25 March 2020, 12:33 pm - In Which I Watch Apocalypse Comedies

Today, health and law enforcement officials of Lyon County (where Emporia is located) announced a Stay-At-Home order. This does not change much for me or my partner, but it does make the situation a little more “real.”

See: Stay-at-home order issued for Lyon County

Since my move to Emporia in 2017, most of my interaction with friends has been online or via some sort of communicative technology. Most of my day-to-day interaction has not changed, so I don’t feel as if I am suffering as much as others in that regard. Although, I am a very outgoing person, so I expect to start feeling the isolation in the coming months. I miss my family the most. Normally, we get together every few months and we were planning my graduation celebration for May, and now that’s all canceled. We’ve found solace in video chatting and the use of Snapchat. Luckily, my parents and brothers live in a very rural town that is not quite at risk as we are, though I worry daily about the precautions they are (or aren’t) taking.

My partner and I have been passing the time watching Last Man on Earth (not the 1964 movie with Vincent price, but the 2015 comedy series on Hulu starring Will Forte). Of all the apocalypse-theme entertainment, this is probably the most comforting because of the absurdity of it. It is set in the year 2021, when a virus wiped out the majority of the population and Will Forte’s character, Phil, wishes for some company. What I find most interesting (and probably the most frustrating) is that half of the characters try to cling to previous ways society functions, while other characters enjoy the freedom of creating a nation from scratch…well a nation of less than 10 people. I think I would be in the camp of enjoying newfound freedoms and lack of ties to previous social norms.

See: IMDb page for Last Man on Earth

See: Last Man on Earth accurately portrays pandemic - in 2017