Netflix at its finest
By Aaron Guillen, Staff Reporter
Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica—I began watching The Office (US) on January 1. When did I finish all nine seasons? A mere 20 days later. However you phrase it, those 201 episodes translated into 2.7 days or 65 hours of office parties, pranks, and promotions. Don’t get me wrong; it was not an easy task. But somehow, I managed to fit eight years of television into the short span of three weeks. How did I do it? How can I explain? Before I do, let me preface with the events leading up to this legendary binge.
Within the past year, the binge-watching phenomenon everyone raved about finally reared its ugly head and grabbed hold of me. Upon setting up my first Netflix account at the end of 2015, I breezed through The Mindy Project, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Freaks and Geeks, and Friends. After what I deemed as quite an eventful winter vacation, I took a much needed break from Netflix. I deactivated my account and went cold turkey. I returned shortly after in May 2016, and since then it’s been a journey through the past few months, having watched all seasons of Arrested Development, Community, How to Get Away with Murder, and a re-watch of How I Met Your Mother.
Last year, a handful of my friends began watching The Office after finding it on Netflix. They praised the humour, so I gave the first season a go back in June. I didn’t find it amusing in the slightest, but I returned once again to the show at the start of 2017 and discovered a love for the deadpan mockumentary series. Twenty days later and it was all over. The most important aspect of binge-watching is fitting the show around your life. Surprisingly, I found ways to watch the episodes on a steady stream without missing deadlines simply by multitasking whenever I could. I cleaned my room to the sounds of the theme song, cooked meals while Dwight and Angela had an affair, washed the dishes while Pam and Jim had their wedding, and took transit to classes when Michael moved away with Holly.
On some days, I would take advantage of the time I had before classes by watching several episodes one after the other. All in all, I was able to remain in control. Sometimes moderation beats bingeing—it’s all in how you go about it.
Ideally, binge watching can be a pastime that doesn’t waste time and fits into your daily grind. Then again, who are we kidding? Treat yourself every now and then to a binge watching marathon. You never know how many fantastic shows are still waiting to be watched.
