I first saw Shannen Doherty in a little movie called Heathers, But, it wasn't her I was intrigued by. It was Winona ryder. I would see Ms. Doherty again in a little show call 90210 and although her character was the main plot line I paid attention to. When it ended it wasn't the show I reflected on. It was all the gossip that surrounded the bratty actor who played Brenda Walsh and it turned me off to her.
Fast forward a few years and another show would catch my eye, Charmed. But, this time around I would not watch for her because as we heard before she was a difficult person to work with. So, no, this time around I was not watching Charmed because of Shannen Doherty But, for Alyssa Milano. So, I was determined to ignore Shannen when I first started watching Charmed & having started late that meant I knew her demise would come around soon enough and I could move on to the 4th season with a new sister.
But, strangely enough I went from from not only warming up to her character but, bawling my eyes out when the end of season 3 finally came around.There was a turning point where I realized whatever happened behind the scenes was not only none of my business. But, why was I allowing such things to tarnish such good memories? TV shows and movies were not made to pull us into the actors private lives, they were made to pull us out of ours.
So, I would go into season 4 of charmed missing Prue instead of being thankful she was gone like I thought I would be. Where I thought I would rush through the first 3 seasons of charmed to get to the good seasons, I would look back very fondly of the first 3 wondering how it would have turned out if she had never left in the first place. In fact, even today when I get the urge to rewatch old seasons, it's the first 3 seasons I am more likely to reach for then the last 4.
Fast forward again over the years and you had fun shows with her to watch like Scare tactics then the reboot of 90210 and Heathers. Although I have yet to see the new Heathers outside of the trailers and her talking about it. I did absolutely love the 90210 reboot and loved her take on herself in that show.
Other spaces of time existed like the moment when she posted a picture on Instagram of a lady sitting in a restaurant. She proceeded to chastise this stranger for having a a fur coat. I was taken back so strongly by the accusation that this person was just a horrible bad person for having this coat that I commented on the post, "What if it was gift from a person she loved who died of cancer!? " What if that is all she has to remember them by"
It was not long at all after this, that she would announce her diagnosis.
There was a new Shannen that appeared after that, a shift and change. Nothing to drastic. But, you could tell an entirely new point of view on life had been found. This is clearly just from a outside point of view. I do not pretend to know anything about her personally. It's just how I felt from the bits and pieces of her life she has allowed us to see.
I left that account a short time later. Not for this reason, But, for others and with all the recent political tension among everyone I chose to stay away from celebrities altogether. So I would only get a glimpse of her recovery from posts that made the headline news, I would wander over to her Instagram to see her smile and dance through the cancer. Then I would go back to my life again until the next headline appeared.
That is what happened today, a headline appeared, while I was wrapped up in the unimportant news of he day, out of the blue on a random website, I saw her face again, She was announcing that her cancer was back and it was terminal. She is going to die.
The end of Season 3 is coming and there is no rewind button, no previous disk to put on and no other tv show or movie you can replace her with. This is it, this is the final curtain call.
Shannen Doherty who brought to life, Brenda Walsh, Prue Halliwell, our favorite Scare Tactic host, a Heather, a feisty girl on an Elevator, and that little mouse we didn't know was her until we watched the Secret of the Nimh with our kids has informed us that she is rounding out her life and will soon no longer be with us.
I don't want to be sad or mourn a person who is still alive so I will celebrate and find enjoyment in all the of the things she gave me the only way I know how.. By going back and watching all the things she gave us, all the smiles, tears and laughs.
And because I have a horrible inability to end a blog properly as stated earlier. I will simply wish her and everyone else going through anything similar on any level all the positivity they need when they feel the most negative