Orphan Is The New Black

Here’s another resurrected and recolored FANEURYSM comic. As I explained here, there are a few FANEURYSM comics that I don’t want to allow to slip into the void of the Internet’s hazy memory, and that fit in nicely with the aesthetic of Sharkzpode. You can see the original version HERE.

I just finished season 3 of Orange Is The New Black. The shift in tone took a couple of episodes to get used to, but eventually it felt like a nicer balance between heart warming/chilling character development, drama and comedy than previous seasons. I like that Piper is now the least interesting character on the show. I wonder how long we’re going to have to wait for the rest of network and cable TV to catch up to Netflix in terms of them having found the perfect format for releasing serialized video entertainment chunks. I would rather every single show I watch just hold on the entire season until it’s complete, then release it all at once. I would also rather every show that tries to keep itself interesting for 22 episodes to cut that nonsense in half. Brevity is the soul of wit and 18ish hours is hardly brief when you’re really only telling one A story and a couple of B and C stories.

I’ve let Orphan Black pile up on the DVR this season. It’s all there waiting for me, but I haven’t felt motivated to watch it. I think the first seasons was perfect, and the 2nd started to flail a bit in terms of direction. I still think Tatiana Maslany deserves each and every acting accolade and award that we, as a species, are capable of giving out, but I just haven’t felt like spending any time in the clone zone. The fact that I don’t feel like I’m missing out (because I know it’s still on my DVR and will be there waiting for me when I’m ready) falls right in line with my admiration for the “release ’em all when ther’ done!” TV model. For me, a TV show has become a thing like an album. When I get a new one that I like, I listen to it on repeat almost exclusively for days or weeks. When I binge watch a show, I feel the same way. I want to spend time in the world that bit of entertainment allows me entrance to. I want to enter that particular headspace and swim around in it for an extended amount of time. It’s much more immersive for me to enjoy art this way. To just wrap myself up in it day after day for a week or two, then spend a few days decompressing and thinking about what it meant or how it made me feel.

SHARKSPLODERS: What bit of entertainment did you immerse yourself in for days or weeks at a time, and why?

 

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0 Comments

  1. I haven’t really binged in anything since way back when I lived in a fan household and we’d watch episodes of Babylon 5 sent by friends overseas, when Australia was late getting them broadcast.

    On the topic of Orphan Black (last episode of season 3 to screen here tomorrow) when you get to the end of season 2, i would be interested to see if you think, as I did
    *****************************
    *NO REAL SPOILERS*
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    “Yes, the already complex plot line really needed that additional complication.”

  2. We just watched all of the second season of Utopia (not having seen season 1) Now we have to watch season 1, although both were pretty self contained in 6 episodes. I mean, HAVE TO WATCH season 1. Why isn’t it bought from Amazon yet, WHY?

  3. Ooh, good analogy with the season = album. I listen to almost exclusively whole albums at a time myself, so listening to just one song would for me be like watching just one episode of a season. I’m a big fan of both of these shows, though, sadly, I’m very far behind on both.

  4. I finally finished S2 of Orphan Black, but yeah, it took me a while. The first few eps felt like they were going off the rails (ok, even more so I guess). But the last eps have some great moments. I do have to be in a particular head space for the ‘clone zone’ as you put it. It’s the most intense thing I’m capable of watching, we’ll see how long that lasts…I can see a lot of yelling and throwing things at the tv for S3.

  5. I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who thought the 3rd season “felt” different. The first 2 seasons I binge watched in a couple of days, but this one I watched the first episode and it felt a little off to me, and I didn’t watch the 2nd episode for a couple days, and then a couple more days to watch the third one But after the third one I watched 3 or four more right away, and binge watched the rest over the next day or so. I also like that they are exploring other’s back stories a little more, and also like the direction they took with Piper. And the last five minutes of the finale really set next season up to be really interesting, and I can’t wait for it now.

    As far as having entire episodes released at once, I agree with you. Would rather wait until it’s all there to watch. One episode at a time seems really archaic now. Could be I’m just more used to having an entire season at my disposal, as since giving up TV it’s either been watch full seasons on Netflix or buy entire seasons on BR/DVD when they are released. When there was just one episode at a time to watch, I would inevitably miss one or two with work, or DVR screwing up and recording the wrong show or something. Then if I missed too many I would be lost when I finally did catch up, and I would either lose interest altogether or just not feel as involved in the show, Having all episodes at once stops that from happening.

    Probably within the next 5-10 years network tv will be gone, and this will be the new way of things.

  6. Battle star Galactica I got it cause my uncle hated the show and he had season one and two so I took it of his hands and found the one and only battle star Galactica the original doesn’t exsist in my opinion that and cylons are amazing

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