It blows my mind, blows open my heart. It's a love-letter to Chicago. I was born and raised in and around Chicago, and the series totally gets the quirky, gnarly, beautiful, raging beast; one of the great American Cities. I mean, it is so Chicago-smart, down to the tiniest, grimiest, of details. It totally rings true. Paints a total landscape and mind-scape.
What really resonates with me is the cast of characters, the "common folks;" deeply flawed Human Beings, scrambling about, risking everything, staring down failure, grasping at finding some meaning & purpose in their lives. There is this deep-seated, need, a fuzzy-headed quest, to find something great, something excellent, some way to expend and apply themselves, giving it all up to something bigger than themselves, a state of being, a place, where "every second counts."
Just people, very human beings with all their foibles, doubts, worries, insecurities, addictions, madnesses, depressions, side-shows, tentatively shooting for something greater than themselves. Oh man. It's the narrative of a"striving," or the falling into certain circumstances that opens the door to something amazing & great. Applying yourself, working on yourself, finding something where you can be the best, even if it's in the service of something seemingly inconsequential, simple, mundane, tedious, odd or weird. It's a dropping the ego thing, subsuming yourself into a greater process and flow.
Yes, it's everything. Life. So good. Inspiring. Beautiful. Hilarious. Touching. Powerful.
