#tv is not meth

[shackleton2]

it's true and I say this as an avid binge-watcher who in the stone age had to look up transcripts of episodes because I couldn't wait THREE ENTIRE DAYS OF MY LIFE FOR NETFLIX TO MAIL ME THE NEXT DVD

Seasons of TV released as one fat drop of 8-12 1-1.5hr episodes, literally being told THIS IS FOR YOU TO BINGE IN ONE INSANE SITTING is the exact definition of my dreams and desires.

......why are they no good??

I can definitely think of exceptions, but "both of them have too much time and not enough time for the characters to struggle and grow and change," as it's well-put above, does seem to be the rule more and more. But what does that phrase really mean??

I saw something recently weighing in on this and saying series in particular seem to think every single thing depicted on screen has to move the story forward, possibly because everything is angled to encourage "binging". It's funny because that sounds like it should do the opposite of making the story feel ponderous and pointless!! So what's going on?

Maybe it's because Real Life™ isn't constantly moving towards one plot resolution, so the more you write a story where that's true, the more impossible true immersion for the viewer becomes?

But also I think actively designing a series to be compulsively watched in one or two massive sittings is hurting them as stories. Maybe it's because bingeing, especially as it's understood in other contexts, is not about enjoying something massively good, at least not after the initial part.

We all know this, right? You don't binge on something because it's just sooooo good. Are there people out there who have never done any kind of binge? Maybe so, so I'll tell you because I surely have: it's inertia. A really scary kind, to be honest, that feels, after a while of getting acclimated to nonstop-consuming the thing, like an absolute involuntary need. Because the second I stop eating the family sized bag of chips, stop taking another drink, stop lighting another smoke, reality will come rushing back in place of the comfort-stimulus. And in reality I am not experiencing joy or even pleasure, I am experiencing the kind of existential horror you get when you try to convince yourself you don't actually have to deal with your own mind. This 100% applies to letting the next episode autoplay after 5 hours of watching one story unfold.

Sorry I got kinda dark there, but the point I'm trying to illustrate is that I don't think you NEED a GOOD PRODUCT in order to get people to binge. And, well, that shows more and more with this "content" streaming services are releasing.

True Blood was a hot mess in so many ways and my mental health sure as shit was too but holy shit watching that obsessively years back was so FUN. That show and other story-loves of mine feel different from stuff getting released in full-season streaming dumps right now, and I don't think it's quality of writing or acting or effects or anything else making the difference as much as whether a show seems to genuinely LIKE itself, or whether it's counting on you finding it preferable enough to reality to let the next episode play and thus get good stats.

we need 15-20 episode seasons again these limited series have the worst pacing in the world and none of the character decisions hold any weight

[henchdench1]

JUST BEING ME LOL

# pnp play

# meth fuck

#meth head

[crimeronan]

found myself trying to describe jesse pinkman's personality in DMs just now and could only say "it's like.... the sweetest weirdest and most angsty parts of hunter owlhouse. jesse is hunter with a meth addiction."

[scrunchyourtoesformekitten]

drunk in her bed like

[heyimanowl]

Yeah man finally that guy again

[lvox2nitel]

Any thoughts on methamphetamine?

It’s fine. I guess. I don’t have it often since I have to be sober for work. Sometimes Val convinces me to do it.

(Idk bro. Quality is shit dude)

[gobbluthbutagirl]

i really used to think i was a Sitcoms Person but i’m trying to type out a tier list/ranking in my notes app of every show i’ve ever seen (in recent years), as one does at like 12:50 or whatever in the morning, and my “S-tier” section so far is one sitcom and 4 dramas. Which could mean nothing

[takunwilliams]

Walter White 2024

[persimnon]

caption was then edited to

bashing sab s2 is not enough. i need to start killing the showrunners

[l1zzygr4ntforever]

it's like a hollywood movie, black and white, we're sparklin' truly

♡°♡°♡°♡°♡°♡°♡°♡°♡°♡°♡

[woozapooza]

I almost reblogged this post because it's funny but then I thought about it and realized that neither part of it is true:

Walt is absolutely good at some things other than chemical synthesis, such as manipulating Jesse into doing his bidding, manipulating Skyler into not turning him in, getting out of some tight corners (such as luring Hank away from the RV), outwitting Gus, and crafting an effective kingpin persona (I'm not just talking about the hat, although the hat obviously rocks—I'm talking about things like the literally explosive show he puts on for Tuco in "Crazy Handful of Nothin'").

