#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!

[mummer]

on the topic of jesse from breaking bad being a kafkaesque figure for real i went back and reread kafka’s aphorisms and was like Wow….. Just like Jesse……..

[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