6 ms·

> Apart from that I think that binge-watching the first > 4 episodes is a stupid idea that will make you ache > for a month waiting for the 5th episode

> Apart from that I think that binge-watching the first > 4 episodes is a stupid idea that will make you ache > for a month waiting for the 5th episode ☺. For me, I find more enjoyment in binging shows than being drip-fed, I watched all 4 in a row and don't regret not waiting (besides I've waited 12 months I can wait a few more weeks for more.) But more importantly, my online activity means I'll probably be spoiled before the 4th episode airs, not to mention people "predicting" events (read: passing off spoilers as theory) throughout the coming weeks. I'd rather not take that risk, personally, the cost of spoilers far outweighs the costs of waiting for me.

asillystory 12y ago
Binging makes the pacing of slow shows way more tolerable.
- nissimk 12y ago
  Yes, I was wondering why they sent 4 episodes for review. Then I watched the first episode and I saw why...nothing is going to happen until the 4th episode. They've been teasing us with white walkers since season 1. And those dragons too...they were born in season 1 or 2 and they've hardly killed anyone yet. I guess I'm a sucker for the never-ending suspense...best show on tv.
  - joshvm 12y ago
    The 'problem' is that there are relatively few minor characters. Though there are clearly some overarching plot lines, pretty much all the arcs are very important to the story. As a result you've got to focus a little bit on each person and in a 55 minute show that means 5-10 minutes per story arc per episode. This only gets worse as more characters become important. It's somewhat balanced by other characters being killed off, mind!
    - Redoubts 12y ago
      It feels like there should be a lot more than 10 episodes per season.
  - MichaelGG 12y ago
    Friend that have read the books say this is the same problem in the books. Nothing really happens. Things drag on and on. I love watching GoT due to the high-quality production mixed with nudity and occasional awesome scenes. But I've given up on really enjoying much of the plot progress.
- rasz_pl 12y ago
  Maybe you are thinking of Fast Forward button in you player? My time is precious to me, I stopped watching TV. Everything comes out of mplayer now, and if I cant fast forward whenever I want I simply dont touch that content. That touchy feely 2 minute character building all talk no action scene between two insignificant parts in Walking Dead? Two clicks and its gone.
  - allemagne 12y ago
    Seems a little like you have a pretty efficient system for watching all that TV you don't watch.
untog 12y ago
I'm the opposite. I love watching an episode then devouring every piece of online content about it over the next week. I subscribe to the subreddits (the GOT one will not allow discussion of the leaked episodes), enjoy every conspiracy theory, etc. etc. - compared to a show like House of Cards, where I just watch it and drop it.
cookiecaper 12y ago
I honestly think that there needs to be a compromise between the weekly releases common in TV and the season dumps common by streaming services like Netflix. Dumping the whole season at once doesn't allow any communal discussion or suspense, dragging it out over 2 months is meant more to drive revenue for the distributors than the enjoyment of the viewing public. I think releasing 3 episodes a week is probably the optimal strategy; it gives the show's communities time to confer and it keeps a reasonable pace without placing what some apparently feel is a demand to watch all 13 episodes in one sitting. It mitigates spoiler paranoia that you get with Netflix shows (which only further diminishes the communal aspects) and does other good things. I think it's all around the best strategy for the consumer. I understand Netflix uses binge releases as one of its selling points, but maybe now that they've established a respectable pedigree, they can stage some of their releases in iterations moving forward.
- MollyR 12y ago
  Yea I agree. My co-workers were talking about Netflix's Daredevil series, and we ran into these exact issues. We kept trying to avoid spoilers, we ended up just changing the topic. It all seemed a little weird to me.
- Kalium 12y ago
  A compromise already exists. It's really very simple - you and friends agree on a pace to watch a show at. This is flexible, and can fit any schedule! You and friends can watch in whatever pattern you want, and it requires exactly nothing of Netflix! You can deploy this method today! This would unquestionably satisfy your needs. Why would you need anything other than a dump from Netflix?
  - cookiecaper 12y ago
    It doesn't satisfy the needs of the larger community. Yes, if you watch in person with a group of a few friends and that's all you care about, this works fine. It can't realistically be implemented on the scale of something like a subreddit or a whole office. There is a massive difference in both quality and activity between /r/HouseOfCards and /r/GameOfThrones. The "season dump" just doesn't work on a scale that exceeds one living room.
joshstrange 12y ago
I'm right there with you, there is quite a bit you can miss by NOT binging on a show stuff that you may forget over the span of a week but when watching them back-to-back you pick up on. Now some people might just say "well if you were half-way intelligent you would remember and get the long-running or episode-spanning jokes/themes/etc" but that's just how my memory works. I distill down to the facts I need and throw away much of the rest knowing I can always get them back if wanted (by re-watching). By binging I don't have time to forget the little things and it makes it more enjoyable to me. That said this doesn't mean I NEVER pick up on jokes/recurring themes just that I pick up on a lot more by binging. I also agree with the spoilers. The cat is out of the bag and I'm not going to potentially ruin the show by waiting for each to air (and seeing spoilers or "theories") especially after waiting this long for the new season.

