The latest way to enjoy television is by binge-watching. You can do this by viewing a whole season of shows through Netflix. Or by borrowing DVDs through your local library. I suspect one reason it’s fun is that binge-watching is a form of instant gratification. Waiting a week for the next episode is so 20th century!
But if the program is well-made, with a strong plot and well-developed characters, binge-watching can be more deeply rewarding. Seeing the story unfold in one continuous line helps us connect more fully with underlying themes.
Of course, watching two seasons in a row is best of all, because who can remember what happened last year?
My husband, Paul, and I have binge-watched a number of shows. We have streamed “Longmire” on Netflix. Since we were late coming to this program, we did get to watch several seasons in a row, which was great fun. This mystery series, set in Wyoming, features county sheriff Walt Longmire, his daughter, his staff and his friend, Henry Standing Bear. There are tensions between Longmire and the local Cheyenne, both over legal jurisdiction and the construction of a casino. The characters are fascinating and the stories drag characters into both metaphorical and literal pits.
We binge-watched the first season of “Poldark” on DVD. We are never sufficiently awake to watch the Masterpiece series on Maine Public Television on Sunday nights at 9. We often stream the shows off the PBS web site at a more convenient hour for us. However, the episodes are only available for a specific period of time, so if you miss one, you’re out of luck.
This series is a remake of the original, which ran in the 1970s. Ross Poldark returns to Cornwall after serving with the Redcoats during the American Revolution. He finds his father dead and his former love, Elizabeth, engaged to his cousin. Oh, and Ross is now penniless as well.
The gorgeous southwest coast of England is a feast for the eyes. There’s an abundance of drama, with deaths, marriages, secret affairs and, overshadowing it all, Poldark’s attempts to turn his tin mine into a working asset. Paul enjoys historical dramas, but at one point he turned to me and said, “This is kind of a chick flick, isn’t it?”
Well, there is a lot of romance, and some might say Ross Poldark himself--played by Aidan Turner--is a feast for the eyes. All I will say is that at several points I was distraught over the turn of events, while at other times I found myself cheering. Aloud.
Season two just wrapped up on PBS. We couldn’t wait to binge, so we had to do it the new old-fashioned way--streaming it weekly through Apple TV.
Perhaps our most prolonged binge-watching experience has been Netflix’s “House of Cards.” Paul and I had watched the original British series and thoroughly enjoyed it. We enjoy political dramas (we were huge fans of “The West Wing”), and this program promised to be meaty.
Francis Underwood is a ruthless congressman from South Carolina. His wife, Claire, is a Lady Macbeth type who initially works with Frank to achieve his goals, but eventually desires power for herself.
Intrigue runs deep in this series, which sometimes goes over the top. There’s more than one murder and more than enough deceit. But who cares? That just provides all the more reason to watch the next episode.
Season four is due next year. Yay!
Just recently, I realized that bingeing could be applied to one of my other favorite activities. No, not eating. I have many faults, but I can stop at one cookie and one scoop of ice cream. I am talking about reading.
Since my favorite genre is mystery, I follow quite a few series. This means I often get behind on my reading. For some reason, for example, I was never interested in Sue Grafton’s “Alphabet Mysteries,” featuring private eye Kinsey Millhone. Then, as part of a writing program, I read “F is for Fugitive.” I enjoyed it so much, I had to start at “A is for Alibi,” and continue down the alphabet. I am all caught up now, and eagerly await the next installment.
Last summer, I decided to catch up on the “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series, written by Alexander McCall Smith. Precious Ramotswe opens an investigation service in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, a country in southern Africa. She hires an awkward secretary, Grace Makutsi, and the two embark on a series of 17 adventures (and counting). The mysteries they solve are not the focus of the series; these gentle books are more about the complexities of life and human nature.
Having previously read several books in the series, I read three more over the summer before I had to return to my job as a school librarian. I’m still not up-to-date, but getting closer.
Meanwhile, I’ve decided I need a dedicated time to read. Books are important to me, and I just wasn’t devoting enough time to them. So, I’ve set aside the hour of 4 to 5 p.m. as my reading time. I can’t always meet my goal, but I do it more often than not. In the past nine months, I’ve read more books than ever.
Last month, I felt I wanted to catch up on Louise Penny’s series. She’s a Canadian author who writes about a village in the Eastern Townships of Québec, called Three Pines. Armand Gamache, her protagonist, is the head of the homicide division of the Sûreté du Québec, comparable to our State Police. The denizens of the village, and their way of life, are immensely attractive. Gamache is a complex and fascinating character.
I’m pleased to report that due to my designated reading time, I am nearing the most recent book in that series, which was published in August.
Wait. Why am I happy about that? Now I’m going to have to wait at least a year for the next one.
But at least I’ll be ready for it. And with binge-reading, as with binge-watching, that’s all that really matters.
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