When Is the Signed Sealed and.delivered a Road Less Traveled.going to Be Run Again

What do poofy eighty's hair, a dispensable camera, and loving your neighbor as yourself have in common?

They all play an integral function in the newest "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" movie "The Road Less Traveled," premiering Sunday Feb. 11 at 7/6C on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. And the mysteries don't only involve the Postables trying to find the owner of an erstwhile-fashioned photographic camera that arrives with an illegible address, but also secrets they've been concealing about their own lives and are afraid to share.

For the uninitiated, the "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" serial follows the adventures of four postal detectives (aka Postables) who piece of work in Denver'southward DLO (Expressionless Letter Part): Oliver O'Toole (Eric Mabius), Shane McInerney (Kristin Booth), Rita Haywith (Crystal Lowe), and Norman Dorman (Geoff Gustafson).

Over the concluding few years, the bond of friendship between all these quirky characters (and the actors who play them) has flourished. In addition, romance blossomed between the now-engaged Rita and Norman, and the at present-dating Shane and Oliver. The "will they or won't they get together" tension has run its course, with both couples firmly committed to each other. But that doesn't mean new challenges don't arise as they set off on a road trip to detect the possessor of the aforementioned camera.

SPOILERS AHEAD

"The Road Less Traveled" takes viewers on a slight detour from the usual "dead letter" approach. This time, information technology's the photos on the camera that serve equally puzzle pieces for the Postables to follow on a scavenger hunt of sorts. They deduce that a immature boy is looking to reconnect with his begetter. But is the adult female he's with (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) his mother? Is he a victim of child abduction? Are the two of them escaping from an abusive situation? Or is something else altogether going on?

This is the motivation for the Postables to hop in the RV that Rita's parents gave her and Norman equally a pre-wedding gift and search for answers, all while dealing with wedding ceremony plans.

Their journeying, replete with a series of owl figurines on the RV dashboard, makes for some lighthearted esprit and serious bonding, forth with a stop at a diner where the sign "Beloved thy neighbour as thy cocky" reflects a recurring theme, simply not always in the obvious fashion.

From a character standpoint, Shane may have evolved the most as "Road Less Traveled" begins. At that place is a lightness to her when she's around Oliver that I don't recall from earlier movies. She's finally allow the walls she built around herself downwardly to welcome Oliver into her life, and the result is joy. Every bit she says to someone almost the terminate of the flick, "He's everything I never knew I wanted."

On top of that, Shane has always been a skeptic when it comes to God. But Oliver'southward faith – and everything she's experienced while working at the DLO – take led her to believe there is more to this world and life than meets the eye.

When the Postables come across obstacles to figuring out the boy's real story, information technology's Shane who suggests there is a bigger plan going on and they simply have to "trust the timing," a phrase she picked up from Oliver. And when one lead seemingly falls through, Shane says they need to "pray" for another one.

Faith is frequently passed on through the example of good people. Shane'due south spiritual journey reflects that truth.

Oliver remains his buttoned-up self, but a far more relaxed version than he used to be. Later a bad experience with love (or what he idea at the time was love) in his past, he, too, is now open to the real thing. He is falling in love with Shane because of who she is, not who he imagines her to be. He struggles with some trust issues regarding Shane because of some mysterious text letters she's receiving, but manages to nip his bad behavior in the bud before it ruins their budding romance.

Oliver also continues to be a link to the practiced things of the past, criticizing (though not in these words) what C.South. Lewis called "chronological snobbery" – the conventionalities that something in the present is always superior to something from the past.

In this case, Oliver compares old film cameras to the newer digital ones on phones, maxim, "In our world of instant gratification and countless redos, in that location is something truly satisfying near not beingness able to hitting 'Delete' in favor of another photo with meliorate lighting or a more perfect smile. Sometimes it'south the imperfections in life that make something perfect."

That, of course, is not just a comment on cameras, just on life. Striving to exist amend is more often than not a good thing, but the goal to be superficially perfect in the eyes of the earth oft just leads to heartache.

That's certainly what Norman is experiencing in "Road Less Traveled." When the conversation at one betoken turns to him and Rita having kids, he becomes uncomfortable, just doesn't immediately explain why.

Later, Norman reveals to Rita that he would adopt to adopt considering he is afraid that his biological children would be odd like him and get made fun of and bullied.

Norman makes himself extremely vulnerable here, revealing the depth of his cocky-doubtfulness – and even a touch on of self-loathing. It'south ironic that someone who is so adept at loving his neighbour has trouble loving himself.

But this is where Rita steps in, re-enforcing the lesson that "sometimes information technology's the imperfections in life that brand something perfect."

She affirms that he is perfect merely the way he is and that the kids who belittled him in his youth "could only see the different; they couldn't see the amazing." She then reminds him that he is a great and loving person who she wants all of their kids, whether adopted or biological, to exist like.

"You're safe now, Norman," she assures him. "It just took a lilliputian longer for you lot to be appreciated."

Lowe and Gustafson shine in this scene, thanks to their own talents, script writer Brandi Harkonen, and series creator/executive producer Martha Williamson.

Ane of the strengths of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" stories – evidenced again in this entry – is the empowerment of women without diminishing men. Rita, for instance, is at that place to lift Norman upwards regarding his doubts nigh himself – and she doesn't think any less of him considering of those doubts. She listens to him and understands where he'south coming from, but affirms his inner goodness and strength.

And Norman's doubts don't mean he is weak, but rather that he experiences moments of weakness, just equally we all do. He isn't a macho breast-thumper, just he is a practiced man who always strives to practice correct past others, a man who knows how to love selflessly.

In terms of the show's other couple, it's Shane who struggles with feelings of unforgiveness toward someone who did her wrong in the by, while Oliver encourages and supports her toward the healing power of mercy.

For the Postables, it's never about men or women wielding power over each other, but rather each person helping the other when they're down – which is how information technology's supposed to exist in life.

So why exactly is this flick called "The Road Less Traveled"? It'due south possible that it's a take on Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" or a reference to Yard. Scott Peck's best-seller of the same name. Though I've but read excerpts, I know it deals with some of the aforementioned themes Williamson covers in SSD: responsibility, truth, God, love, and grace.

This quote from Peck's volume, peculiarly, reminds me of the Postables: "When we love someone our love becomes demonstrable or real only through our exertion – through the fact that for that someone (or for ourself) nosotros take an extra step or walk an extra mile. Dear is not effortless. To the contrary, love is effortful."

Watching "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Road Less Traveled" shouldn't have much effort at all: just sit on your couch or program your DVR for Sun Feb. 11 at 7/6C on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

It's another entertaining story from the mind of Martha Williamson, the pen of Brandi Harkonen, and the acting talents of Mabius, Berth, Lowe, and Gustafson. They accept made the Postables examples of how to do relationships right and truly love our neighbors as ourselves. That sounds like a great fashion to spend ii hours to me.

RELATED: A review of the previous movie, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Dwelling Over again"

(Follow The Christophers on Facebook and Twitter.)

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Source: https://aleteia.org/blogs/christophers/signed-sealed-delivered-the-road-less-traveled-explores-loving-your-neighbor-as-yourself/

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