In My Mind I Am In Scotland

Sometimes you just need to get away. When I need to escape, I go to Scotland.

Now don’t get excited, the oil didn’t start flowing in North Dakota and yes you are correct, I still won’t get on a plane (I’ve seen Lost, come on).

The truth is I travel to Scotland with a permanent lay over on my couch. There I can stay for days with my eyes focused clearly on my favorite show. Its name is, Monarch Of The Glen and I am addicted to it.

It’s a BBC tv show or at least it was a BBC tv show. It ran its course, and is now sitting at Borders in the British TV section or sitting in the vaults at Netflix waiting for someone new to discover it.

I have never before been so fixated on a show or movie. Sure there have been movies that I think about long after I see them. And there are my favorites that I buy. But nothing has stayed on my mind and in my heart as much as Monarch Of The Glen.

What draws me to this particular show?

The answer on the surface could be easy. Maybe it's the handsome Laird, Archie MacDonald? He is absolutely adorable. Perhaps it’s the beautiful location, or the romance of Scotland and a castle? This is all true but it’s deeper than that. The shows creators (Monarch Of The Glen is actually a book) have created a unique and special world that happens to speak to me. I can’t help but want to step into the world of Glenbogle and there is not one specific reason why.

The show is definitely odd by now-a-days standards. There’s no sex, violence, or bad language. It’s not a thriller that keeps you guessing like Lost. It’s just quirky characters living a wonderfully unusual life. Like any good story, each character has their own issues and compelling story. One doesn’t outshine the other. All are interesting. I even like the exploits of the old and pompous Lord Killwillie.

The plot is solid – It’s about a young man, Archie, who is called back home to assist his ailing father in running the families ancestral castle and estate, which has fallen into bad times. Discovering he is the new Laird of Glenbogle, Archie reluctantly stays and tries to make the estate profitable. Doing so, he finds out his heart is truly back home in the Highlands. As you can imagine, there are funny and poignant trials, tribulations, and romance along the way.

Each time I watch an episode, I feel like I can escape for a while. Absorb into the surroundings of Glenbogle and lose myself in each character’s issues.

The only downfall is that it ends way too soon and then I have to return to life in Portland, Oregon which is not bad but I can only imagine that laundry is not as romantic as planning a Highland ball.