Quarantine and Reconnect: The Reunions You Need

This quarantine has been all about reunions, via social distance of course. Reconnecting with friends you haven’t seen in years, loved ones that live across the country, colleagues you would rather not see but are forced to due to a pay check. Whatever the case may be, a strong wi-fi connection and the ability to aim a webcam from the chest up has allowed us all to reunite.

Hollywood is jumping on the quarantine reunion bandwagon. In the past few weeks, casts of your favorite shows and films have taken their quarantine time and reconnected, reminiscing about their shared work, moments from the set, or behind the scenes trivia that you will use at your first dinner party once restrictions are lifted. Some of these reunions were for the hell of it, some for charity, but all of them in effort to bring you joy.

My So-Called Life

Twenty-six years ago, I, along side every 14 year old girl in America, found ourselves on television when My So-Called Life premiered. Every Thursday night at 8 pm, we were glued to our televisions, watching Angela Chase navigate the rough and angst-filled waters of high school, puberty, peer pressure, and of course Jordan Catalano. The show gave voice to the teenage experience, from finding your identity to coming to terms with your reality. It was raw, beautiful, and canceled after one season.

Twenty-six years later, the cast held a private digital reunion and all we have is this beautiful tweet:

So…This happened the other night. Most of the #MySoCalledLife cast was available for what turned out to be a very comforting, sweet, heartfelt and overdue reunion. We all have such love for each other, even 26 years later. It was overwhelming to see all of those faces together. pic.twitter.com/sei5eBRYw2

— Wilson Cruz (@wcruz73) April 16, 2020

So, we have no idea about the topic of conversation or if Claire Danes has the original copy of Bryan’s love letter (complete with the one of the greatest romantic lines:  I hate this pen I’m holding because I should be holding you. I hate this paper under my hand because it isn’t you). What we do have is this screen shot and the look of joy and love on each of their face. If this Zoom call isn’t proof that we need a MSCL reboot, I don’t know what is.

Of course in true Jordan Catalano style, Jared Leto did not make the call. Probably because he was meditating in the desert, or watching Tiger King, or meditating in the desert with a tiger. Who knows.

The Goonies

Say it with me:

“Goonies Never Say Die!”

Now that we’ve simultaneously embarrassed and aged ourselves, the cast and crew of the classic 80s film social distantly reunited for Josh Gad’s web series, Reunite Apart. They reenacted memorable moments, paid tribute to cast members long gone, and reminisced about pranks on and off the set. The cast also speculated on the possibility of a sequel, which I would gladly sell my loved ones’ souls to see happen. Although we may not be getting a Goonies, Pt. II anytime soon, we’ll always have this YouTube reunion.

Parks and Recreation

For the past four years amid a tumultuous administration, numerous political scandals, a Democratic nomination race that left me curled up in a fetal position, and now a pandemic, I have found myself wondering, “WWLKD:” What Would Leslie Knope Do. 

This week I finally get my answer.

The entire cast of Parks and Recreation return, as their characters, for a social distancing special episode, focusing on Pawnee’s response to the quarantine. Fans of the show will remember that if anyone can handle a quarantine and a national emergency, it’s definitely Leslie Knope and her meticulous emergency response manual, “Mission Im-Pawnee-ble: Knope Protocol.”

The half-an-hour episode will benefit the charity, Feeding America and we get the chance to catch up with our favorite city government workers. It will literally be the greatest event this week.

The Parks and Recreation special episode airs this Thursday at 8:30 pm EST/PST on NBC.

What quarantine reunion do you want to see happen?