ALF depresses me

[XXBadMushroomXX]

Hey guys when I watch ALF I get depressed
I don't know why but I am just attached to him and I am only 16
and proabally the youngest here! But anyways I just don't know why I get sad when I watch it
Do you guys know why?

[starryalffan]

I don't know.. I got sad at the last ep.. maybe because he is sad sometimes in the sitcom sometimes because he is homesick?

[Admin]

I was going to mention the last episode as well. I always tell people to watch the movie Project: ALF right away after the last episode (it helps in my opinion).

[samstokes80]

I can understand how some episodes could make you feel that way. Such as "Help Me Rhonda," when he is talking about missing his friends. The show also tackles some tough issues like nuclear war, homelessness, the environment, etc. Best not to take these things too seriously when watching it. Just to try to enjoy the light-hearted way ALF presents these issues.

Of course, most importantly, if you think the show is making you feel depressed (or contributing to these feelings that you may have from something else going on in your life), then it's probably a good idea to take a break from it and see if you can find something else that lifts your spirits. I love ALF, but if it is making you depressed, maybe it's not so good for you at this time in your life.

Of course, let us know if you need to talk about anything.

[ALFIsMyIdol]

Oh, well I always shed a tear or two when I watch 'Alf's Special Christmas' .

[TheALFkid2012]

im 12 years old i think im the youngest

[ALFicionado]

Oh, well I always shed a tear or two when I watch 'Alf's Special Christmas' .

We all do

[Alflover24/7]

im 12 years old i think im the youngest

Nice! U like alf

[Jon Jon]

You know I feel a little depressed sometimes when I watch ALF or think about the show too. I suppose some of it is because I was a kid when I first saw him and that is all in the past now. Even if you weren't around back then it is still obvious that during that time period things had a more free-spirited and youthful feel, unlike today where everything is so politically correct and perfected feeling. Society is a lot different these days and television shows reflect that. I think the answer to any sadness surrounding ALF is the new movie, we need more ALF in the here and now, not just old re-runs of him from a time period that is just as alien now as he is.

This is my first forum post by the way, I guess seeing this prompted me to finally say something.

[ALFicionado]

Welcome to the forum! Good opening post.

[Ninjadragon5]

yeah, you made a good point, ALF is certainly a sign of the times when sitcoms took more liberties and were more open minded then the ones today, but I think even in the 80s this sitcom was unique because to took some bold moves for it's time.

[robodog]

Well, if you look past the comedy aspect the concept behind the backstory of the series is kind of depressing. An entire planet full of sentient beings was destroyed with only three confirmed survivors. Alf is trapped on a planet with entirely different customs and ways than he's used to that he has to try to adjust to. He is a shut in. He can't go out to meet new people or experience new things. He is in constant danger of being discovered and taken away to be experimented on and/or dissected. To put it bluntly, Alf's life sucks. It's only because he is so upbeat that we're able to look past all that and enjoy the series. It is a testament to Alf's character that he can find himself in such a crappy situation yet adapt and lead a fairly happy life. A lot of beings would become nothing but a shell of their former selves, lying in the fetal position and whimpering endlessly were they to find themselves in Alf's situation. Alf may be a goofball, but when it comes right down to it he's got a lot of inner strength. He is able to go on in a situation where a lot of people couldn't.

[Ninjadragon5]

yeah, you pretty much hit it on a nail, robodog. his backstory is probably the most depressing one I have ever heard for a fictional character (besides superman). his life is reduced just being a shut in resident living with a family on a planet he barely knows about and your right, his character as a lot of inner strength to stay positive in the situation he is in. In a few episodes his feelings of loneliness and desperation do start to break through but he always tries to stay positive in the end. that is why I think he likes to crack jokes all the time and try to be funny, to hide his pain. that is why I also say there a whole lot more drama in his story then what is shown, but fusco didn't really pray into that too much because he wanted to make a comedy.

[Alflover24/7]

im 12 years old i think im the youngest

Me too

[shreddinghead]

Maybe you feel depressed when watching alf because you miss the good old days? The tanners are such nice and including people and Alf is such a charming fellow, i suppose that can make all of us alf fans a bit sentimental and miss the old days, when we take in consideration how mean and nasty many tv-characters are today.

[Melmac98]

I was going to mention the last episode as well. I always tell people to watch the movie Project: ALF right away after the last episode (it helps in my opinion).

Agreed. Until finding out about Project ALF, I hated that last one. When I first saw it in July, I wanted COMPLETE closure from ALF, because if I thought of him, I thought of how he had suffered a fate FAR WORSE than death (remember what Valentine said they'd do to him in the first one?).
I was VERY relieved when I found out about Project ALF! I definitely think it's VERY important to watch Project ALF immediately after watching the last one. If you don't want to buy a DVD for $30+, you can do what I did and get it from the torrents, and get the free program VLC to play it (you can get it from sourceforge.com for Windows, Mac or Linux).
I do also tear up a bit during Help Me Rhonda, particularly when he hands Lynn his will, and then again when he's about to leave and says: "I'm in the wind. Ciao. Arivaderci. Goodbye.", as well as during ALF's Special Christmas, but, believe it or not, I did not cry when I saw the last one, but I really do think that a big part of me died (that part of me was mostly revived when I saw Project ALF).

By the way, I'm 15.

[Ninjadragon5]

yeah, even though the ending of the movie was left very open ended too with an uncertain future for ALF, but still a heck a lot better then how the series ended. it certainly helps to soften the blow of how horrible the series ended and gave us more of a better conclusion.

[Melmac98]

yeah, even though the ending of the movie was left very open ended too with an uncertain future for ALF, but still a heck a lot better then how the series ended. it certainly helps to soften the blow of how horrible the series ended and gave us more of a better conclusion.

Yeah. I did find the ending of Project ALF to be a little bit anticlimactic, but was very happy with how it ended, not to mention how funny it was! I was so glad I wasn't drinking anything; I watched it on my laptop that I do NOT want to fry! Hopefully in the big-screen flick, he'll finally be reunited with Skip and Rhonda. The point is: I'm very glad to have learned of and seen Project ALF!

[ALFicionado]

I think Project: ALF was left open-ended because there were discussions of making another show.

[Ninjadragon5]

really? too bad that never happened, but then again we did get ALF's talk show several years later.