Here’s a hypothetical situation – You’ve been injected with a highly potent drug every day for a month. You’re addicted to the buzz. You can’t live without it any more.
That’s exactly what watching only one episode of a show does to a MF. We’re not used to waiting anymore, and to suddenly have to withstand entire weeks for the next episode of Loki is excruciating.
Back in the day, we didn’t know any better. We used to watch an episode of Lost on Zee Cafe and then wait it out till next Sunday no problem. But now we’ve tasted blood. Binge-watching has imprinted itself onto our DNA.
It’s 2021 now, and we’re way past the pain or effort it takes to finish a series going one episode a week. Not only is it improbable, frankly – it’s impossible.
There was this glorious period in the middle where every release came out in its totality. A product as a whole that we could finish overnight before waking up bleary-eyed for work the next morning.
So what changed? Why did the powers that be suddenly get together and decide we had to go back to the dark ages. What are we, savages?!
I, for one, am a sucker for immediate gratification. And the shot of dopamine that flows into my system as I see a new release with all episodes out is incomparable.
But alas, such is the world right now – Bees are dying, glaciers are melting, and Rick and Morty only releases one episode a week.
I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who love that we’re back to this model of keeping the anticipation and suspense building. But not me. I’m off to Change.org to start a petition to change this crap.