Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
While horror movies are my jam ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you I love me some good television! Two years ago, I created a list of television shows I not only wanted to watch but also shows I’m currently enjoying and want to keep up with. My list includes shows both on normal networks like CBS, NBC and FOX as well as streaming sites like Netflix and Disney+. Needless to say, this list remains 60 per cent unfinished and with all the new shows constantly being released, I don’t see myself climbing my personal Everest anytime soon.
Honestly, it’s frustrating as hell, especially because I legitimately WANT to watch all of these shows. But with streaming services warring for subscribers, new series released almost every week and a serious case of FOMO (that’s “fear of missing out”) I have to wonder, am I the only one low-key frustrated with “binge” culture, or are other media fans just as worn out as I am?
Assuming you’re like me and you’re working five days a week, 8-4 (or for my friends from the USA, 9 to 5) there’s isn’t much time after you get home, kick off your shoes, shower, eat and get ready for the next soul-sucking day of adulting, to watch an entire episode of the newest hot series, let alone an entire season. More specifically, I’m so tired I find myself rewatching old favorites that don’t require my full attention. I’ve fallen behind on multiple favorites like Loki, The Mandalorian, The Rig and Billions (just to name a few) and don’t get me started on the barrage of new bangers like Shogun, X-Men ’97 and Fallout that everyone is raving about while all I can do is click away to avoid the dreaded spoilers. It’s like I’m digging a hole hoping to hit bottom, only to have someone in the background throwing dirt back in when I’m not looking. I honestly think this is what my personal Hell would look like!
Speaking of new content, let’s talk about bingeing or binge watching. This one is a case of be careful what you wish for because I’m old enough to remember the frustration of having your favourite show end on a cliffhanger, leaving you chomping at the bit as you had to wait an entire week to find out what happened next! I used to wish I could fast forward through time and, like most people my age, technology fed this need by providing torrent sites (don’t judge me, you know you did it too) where depending on where you were located in the world, you had the opportunity to download the latest episode and watch it to your heart’s content, local network schedule be damned!
Fast forward a few more years and Netflix becomes available here in Trinidad and Tobago and of course I’m excited. Finally, I can watch an entire show in one day, right? Right?! But like trying to eat a nine-course meal in less than an hour, the more I binged the more I’ve come to realise, I hate watching shows like this. Don’t get me wrong, I still love having access to an entire season where I can watch a couple of episodes back-to-back, and some shows are so intriguing you can’t help but want to know immediately what happens next. A fitting example of this most recently was my viewing of Netflix’s 3 Body Problem. The mystery of what was happening captured me from episode one and I couldn’t help but see it through to the end in just one night. But ask me to give you details?
Yes, the reality of bingeing is you don’t remember the details of episodes, you only remember the entire story itself in broad strokes. I’ve tested this theory on my friends by asking them right after they’ve finished bingeing a show to name their favourite scene and then name the episode it was in. While they could name the former, the latter left them stumped and it was the same for me after watching 3 Body Problem, even though I thoroughly enjoyed it and am really looking forward to what comes next.
So, what’s the solution to this problem? I’m not sure I could answer that question but what I DO know is the shows that I want to remember clearly equally as much as I enjoyed them, are the shows where I’ve decided to take my time viewing them. The Sandman was a show I enjoyed so much, both from a narrative and visual perspective, I deliberately watched no more than two episodes per day. I wanted to give myself time to “digest” this gorgeous series, slowly chewing on every morsel put before me, tasting every bite of it (apologies for all the food metaphors, I think I might be hungry). But the downside to this style of series watching is I’ve fallen far behind.
As I’m typing this out, I think I’ve come to the conclusion. Do I want to keep up, always being at the front of the viewing line no matter what? Or should I just merrily stroll through, enjoying these great shows the way their creators probably hoped I would? I think you already know my answer. So, my question for you is, “What’s your choice? To binge or not to binge?”
So those are my thoughts. Feel free to share yours in the comments. And you can read more think pieces from Robot Mango Reviews below:
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More