I Saw the TV Glow: Is it Reality or Fiction? There’s something eerie about the intersection of reality and fiction, where the lines blur and the mundane takes on a sinister hue. As the movie, I Saw the TV Glow spooled down, and the lights came up, I really began wondering what it was that I had just watched. Was it a position piece on the lost members of our society that we have left behind? Was it an emotional take on a very real world realization of a fictional idea? Or, bigger and better than all of that, was it a specific story written by one person, telling us their story? Literally… ? Yeah, I don’t know either, but, I think we can figure this thing out together.
First and foremost, you know that I Saw The TV Glow is going to be good because it is brought to us by A24. That should have been enough for you right there. Secondly, it was just a cleverly done story by some really interesting talent. It was indie different… and I really enjoyed how weird it was. Not everything should be the normal normal. And so I really appreciated that about Jane Schoenbrun… they did a great job crafting and bringing a jarringly off-kilter story together in such a way that it just was fun to see where it was going to go.
A Tale of Obsession
I Saw the TV Glow unfolds like a dark symphony of intrigue and unease. It centers on two teenage outcasts whose lives revolve around a mysterious TV show that seems to seep into their reality. What begins as a shared fascination soon escalates into a haunting obsession, blurring the boundaries between what’s on screen and what’s real. Owen, a different sort of fellow, who seems to be constantly apologizing, instantly is hooked when he learns of a show called The Pink Opaque. (Which instantly reminded me of Color Out of Space – which you have to see if you haven’t already.) Maddy, similarly obsessed with the show, sort of seems to have taken her obsession way way beyond the pale. Like, did she lose it somewhere along the way? I mean, it does seem to be a show that is a poignant exploration of obsession and detachment. So, I guess that makes sense? (But The Pink Opaque may just be a metaphor for media obsession, or some sort of entertainment distractive obsession? EDO? hahah.)
The Weird Allure of Media
Schoenbrun captures the hypnotic allure of movies, tv shows, of modern media story telling, and its ability to distort perception. Much like the characters in the film, we’re drawn into a world where the glow of the TV screen becomes a portal to both solace and disconcerted unease. We know that there is something deeper going on in both Maddy and Owen’s lives, even though we don’t see exactly what it is that is going on.
The Rabbit Hole Continues Onwards To Isolationism
As the narrative unfolds, I Saw the TV Glow confronts us with uncomfortable truths about the power dynamics at play in relationships and the consequences of unchecked obsessions. Get obsessed with the show Dark? Fine, it’s a great hobby… but to abandon all else as a result? That’s a recipe for isolationism, loss, and depression ultimately… if not worse. I Saw the TV Glow seems to be discussing the obsessive dark corners of our minds. (And admittedly, some of us (not to be named here) have larger obsessive dark corners than others! haha.) Schoenbrun’s seems to be telling a story that explores the intersection of media, identity, and the psyche. No?
Thoughts on I Saw The TV Glow
This movie isn’t going to be for everyone. It’s not the stereotypical Hollywood screenplay, so it provides us with a bumpier screenplay experience. But the ideas investigated here are really fascinating. Especially for a movie and tv show addict like myself. I found myself relating to this movie solely because I watched as Owen struggled between the idea of connection through hobbies, and shared joys. But in so doing, took his love for the show too far. Worse, Maddy seemed to go off the cliff with the show… which, I have a habit of doing too. (Have you seen my Dark Family Tree posters? Probably a hundred hours worth of work detailing out all the characters connections across all three seasons? Yeah. A bit of an obsessive, I guess.)
But What Exactly Happens – Explain I Saw The TV Glow
I get it, the movie is confusing. So Maddy disappears, and reappears years later. Right? She claims that she flipped over to the reality of the show. To this Pink world. She also told Owen that she came back to save him, and bring her with him… that she was leaving again soon. Right? And we also know, that in this other reality, Owen realizes maybe he would be a female? (the pink – which, is a larger metaphor that we’ll get to later.) But he eventually abandons all that, abandons Maddy, and leaves her to bury herself, and return to the Pink by herself.
Owen returns to his horribly mundane life. Leaves behind the ideas of the show, and the reality of Maddy, etc. He gets a job at a “FUN CENTER” for parties and kids, and he grows old stuck there. But he continues to be haunted by Maddy, the past, and the show. Only to realize that he has completely lost his way, and all perspective on “reality.”
Eventually, Owen has a mental break, and cuts open his chest, only to see the glow emanating out of him from deep within. Aka, this is his own internal struggle with his own identity. And as the movie ends, Owen closes himself back up, and heads back to his mundane life.
The Ending of I Saw The TV Glow Explained
Schoenbrun has publicly stated that Owen and Maddy are two sides of Schoenbrun’s own experience with the whole process of gender transition. (Which Schoenbrun, who goes by they/them pronouns has completed.) They clarified that the two characters are both afraid of most everything in the world, and they are very hesitant to engage with the world at large. But the characters in the show are badasses. (Which was their perspective regarding Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) A proxy of sorts. And this balance of a desire to remain at home, and a desire to finally exit. So the movie itself is a pretty obvious metaphor, a discussion of Schoenbrun’s own grappling with their gender identity issues.
Does that help? Hopefully you’ll realize the answer was staring you in the face all along!
Edited by: CY