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That time a stranger at a coffee shop changed how I watch TV
I was grabbing a latte in Portland last Tuesday and this older guy saw my Stranger Things shirt. He said he used to watch shows one episode a week, waiting seven days for the next one. Told me binge watching makes everything blur together and you forget the little details. He said he still watches The Wire one episode at a time, even now. Has anyone else tried slowing down on purpose like that?
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ben2062mo ago
Man, that guy probably also walks uphill both ways in the snow to watch his one episode a week. In my experience, waiting seven days just means you forget half the plot by the next Sunday and have to rewatch the recap anyway. The Wire is a great show but taking it one episode at a time sounds like a test of patience, not a viewing strategy. Binge watching might blur details but at least I can remember what happened in the last episode before I fall asleep. That said, maybe he's onto something for shows with terrible pacing where you need time to recover from the boredom. Your mileage may vary, but I'll stick with my three episodes a night and risk forgetting a minor character's name.
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nancy5242mo ago
Oh man, I tried to do the one episode a week thing with Mad Men and by week three I literally started a notes app to remind myself which character was sleeping with which secretary. It was a mess. The worst part is when you come back after a break and someone has a different hairstyle and you spend half the episode wondering if you missed a time jump. My advice is if you're gonna spread it out, at least watch two episodes back to back so you get a full story arc. Three a night is the sweet spot for me too. What shows have you tried weekly watching that actually worked?
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