Jessie: Trying to hear myself think over the chattering of my teeth in the frozen north.
Sometimes it is just too cold and dark to consider leaving the the house. Often in the depths of winter it can be a trial to pry oneself from the warmth of a comfy bed. Such times are custom made for Netflix or Hulu binge watching.
Diving headlong into other times, other lives and even other worlds is so appealing that it’s tempting to watch episode after episode until you’ve forgotten where you are and maybe even who. With all the exotic locations, lavish lifestyles and sumptuous costumes to enjoy why would you want to remember everyday life anyway?
The only problem is, just like that, you’ve reached the end of the available episodes. You’re left blinking and disoriented by the total lack of Vikings or Prohibition era gangsters in your living room. There are no bells to ring for white capped maids, no air raid shelters, no consultations at 221B Baker St.
So, readers, my question is this: is it better to binge or not to binge on your favorites? The pleasure of immersion vs. a more sedately paced building of Houses of Cards, visits to Lilyhammer and even family reunions with the Sons of Anarchy? Do you derive more pleasure from spreading out your preferred indulgences or do you race through one series and then go looking for a new passion? Do you do the same with book series or even favorite authors? And of you do prefer to binge, do you ever get tired of a series before you reach then end of it in a way you might not if you spread the watching out over more time?