On Bingewatching

March 3, 2015 by Ray Morgan

On bingewatching

Last week I had an email come through on my phone and I'm not going to lie, it made me squeal with excitement. Netflix had emailed me saying, basically, Ray, clear your diary for House of Cards. The whole series - yes, the WHOLE SERIES - was being loaded onto the system on Friday. I could barely contain myself. Thirteen sweet hours of political drama, double crossing, and Kevin Spacey talking threateningly into the camera.

It also stresses me out slightly, in one of the worst-offending 'first world problems' of them all - you already have a box-set on the go when another one is released. I'm currently making my way through Twin Peaks for the first time (I know, I know, where have I been etc) - but it's just going to have to go head to head with House of Cards. House of Cards is always put on Netflix in its entirety, so I can just slay my way through the whole thing. But when Twin Peaks was first broadcast, people had to actually wait a week to find out what happened next. I've had it lucky - I have it on DVD, so I can treat myself to the next episode immediately to find out if Leo catches Bobby and Shelly at it (also known as the Riskiest Affair Of All Time).

But I do remember loving that suspense growing up - having to wait a whole week for the next instalment, and no Internet to spoil things. The way we watch TV has changed so much. I remember going into school on Monday and spending a good 30 minutes discussing a band's performance on Top of the Pops the previous Friday. It sent us all in a spin: oh my god did you see Oasis on TOTP? We waited patiently until three days later to chat about it at school! We also waited a week to see if Ross really did cheat on Rachel, with only the slightest, vaguest clue to tease us in Big! magazine.

I have also got into a habit of reading the Guardian's episode-by-episode reviews of box sets, one at a time, after watching each one. It started with their set of reviews entitled Notes From The Break-Room, where they'd unpick the themes and plots of each Mad Men episode as they were broadcast. I devoured each blog - even down to when they'd highlight certain cultural references from the 1960s which I could later read about. Talk about geek heaven.

One Christmas, when my partner and I both had rotten colds and a week of annual leave, we watched the whole fourth series of Mad Men. Just like that - a few days after we'd started, it was all over, and we had the long, aching wait for the next series. Orange is the New Black - same again. Binged on the second season until it was all over too quickly and we wished we'd been a bit more measured with our viewing. I tore through every single season of Arrested Development in anticipation of the latest on Netflix (heck, it's the REASON I got Netflix) but suffered a crushing disappointment when the final series was aired. It was lacklustre, over complicated, and everybody had got a little less cute. Having said that, my undying love for Gob Bluth will never fade.

I for one, love how watching TV has evolved. Yes, having it all there for the taking has made us more impatient but the massive upside? Staying in is *definitely* the new going out. Fire up the telly, put some popcorn on, and get thee under a blanket. This is livin'.

My top 5 box sets of ALL TIME:

1. Six Feet Under. Dark, twisted, funny. A beautiful creation that is often overlooked...
2. Mad Men. It will make you want to drink whisky, write with pencils, and wear more hats.
3. Parks and Recreation. Leslie Knope is my favourite character on TV. Love.
4. Roseanne. Acerbic children! Realistic family struggles! Long telephone cords!
5. I'm going to cheat with this one. I am choosing Seinfeld AND Curb Your Enthusiasm. Because Larry David. *takes a bow*