asillystory 12y ago

Binging makes the pacing of slow shows way more tolerable.

nissimk 12y ago
Yes, I was wondering why they sent 4 episodes for review. Then I watched the first episode and I saw why...nothing is going to happen until the 4th episode. They've been teasing us with white walkers since season 1. And those dragons too...they were born in season 1 or 2 and they've hardly killed anyone yet. I guess I'm a sucker for the never-ending suspense...best show on tv.
- joshvm 12y ago
  The 'problem' is that there are relatively few minor characters. Though there are clearly some overarching plot lines, pretty much all the arcs are very important to the story. As a result you've got to focus a little bit on each person and in a 55 minute show that means 5-10 minutes per story arc per episode. This only gets worse as more characters become important. It's somewhat balanced by other characters being killed off, mind!
  - Redoubts 12y ago
    It feels like there should be a lot more than 10 episodes per season.
- MichaelGG 12y ago
  Friend that have read the books say this is the same problem in the books. Nothing really happens. Things drag on and on. I love watching GoT due to the high-quality production mixed with nudity and occasional awesome scenes. But I've given up on really enjoying much of the plot progress.
rasz_pl 12y ago
Maybe you are thinking of Fast Forward button in you player? My time is precious to me, I stopped watching TV. Everything comes out of mplayer now, and if I cant fast forward whenever I want I simply dont touch that content. That touchy feely 2 minute character building all talk no action scene between two insignificant parts in Walking Dead? Two clicks and its gone.
- allemagne 12y ago
  Seems a little like you have a pretty efficient system for watching all that TV you don't watch.

untog 12y ago

I'm the opposite. I love watching an episode then devouring every piece of online content about it over the next week. I subscribe to the subreddits (the GOT one will not allow discussion of the leaked episodes), enjoy every conspiracy theory, etc. etc. - compared to a show like House of Cards, where I just watch it and drop it.

cookiecaper 12y ago

I honestly think that there needs to be a compromise between the weekly releases common in TV and the season dumps common by streaming services like Netflix. Dumping the whole season at once doesn't allow any communal discussion or suspense, dragging it out over 2 months is meant more to drive revenue for the distributors than the enjoyment of the viewing public. I think releasing 3 episodes a week is probably the optimal strategy; it gives the show's communities time to confer and it keeps a reasonable pace without placing what some apparently feel is a demand to watch all 13 episodes in one sitting. It mitigates spoiler paranoia that you get with Netflix shows (which only further diminishes the communal aspects) and does other good things. I think it's all around the best strategy for the consumer. I understand Netflix uses binge releases as one of its selling points, but maybe now that they've established a respectable pedigree, they can stage some of their releases in iterations moving forward.

MollyR 12y ago
Yea I agree. My co-workers were talking about Netflix's Daredevil series, and we ran into these exact issues. We kept trying to avoid spoilers, we ended up just changing the topic. It all seemed a little weird to me.
Kalium 12y ago
A compromise already exists. It's really very simple - you and friends agree on a pace to watch a show at. This is flexible, and can fit any schedule! You and friends can watch in whatever pattern you want, and it requires exactly nothing of Netflix! You can deploy this method today! This would unquestionably satisfy your needs. Why would you need anything other than a dump from Netflix?
- cookiecaper 12y ago
  It doesn't satisfy the needs of the larger community. Yes, if you watch in person with a group of a few friends and that's all you care about, this works fine. It can't realistically be implemented on the scale of something like a subreddit or a whole office. There is a massive difference in both quality and activity between /r/HouseOfCards and /r/GameOfThrones. The "season dump" just doesn't work on a scale that exceeds one living room.

joshstrange 12y ago

I'm right there with you, there is quite a bit you can miss by NOT binging on a show stuff that you may forget over the span of a week but when watching them back-to-back you pick up on. Now some people might just say "well if you were half-way intelligent you would remember and get the long-running or episode-spanning jokes/themes/etc" but that's just how my memory works. I distill down to the facts I need and throw away much of the rest knowing I can always get them back if wanted (by re-watching). By binging I don't have time to forget the little things and it makes it more enjoyable to me. That said this doesn't mean I NEVER pick up on jokes/recurring themes just that I pick up on a lot more by binging. I also agree with the spoilers. The cat is out of the bag and I'm not going to potentially ruin the show by waiting for each to air (and seeing spoilers or "theories") especially after waiting this long for the new season.