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Hot take: Blowing through entire seasons in one sitting is a surefire way to ruin great television

I used to think marathoning was the ultimate way to watch, but it just flattens the emotional arcs and character development. After powering through 'The Crown' over a weekend, the historical weight felt completely trivialized, so I've switched to a stricter episode limit.
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2 Comments
scott.simon
Calling bingeing universally ruinous ignores how modern TV is literally engineered for it. The narrative momentum in something like Stranger Things or a tightly-plotted mystery is completely enhanced by back-to-back episodes, letting you hold complex plots in your head. Kim819's moderation point is fair for slower dramas, but treating all TV like a museum piece to be rationed just feels stuffy. My appreciation for a great season often comes from the deep immersion a marathon provides, not from artificially spacing it out lol.
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kim819
kim8192h ago
While I agree that binging can dilute certain narratives, labeling it as universally ruinous overlooks how some series are crafted for consumption in large chunks. Shows with tight, serialized plots often benefit from continuous viewing, as it maintains momentum and coherence. The Crown, with its episodic historical vignettes, probably suffers more from marathoning than something like a thriller designed to be devoured. Of course, if you're watching prestige drama like it's a bag of chips, you might miss the subtle flavors. Moderation is key, but so is matching your viewing pace to the show's architecture.
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