Ahead of Hayley Atwell’s appearance at the Middle East Film and Comic Con this coming weekend, I thought it’d be nice to watch all 8 episodes of Agent Carter again. Because, why not? (If you’ve yet to see the show, what’re you waiting for? An invitation crocheted on a pillow case?)
Watching back-to-back episodes of Agent Carter got me thinking about binge-watching yet again. We’ve become so impatient these days, that we can’t even wait one week between episodes anymore; oh no, we want the entire season, nay, the entire series NOW! (Thanks Netflix). Although I have to say, I’m not new to binge watching, or marathoning as I like to refer to it. Why marathoning? Well, because marathoning sounds a bit better in my mind. It sounds like something’s being accomplished (like you’re running a marathon, only you’re going through a series one episode after another until you reach the season or series finale). Whereas binge-watching brings up all sorts of mental images related to binge-eating, binge-drinking and so on. None of those images are all too positive. Marathon, on the other hand, marathon, marathon, marathon, the word itself feels kind of sporty, strong, inspiring even, doesn’t it? Picture this: “hey I ran a marathon this weekend” vs “hey I binge watched both seasons of Arrow this weekend”. You be the judge of that one. Granted, one is healthier than the other, but is binge watching a television show unhealthy? It’s nowhere near as healthy as running an actual marathon, but it’s not harmful either. Not if it’s within moderation, and depending on reasons behind it.
I was watching episode-after-episode of TV shows back when they were still on VHS tapes (that’s Video Home System for you young-uns) and when DVD sets first started coming out. Marathoning TV is how I caught up on all those wonderful shows that weren’t originally shown in the UAE, or I missed the original run only to find out from someone on a forum or a friend “hey have you seen X?”; if I haven’t, my curiosity peaked and I’d usually went out and found the tapes or the DVDs. Sometimes going as far as having friends overseas order them and send them my way and I’d send them cash via Western Union or some such; remember this was before ‘Shop and Ship’ and affordable international delivery charges and the like.
I remember the days when me and a friend of mine used to get together on weekends and watch Stargate SG1 and then discuss the episodes and the characters afterwards. Fun times! This was when I was in college, and could freely spend copious amounts of hours watching television as a form of ‘vacation’. To me it was better than traveling to another country, because when I watched a show such as Battlestar Galactica, I got to travel to a whole other world without leaving my own room.
Binge watching doesn’t work for all television shows though or for everyone it seems. It all depends on how much time you have on your hands and how deep you want to get immersed in the show, why you’re watching a show and so on. Or if you want to prolong the experience for one reason or another so you watch an episode-a-week, a-month, etc because you don’t want the show to end, even though you know it’s already ended long time ago and you’re just prolonging the inevitable as it were. I still haven’t seen the last season of White Collar, I don’t think I’m ready to let Neil Caffrey and co go just yet.
It also depends on how the shows are structured story-wise. How many cliffhangers there are from episode to episode, if there’s a compelling enough season arc to keep your interests, are the characters fun and entertaining? Yadda Yadda Yadda. There’s several shows out there that have continually upped the ante with every episode which left the viewer going “okay, one more”, until you got to the end of the series and wanted to toss something heavy or sharp at the writers and the show runners. He’s a lumberjack now? Seriously? You’re ending it on that? Then there are shows that require a bit of time between episodes for what happened to sink in before you can move on. Just so you can get your bearings, because they’re heavy on the psyche one way or another. Game of Thrones comes to mind as an example here.
If you’re slightly OCD, there’s nothing more frustrating than checking an app you use to keep track of shows you’ve watched and having the little red circle in the corner flashing with a number on it; “this needs to be rectified, STAT! Begone vile number!” your brain screams. Alas, you fire up iTunes or VLC and rectify the issue, quickly. Other times there’s a show that’s still on air that you haven’t caught up on yet because you’ve either found out about it just recently or you’ve been busy. Here’s your chance; it’s easier to avoid spoilers if you just spend the weekend catching up on The Walking Dead ahead of the latest season premiere. These days spoilers are easier to come considering how people are constantly connected to each other over social media and all. I lost count of how many times I’ve been spoiled by reading something on my Twitter feed posted by someone who’s already seen an episode of a show I follow closely, just because they’re in US and get the show earlier. I’ve also learned to stay away from Twitter until I see anything I don’t want spoiled for me. Also learned not to discuss recent plot twists in a public timeline, in case I accidentally spoil a big reveal for someone who’s following my updates and has yet to see the latest episode of a show we both watch. I save discussions like that for when I’m with friends, interacting face-to-face. It’s more fun this way, at least for us.
I still marathon TV shows, occasionally, depending on circumstances and reasons for needing to do it. At times my academic research requires for me to do that, other times I just want to chill out and I don’t feel like reading a book or going out. And then there’s the time when I want to refresh my mind and re-watch a show ahead of a new season premiere or an event. It varies how many episodes I can watch in a day, sometimes it’s 2, sometimes 4 sometimes it’s 8 or more. I don’t sleep much, so it helps pass the time. There were times a TV series marathon has gotten me through hard times in life. I’m sure we all have that one or two or more feel-good shows that you can watch again and again. (Golden Girls, anyone? And no, that wasn’t my ‘feel good’ show, I actually used shows like Boston Legal, Stargate SG1/Atlantis/Universe and due South for that.)
At the end of the day the choice of what to binge watch and what not to binge watch, comes down to personal experience and personal wants/needs. And of course how long your eyeballs can hold out for before you crash. But binge watch/marathon responsibly. You know, take a shower once in a while, eat something, go outside and get some fresh air. Talk to people, for crying out loud! That’s why marathoning a TV show or a film series with a friend or a group of friends is better. You’re not competing, you’re sharing the love and geeking out over something you both enjoy. Nothing wrong with that, it’s healthy even. Let me see if I can marathon something next weekend after MEFCC is over.
Do you binge watch? No? Why not? If you do, which shows have you marathoner recently? Do you have your own TV show marathons or do you invite friends over? Let’s hear your thoughts.
