I wonder how much of a difference watching a series via straight-through with dvds vs. watching week to week makes re: our perceptions of that series. For instance, other than Brothatime!!, I'm the only person I know who started watching Mad Men from week one and has only seen it on Bravo each Sunday night as it comes out. Everyone else I know has watched in large chunks or whole seasons via dvds (or the marathons on AMC before the new season begins.) And almost nobody has seemed to really agree with my frustration as the show has featured less and less of the office, and more and more of Don's past/lovers/wife blah blahwhogivesashit.
For one, I think the expectations coming in are different - when the show started, I was very much under the impression I would be watching a show about the inner-office workings of a 1960's office and the daily cutthroat office politics that takes place. But someone who missed a season or two and then picked it up either with new episodes or going back and watching the dvds may be, thanks to the media, under the impression that they're gonna be watching the story of Don Draper and his shadowy, dark past etc etc, so that person wouldn't be as surprised or annoyed at the soap opera it's allowed itself to become.
Also, the whole watching-a-series-with-dvds is a different style of watching altogether. For instance, maybe I'll look at the clock and realize there's only 5 minutes left and they've hardly spent any time in the office, and will be greatly annoyed cause I know I gotta wait a whole week to see more. But if you have, say, Season One on dvd, you don't get as impatient cause you have the next 6-7-8 or whatever hours sitting there waiting for you, so it's not as big a deal.
Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not. These are just theories. From, some might say, an amazing man. Sigh.
3 comments:
I always wonder this too! We Netflix everything and I often wonder how people who watch Dexter or Deadwood feel about the series when they have to wait week to week. Or even season to season. Does your perception of a season of The Wire change if you watch it back to back with another season. As opposed to having to wait forever for another season. Like, maybe Netflixxing The Wire made me for fickle when the average viewer is just grateful they get a new season to watch.
Did that even make sense?
Monica
Dammit. I meant "more fickle" not "for fickle."
makes sense to me. i also like to feel like Im watching it along with tons of other people across the country. is that too old-fashioned?
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