In a world where people go missing regularly, a show like Found on NBC is immediately important. However, there are elements of this series that make it far more important that it seems to be on the surface.
We are into the waiting game for a lot of TV shows right now. NBC hasn’t made a lot of decisions on cancellations and renewals just yet, putting Found nervously on the bubble. The linear ratings aren’t the strongest, but this is a series that is needed right now.
A focus on how we can help in Found
First of all, we have this lesson in how the police can drop the ball. There are a lot of people who end up going missing and they stay missing. They are classed as high risk type of people, such as prostitutes, or they don’t seem to be the type of people America would want to find, such as transgender people, people of color, and undocumented migrants. The M&A Team look for these people, knowing that without them, a lot of people will remain missing or will end up killed.
The show gives us a look at how we can help. We may not have all the resources that Zeke has in his home, and we may not have the experiences that Margaret and Lacey have had. That doesn’t matter. There are little things that everyone can do to help find missing people in their community. It’s all about having the empathy to help do something great.
Trauma doesn’t have to define you
Everyone within the M&A Team have faced trauma. They have all been captured or they have lost people they love. This sort of trauma could define them, and on the the surface it does. Look at how Zeke is now agoraphobic, which seems like it is debilitating and life-threatening, but he has made life work. He has found a way to use his trauma and his fears to help others, and part of that has come from the M&A Team.
Margaret developed a heightened sense of sight after her son went missing. She now takes in everything around her to the minute details. This helps her get to the bottom of situations and know when people are lying to her, so that she can help other people not go through what she has done.
They all have a superpower, but they all still deal with their trauma. Sometimes, they don’t deal with that trauma in a healthy way, making it realistic and meaningful. Then there are times that they lean on others for support, showing us that it’s okay to ask for help. Trauma doesn’t define people, and the M&A Team don’t allow that to be the case for anyone.
Found reminds us that chosen family is important
There are blood family members who mean the world to characters. Lacey’s mom is a godsend to Gabi and other members of the M&A Team. She just has this way with advice and words that calms people and gives them a chance to think things through. We’re seeing how Zeke and his father are slowly redeveloping their relationship, and there’s been a chance to see Margaret reconnect with one of her adult daughters after years of estrangement.
However, within all of this, there is a story of chosen family. That’s what the M&A Team has become. They are there for each other, and they will always support each other. That doesn’t mean they overlook the bad. It took time for Margaret and Zeke to accept Gabi’s confession and apology about Sir, and it was Lacey who helped them come to terms with what Gabi had done. They still called her out, but they could understand. That’s what a real chosen family would do, and it helps them all grow stronger as they come into situations with understanding and compassion.
Healing isn’t a linear process when it comes to traumatic situations
For the longest time, the rest of the M&A Team thought that Gabi had healed and was doing well. It was only as they learned that she captured Sir and held him in her basement that they realized just what type of healing journey she was on. Margaret suffered a breakdown, and Dhan has struggled in his marriage because of the way he’s connected to Gabi.
Healing isn’t linear, and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with going back to therapy when you think you don’t need it anymore, and it’s okay to tell people that you’re having a bad day. This is something Found continues to show via the various characters.
We even have Gabi’s situation with Sir. He continues to pull her in, making it clear to her that she hasn’t fully healed. Now it’s time for her to figure out why Sir has such a hold on her, so that she can start healing. We’re always viewed as still broken if we’re somewhat connected to our abusers, but that’s not the case. Abuse reworks the brain, and Found has a chance to show that.
Found needs to be renewed for a third season. It needs more time to tell this story of trauma and chosen family.
Found airs on Thursdays at 10/9c on NBC. Catch up the following day on Peacock.
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