SSD - The Wedding

You're Cordially Invited to the wedding of the season,

Shane and Oliver become Mrs. and Mr.!

Photo credit: Crown Media

This Sunday night, October 17 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, the next movie in the series Signed, Sealed, Delivered promises to include the wedding of beloved characters Oliver & Shane played by Eric Mabius and Kristin Booth. Fans of the show, called #Postables, have been waiting years to see the two become one and are rightly excited for the big event.

I have long been a die-hard fan of the show myself, having started watching when the show came on weekly and was an hour long episode rather than a two-hour movie. The show, whether in episode or movie form, has always offered quirky characters with hearts of gold. But more than that, every story has been a lesson. Every character, whether returning or part of a one-time plot, has been a chance for the viewer to look deeply into someone's life. Thinking through the various movies, it's hard for me to pick a favorite. It's hard to choose between the young cancer patient who survives, the wounded soldier, the dog that saves the day, the married couple that learns comedy, or the mother who finds her way home from war. Every life the Postable foursome changed in some way changed me, and most of the time had me crying.

I also can't pick a favorite character. How do you choose between Oliver, Shane, Rita, and Norman? Each feels like a friend; certainly someone with whom I'd love to share a drink or a good meal. (But never clams in red sauce!) So unique and different, the four together make a complete and perfect unit. Flawed but flexible, wise but able to be taught, the unconventional family of two couples fills that space in our hearts and minds where we wish we had friends or family as loyal and devoted who accept us exactly as we are. If I were forced to choose only one to meet, I suppose I would choose Shane. Lacking the overt oddness of the others, Shane is the character in the series that has transformed perhaps the most. She has allowed the innocence of Rita, the sweetness of Norman, the faith of Oliver to become her own. Finding the Dead Letter Office ridiculous in its obsolete practices, Shane becomes the driving force that brings the foursome the courage, the strength to go beyond the walls of their collective comfort zone and become the people they were always meant to be.

Unable to choose a favorite movie or character, I can easily choose a favorite scene. There are so many powerful, moving interactions throughout the years, but my very favorite is in "Higher Ground" when Shane is telling Oliver about her letters she had written him and he stops her with a kiss. From discovering Shane in his chair to Oliver making her a Kombucha, I consider that scene one of the finest in any movie ever made. So raw, so real, so perfect.

Perhaps in this next movie airing Sunday there will be another perfect scene - maybe when Rita and Norman become parents or when Shane and Oliver marry. But if not, it will not diminish the amazing work and love that has been poured into this series by all involved. It has certainly given us all something wonderful in which to look forward to! Happy SSD Week!