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Confession- I can binge watch like nobody’s business. Wearing sweats, snuggled up under a cozy blanket, and my Netflix queue is my idea of heaven. It’s remarkable the things I put off in the name of binge watching a TV show.
There are few ways I binge watch. The first way- I’ll watch a series that I’ve seen before from the beginning to the end while I do other things like Pinterest (another addiction) or right before I go to bed at night. These are typically shows like Friends, Gilmore Girls, or How I Met Your Mother that I’ve seen over and over again, and I don’t really have to pay attention to, but can just listen in the background. The second kind of binge watching is when I find a series I have never seen before, start at the beginning, and then become obsessed and can’t stop watching. I’m currently making my way through the third season of Orange Is The New Black. The third way is perhaps my favorite. Sharing a series I’ve seen and loved with a friend who hasn’t seen it, and binge watching it together (a re-binge for me). In fact, as I type, I’m currently re-bingeing (I just made that word up but you get the point) Downton Abbey with Allix who has never seen it before.
Binge-watching a TV show with a partner in crime requires a set of rules. These are to be taken very seriously and are listed below for your reference.
The first (and most important) rule of binge-watching stipulates that if you started a show with a partner, under no circumstances may you watch an episode of said series without that partner. You and your roommate started Friday Night Lights together and now she’s out of town? Season 2 will have to wait.
All food orders must be placed before an episode begins. Don’t be the person who spends 20 minutes figuring out which Thai place to order from on Seamless, causing you to miss what’s going on forcing a rewind. In addition, all dishes should be washed, hair should be flat-ironed and all eyewear should be cleaned (I’m talking to you Shelby) either prior to or after the binge-watching. Multi-tasking may be productive, but it’s distracting to others and thus strongly discouraged.
The only acceptable exceptions for a pause: bathroom breaks (within reason), and answering the doorbell to accept delivery orders. The FaceTime call from your father will have to wait. Sorry Dad.
iPhones, iPads, iMacs, and all other “i” devices are banned from the Netflix viewing area.
Both parties involved in the binge-watching should share realistic expectations. What is your agreed upon max number of episodes? How long is it acceptable to go without showering? How much Tim Riggins can you potentially handle in one sitting? Do you prefer to think on an episode for a few minutes before clicking “next,” or are you on to the next epsiode before the credits begin? It helps to have a strategy in place.
What are your favorite shows to binge watch?
Ashley xx