TV Eye: Oprah, Amen
Reflecting on the Gospel of Oprah
By Belinda Acosta, Fri., June 3, 2011
It's been many years since I've watched The Oprah Winfrey Show. Since starting inconspicuously in 1986, the daytime talk show became a huge success over the years, and Winfrey, a media maven. As a woman of color, I couldn't help but be happy for her accomplishment. Even though I'd fallen away from watching the show, like a dutiful lapsed Catholic hauling ass to Easter services, I made a point to watch the finale.
As it turned out, The Oprah Winfrey Show finale occurred over three episodes, which aired May 23-25. The first two were filmed before a packed house at Chicago's United Center. Those episodes were dubbed "Surprise, Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular." The spectacle, the thousands of screaming fans, the special guests – that didn't surprise me, and I find it very hard to believe Winfrey (who famously hates surprises) was surprised, either. No, it was the very last episode that startled me. Moreover, it gave me the full-on creeps.
Unlike the previous two episodes, which were charged with whoops and hollers, lights, music, hugs and tears – on the third day of the finale, Winfrey rested. Sort of. In comparison, the last show was subdued and austere. It took place in the regular studio space, and Winfrey took the stage solo to speak to an intimate audience of 400. There were a few clips thrown in to illustrate her talking points, but mostly it was all Oprah Winfrey, pontificating about herself and the show, its changes over time, and how she credits the audience for her and the show's success. The rapt audience nodded, clasped their mouths, and occasionally wiped away tears as they lovingly listened to the Gospel of Oprah, hearing chestnuts like this (reprinted from the show's official transcript at www.oprah.com):
"And that is what I want for all of you and hope that you will take from this show. To live from the heart of yourself. ... [You] have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world."
And this:
"Wherever you are, that is your platform, your stage, your circle of influence. That is your talk show, and that is where your power lies. ... You're letting your life speak for you. And when you do that, you will receive in direct proportion to how you give in whatever platform you have."
And finally:
"Nobody but you is responsible for your life. It doesn't matter what your mama did; it doesn't matter what your daddy didn't do. You are responsible for your life. ... You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you're responsible for the energy that you bring to others."
You know, I have to give it to her. When other talk shows were veering toward the sensational and prurient (Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, Montel Williams, et al.), Winfrey knew to go in another direction, aiming for the pseudo spiritual, leaning toward the doctrine of prosperity: If you do good, good will come to you. Attendance at the United Center showed there's a huge audience for that. And it's not that what she said wasn't true. It was the one-dimensional nature of her message, coupled with her pristine, "I say unto you" delivery that made me uneasy.
On the last show Winfrey was well-coiffed and polished in a peach frock (in the previous two events, she wore a more liturgically colored wine gown), speaking endearingly to her flock like someone who knew she had something of great import to share before it was too late. Other media watchers have joked that her demise will come with the failure of Winfrey's struggling cable channel, OWN. Oh, I think not. With traditional worship traditions failing its followers, the world according to Winfrey is for many a palatable alternative to the fire and brimstone of contemporary fundamentalists: less cinched and definitely less demanding.
The Oprah Winfrey Show finale was not a farewell. It was an invitation to see more of the same on OWN. Ka-ching!
Did you miss The Oprah Winfrey Show finale? No worries. O, The Oprah Magazine will issue a commemorative Bible, er, special issue of the magazine covering the finale and all 25 years of the show on June 28.
As always, stay tuned.
E-mail Belinda Acosta at [email protected].
