CONFESSIONS OF  A BINGE-WATCHER

I am a compulsive binge-watcher when it comes to television shows. The only reason I am watching Game of Thrones Season 5 one episode at a time is because I am afraid of the spoilers. For everything else I’d rather watch one season at a go. And I have some shocking truths to share:

• I’ve not had more than five hours of sleep, at a stretch, in the last couple of years. 
• I take naps to make up for lost sleep in the weekends, in front of the computer.
• My longest binge-watch lasted 15 hours. The show was Arrow.
• I still have a very long list of shows I need to watch, so the “post-binge-watch boredom” that people talk about will be a long time coming.
• I would rather sit at home and watch my TV shows than go to a party or meet a friend! I have even lied to people about being caught up in work to keep watching a TV show.
• I enjoy the ritual of setting up my binge-watch — like organising my sip and bite, and keeping a blanket handy — more than I enjoy anything else. 
• I think everyone who says that once you binge-watch a show you can’t enjoy it again are lying. I binge-watch shows that I have binge-watched earlier.
• I am jealous of everyone who is starting to watch shows I have already watched because they are in for a treat. 
• There was a time when I read really fat books in a couple of days. I was fondly called a bookworm then. It really annoys me that my binge-watching TV shows is seen as a negative!

DOES BINGE WATCHING REALLY RUIN IT?

YES

I initially enjoyed finishing the occasional series in one night, but after the second or third time, I started hating it. First, it entirely wipes out the element of mystery as you don’t have to wait for the next season, which defeats the very purpose of a soap opera. Second, and more importantly, you get tired of the show you loved so much. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the fifth season of Breaking Bad, after having finished the first four in a week. After a while, the story doesn’t stay with you and you’re too tired to watch the entire season. Therefore, thumbs down to binge watching.
— Rohan Sur, second-year, IIT Kharagpur 

I prefer watching my favourite shows on TV instead of binge watching. I like the idea of anxiously waiting for 24 hours for a new episode. We keep wondering what will happen in the next episode, which adds to the excitement and makes the experience worthwhile. Like when in Castle, detective Kate Beckett finally gets closure in season six episode 22 when she arrests her mother’s murderer. We had to wait an entire day before the moment we had been aiting for for six seasons finally arrived.
— Jashodhara Mukherjee, second-year, Loreto College

I don’t care if the entire world is binge watching, I personally don’t do it. I don’t like the feeling of not having anything to watch the next day when you finish watching all the episodes of a show in a jiffy. This “post-binge boredom” gets on the nerves, especially during summer holidays. Also, the word ‘binge’ has always been used with a negative undertone. Did I mention that research blames binge watching for inducing depression and 
loneliness?
— Abhisek Kundu, final-year, Jadavpur University

 

NO

Thanks to everyday assignments, tests and work, it’s not always possible to keep a designated time just to watch your favourite TV show. Which is why I enjoy the concept of watching everything you can in one day. Also, watching as many episodes as you can makes it easier for you to relate to events that had happened in the past two-three episodes. Remembering every little detail after a week is not always possible. I start appreciating the script more when I’m binge watching. I am waiting to binge-watch this season of 
GoT as well.
— Priyankar Patra,second-year, Asutosh College 

The reason I am a binge-watcher has to be because it’s like reading a book. Reading one chapter after another lets you get engaged in a book and its assorted characters. It makes sense to do the same with a TV series in order to be engaged in it, too. Instead of watching the show on air each week, binge watching lets you get into a show once you know it’s sticking around. Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, House of Cards and Breaking Bad are some of the shows I have binge-watched.
— Aasmita Dutta, second-year, Shri Shikshayatan College

I prefer binge watching instead of waiting for a week to know what happens next in my favourite TV series. That wait is absolutely nerve-wracking and I hate suspense. I love watching the episodes one after another and try to watch as many episodes I can in a day. I watched all 26 episodes of Zindagi Gulzar Hai in three days. Among the British shows, Downton Abbey is my favourite and I watched the five seasons in five days.
— Deepsikha Majumdar, second-year, Loreto College

 

t2 LISTS 10 ONE-SEASON WONDERS THAT ARE PERFECT WEEKENd BINGE-WATCHES

FIREFLY (2002), 14 EPISODES

This American space-western is about a group of people, led by captain Malcolm Reynolds and played to perfection by Nathan Fillion, who make their living as “pioneers” on the fringes of the society that forms the “Alliance”. The name of the series is taken from the “Firefly-class ship” called Serenity that they call home. Created by Joss Whedon, the series is a cult classic with an army of loyal followers called “Browncoats”. Firefly came to a close with the film Serenity but fans are campaigning to bring the show back even 13 years later. 

 

 

FREAKS AND GEEKS (1999), 18 EPISODES

With Paul Fieg as creator and Judd Apatow as executive producer, this teen comedy-drama — starring now big names like James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel — is yet another cult favourite. The show is, till date, one of the most realistic depictions of adolescent angst, touching on many uncomfortable issues as protagonist siblings Lindsay and Sam Weir negotiate high school and try to break away or fit in. 

 

 

 

 

MY SO CALLED LIFE (1994), 19 EPISODES

In this show about a girl called Angela Chase (Claire Danes), teenagers are average people dealing with real issues in a real way. Fights with parents are never over the top, addiction is a real struggle, homosexuality is so much more than just being queer, and rebellious characters like Jordan Catalano (Jared Leto) add more than bad-boy charm. It is a must for all teens and adults too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TERRIERS (2010), 13 EPISODES

The cancellation of the show about a former cop and recovering alcoholic, Hank Dolworth, and his best friend and former criminal Britt Pollack, who set up an unlicenced private investigating agency in Ocean Beach, California, was sheer bad luck. Critically acclaimed and with a dark comic touch, it paved the way for shows like True Detective. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROFIT (1996), 8 EPISODES  

A show way ahead of its time, Profit was pulled off just after four episodes. The show followed Jim Profit, a ruthless and ambitious man who could go to any lengths to climb the corporate ladder. Profit would have seen a different kind of success today, when shows like House of Cards and Breaking Bad are so highly rated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CUPID (2009), 7 EPISODES

If you like rom-coms, this is the one for you. The show is about Trevor Pierce, who may or may not be Cupid, and who has to bring together 100 couples before he is allowed back into Mount Olympus. A fun way of spending an uncomplicated evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BUNHEADS (2012), 18 EPISODES 

Yet another realistic look at growing up, Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s show revolved around a ballet school in an American small town. Though critically praised, it struggled with the ratings. Bunheads follows Michelle Simms, a classically trained former dancer-turned-showgirl who’s trying to get used to life in a small town, and the students of the ballet school run by her mother-in-law. 

 

 

BELIEVE (2014), 13 EPISODES

Even names like Alfonso Cuaron (creator) and J.J. Abrams (executive producer) couldn’t stop this show about Bo Adams, a young girl with psychic and telekinetic powers, from being taken off air after 13 episodes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNDECLARED (2001), 17 EPISODES

Judd Apatow’s follow-up to Freaks and Geeks was another one-season wonder with a cult following. Undeclared follows  the life of a college freshman who tries to reinvent himself and faces the trials of every college-going student. A pre-fame Charlie Hunnam and Seth Rogen star in the show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

WONDERFALLS (2004), 13 EPISODES

A Niagra Falls gift shop clerk can speak to the animal-shaped trinkets in the shop, who give her instructions to help people in need. Created by Bryan Fuller and Todd Holland, Wonderfalls is quirky and fun, with Caroline Dhavernas turning in a stellar act as Jaye Tyler.