here what Dr. Coyne said at the end our lecture this past Wednesday, "You all have a symphony to write in this world. Make it a good one."
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