Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s sitcom ‘Blockbuster’ revolves around Timmy Yoon, the manager of the last operating Blockbuster store in the world. When Timmy unexpectedly confronts the need for running the store without a head office to support and guide him, his co-worker Eliza Walker becomes his support system. While dealing with a troubled relationship with her ex-husband Aaron, Eliza helps Timmy to sail the Blockbuster boat without hurting the lives of the employees. Eliza also starts to nurture feelings for Timmy as her relationship with Aaron doesn’t meet any of her emotional needs. Intrigued by ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ fame Melissa Fumero’s character, we have tried to find out the real-life connections of Eliza. Well, here’s what we can share about the same!
A Composite Character: Taking Cues from Real People
Eliza is not entirely based on any specific real-life person. However, creator Vanessa Ramos was partially inspired by people she knows to conceive the characters of the sitcom, including Eliza. “It was a little bit of me trying to feel the people I miss. I’m hoping it scratches the itch of wanting connection more than anything,” Ramos told UPI. Although her detailed storyline seems fictional, Ramos must have conceived the foundation of the same based on the life of one of the individuals she knows. Thus, it isn’t accidental that Eliza is a relatable character.
Eliza’s struggles are heavily rooted in reality. As a mother who needs to make ends meet, she started to work at the Blockbuster store where she worked during high school. According to Fumero, her character’s struggles as a mother are indeed relatable to real-life mothers. “She [Eliza] worked at the Blockbuster for one summer in high school and through a series of events in her life has found herself re-entering the workforce. Because it’s been so long, the only job she can really get is at Blockbuster because her friend manages the store, which I feel like might also be a storyline people relate to, especially mothers and women,” the actress told UPI for the same feature.
What makes Eliza a true-to-life character is her struggles most likely will resonate with anyone involved in small businesses. Eliza, like many real-life individuals, tries to fulfill her aspirations and materialize her ambitions, only to fail. Inspiringly, she doesn’t accept defeat but faces the obstacles of life with more resilience. The determination she displays as the “backbone” of a small business can be seen in any real-life small business success sagas. Considering these factors, it is safe to say that Eliza is more rooted in reality than fiction.
In addition, Eliza’s life shows how a workplace is nothing short of a home. When she struggles with her duties and expectations as a mother and partner, her colleagues make sure that they are there for her. Eliza succeeds in finding a home in her Blockbuster store, resembling how families are created in uncountable workplaces in the world. “No matter what industry you work in are these little dysfunctional families that exist everywhere and these people that you spend all these hours with every day and it’s a part of everyone’s life,” Fumero told AP News, making it clear how Eliza and her co-workers form a fictional version of real-life “workspace families.”
Read More: Is Timmy Based on a Real Blockbuster Owner?