I guess it's true that Walt isn't usually "enjoying himself" (I wouldn't say "at no point whatsoever", but I'll make an allowance for hyperbole), but he's not after fun or joy—he's after fulfillment, he's after a twisted sort of self-actualization. I don't know how anyone could hear him say "I'm in the empire business" and not get the sense that he's found what he was after!

[tomwambsmilk]

I love reading posts directed at “Jesse” and having to stop and parse whether they’re directed at Succession showrunner Jesse Armstrong or Jesse Breaking Bad. Or both

[ensaiosobrealgumacoisa]

[litres-of-cocaine]

i feel like the distinctions people make between heisenberg and walter white are comparable to the greedler and the onceler. when do we start shipping them.

[lerr-writes-fic]

8 Shows To Get To Know Me

thanks for tagging me @stephmcx!! I'm always so surprised when people tag me in these things 🥹🥹

8 of my favorite shows are M*A*S*H, Twin Peaks, Dynasty, Seven Deadly Sins, Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Witcher, Hawaii Five-0, and Gorl World YouTube Drama

you can read my unhinged ramblings below the cut ♥️♥️

M*A*S*H: this show was my absolute favorite in high school, and it took me so long to watch because I had to rely on re-runs. If I was lucky, I would catch 2 episodes Monday-Thursday and 1-2 episodes on Saturday 12-2am. The series finale completely destroyed me to the point that I have a hard time finishing any TV show these days.

Twin Peaks: yet another show where the then series finale really stuck with me until we got The Return finale which also really stuck with me. Special Agent Dale Cooper remains one of my all-time favorite characters. His optimism and work ethic are inspirational.

Dynasty: y'all haven't lived until you watch an 80's soap opera. The drama and wardrobe are phenomenal. Some of the craziest shit I've ever seen was in Dynasty season 2 and 3. The plot points to get to this clip... incredible.

Seven Deadly Sins: this is the first anime I really got into, and it changed my life. Ban was my first husbando, and the rest is history. The series finally ended in two parts last year, and I kinda wish the second part never happened. It's sad that the series was dropped from the original animation studio, so later seasons do not have great animation. It's a fun ride! Just don't want the second half of the last season.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: a lot of my favorite shows have endings that just rocked my world, and boy howdy is Evangelion one of them. At the end of the anime, I was very hopeful, but I was devastated after finishing End of Evangelion. Two endings that are supposed to be the same but different. I am Shinji. Shinji is me. I first watched this show in 2019 and then rewatched in 2021, and it hit different in the midst of a pandemic and after the Texas 2021 Winter Storm. Excited to rewatch again this year!

The Witcher: while I prefer the video games now, the show is so good that I ended up binging the first season in 1 day with a friend of mine and then I bought Witcher 3 on my PS4 the next day. The rest is history. I love Geralt of Rivia so much. He is my special traumatized old man with a praise kink who has seen some shit boy.

Hawaii Five-0: this is not a show, it is a gay fever dream. I started watching this show while visiting my grandmother last year because she had crime show re-runs on constantly, and I always hoped that Hawaii Five-0 would come on. I am continually amazed by how close Steve and Danny are that I sometimes don't believe it's a real show. How did they get away with it all and still not make McDanno canon? They lived together, went to couple's counseling, shared the same bed, cuddled on the couch, DANNY TOLD STEVE TO PICK A BASE. gay gay homosexual gay.

Gorl World YouTube Drama: I fell into Gorl World about 2 years ago, boy howdy I can't stop watching. I don't enjoy reality television, but I sure as fuck am down to watch hours uponhours of coverage on everything that goes down with Foodie Beauty, ALR, Nikocado Avocado, and others. FB in particular bc her life is so buckwild that it can't be real. i miss the nashie era. long live Queen BBJ ♥️♥️