Bungee-Watching

So, we recently discovered the delights of a human thing where you watch a lot of television programmes in rapid succession. Bingeing. I thought that was actually jumping off a high space with an elastic band attached to your ankles.

Although the hubster reliably informed me that the term is actually binge-watching, the other being bungee-jumping. I should really play more attention.

Now, I can understand how the bunge-watching thing came about. I remember the days when your favourite program would be on once a week and if you missed it, that was it. Your life could literally revolve around watching your favourite show. And then video recording equipment came into being. You could record it and watch it at a later date.

Ah, the freedom!

But you still had to wait a week until the next instalment. I suppose you could still bunge-watch but you’d have to wait until the entire series had finished. Oh, and we called it a series too. Back in the day, ‘season‘ didn’t apply to television shows. There were only four seasons of anything – spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Oh, and the classical music piece The Four Seasons by Vivaldi. Okay, eight. Aah, and the 1960s American band The Four Seasons. Right, that’s twelve in all. But even so, still a lot less than you get with modern television shows. Everything’s a season.

And the term ‘season” can be a bit confusing. It implies, as with the weather and music (classical or otherwise), that there’s more than one. I remember a show I particularly liked from a couple of years ago (I’ve just checked. It was five. Five? Really? Still, you know how bad vampires are with keeping track of time). Where was I going with this?

Oh yes, the show I liked.

A modern retelling of one of my favourite gothic horror stories, updated to take place in the 1930s. I watched it all avidly, even buying the disc recording of it in order to bunge-watch it again. Especially as it had ended on a tantalising cliffhanger. I eagerly awaited to hear news of a second series/season. To no avail.

And then there was this thing called streaming. I didn’t realise initially what it meant, but we quickly discovered its delights, with whole series, sorry, seasons of older programmes available to watch relentlessly. So, yes, that show was on there. Yet another re-watch took place. More exciting, however, was one phrase that appeared on its title page…

“Season 1”

Yes!

And then I looked it up. No more ‘seasons’. It had been cancelled. It was just automatically called ‘season 1’. Pah. It’s just the terminology with the new technology. No apology.

Perhaps someone was inspired by the quote from Ecclesiastes.

“To every thing there is a season”

I was disappointed, to say the least. But, between streaming and having the discs, it can be watched over and over. And it will be.

It’s so easy to get caught up by all these different shows… from crime-fighting zombies to troubled detectives with their ‘quirky’ ‘consultants’ to every possible variation on the theme of ‘teenager finds s/he has special powers and a secret destiny’.

Oh well. We’re still letting our lives be ruled by the bogglebox. Or whatever.

Better that than jumping off a bridge with an elastic band attached to your ankles.

What’s your favourite show at the mo? I’d love to hear your recommendations! After all, winter is coming. The weather’s miserable, and none of us are going anywhere anyway at the moment.

I’m now off to make myself some popcorn. There’s bound to be a show on there that involves a teenage vampire-zombie with previously undiscovered magical powers who has discovered a special destiny working with the New York Police Department alongside a grumpy but attractive potential love-interest detective who was orphaned at a young age and now battles with an addiction to custard cream biscuits.

And if not, there should be.

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