Reading the articles about binging old TV shows interested me, particularly because that is not really how I found relief in the pandemic. Sure, I rewatched episodes of The Office and Schitt's Creek, but I would have done that anyway. Thinking about the content I absorbed while stuck at home from March to August (and again over winter break), it was largely new content, but content that was comforting in its own ways.
For one, my mom and I began watching Jeopardy! religiously, every night at 7:30 PM. With all the uncertainty that came from the news and the virus, it was nice to be able to count on Alex being there every night. Jeopardy! provided some organization to the schedule, something to look forward to each night after dinner. With the consistent formula of each episode, I never felt overwhelmed while enjoying it, especially not with Alex's playful demeanor.
Similarly, I turned to reading mystery novels during quarantine. I loved reading mysteries in middle school, but in high school with assigned books, reading was somewhat tainted for me and I never really read a book for pleasure (at least not all the way through). The pandemic provided a good opportunity to get into reading again, with an abundance of time to do so. Reading both Agatha Christie classics and more modern mysteries, I appreciated the consistency that I could expect with the novels: introduce the characters, kill one off, build a false lead, and finally discover the entangled murder plot in a grand reveal. When reading mysteries, I didn't have to worry about deeper messages or reflections from the readings, I could just enjoy the ride. I found myself deeply invested in the books, with my mind buzzing around different possibilities of who killed who, a welcome distraction from the climate of the world around us.
Then there is the political side. Being from the D.C. area, I'm pretty familiar with Washington and very invested in politics. With the political climate being so. . . unique this past year, I found myself turning to political TV shows. All of them. I started with House of Cards pre-pandemic, finishing it once school went all-virtual. I then moved through Designated Survivor, Madam Secretary, Veep, The Politician, and The West Wing, which I'm on the cusp of finishing now. I appreciated being able to see D.C. on the television when I couldn't visit in real life, as I typically would do during the summer. The shows also doubled as an escape from the political reality we were facing. With the news growing crazier every day, it was great to watch each of these shows, which were often more outlandish than (but also sometimes disappointingly similar to) the current state of our government. Each show has absurdities in it's own way, allowing me to change focus off the news.
I found that the articles largely focused on rewatching old shows that we have already seen for comfort. That wasn't really the case for me, aside from rewatching Jane the Virgin, which is always delightfully ridiculous, yet so full of love and happiness (and twists and turns!), but I digress. I found that I was more drawn to consistency and formula in my content, and anything that I could get invested in enough to distract my mind from reality. Rewatching old shows doesn't always do that for me, I often just play old episodes of my favorites in the background while I do other things, rather than devote my full attention to them.
The consistency of the programming allows my mind to relax and not be overwhelmed, while the new content keeps me entertained to the end. My attention span may be on the shorter end, but do you feel that rewatching old favorites can keep your attention as well as new programming can? I feel there are times for rewatching and times for viewing something new, with different relief from each.
My blog wouldn't be complete without featuring a gif of Alex Trebek dancing. He made so many evenings special for me, and he truly helped me get through quarantine - I'm so grateful for all the shows he put on for us.
Jack, I really related to what you had to say about not watching old things for comfort, but rather looking for things that distract you from what's going on. I had that same experience during quarantine -- I gravitated towards new movies and shows with familiar formulas. It was nice to be just the right amount of anxious about something that was not whatever horrible thing was going on outside.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe what you have to say relates to why people love stories more generally. We kind of just tell the same stories over and over again with different window dressing (the hero's journey, that kind of thing). Maybe storytelling is inherently nostalgic, in some ways, always calling back to some other story we've read or watched, and that might be part of why people love them so much. It seems like we look for similar things when we choose what to watch, so I'd be interested in hearing what you have to say.
As someone with a remarkably limited attention span, things that I've seen before usually do not hold my attention at all (with the few exceptions I mentioned in class. Also, I realize that I forgot that I can also rewatch episodes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Star Wars, Hercules, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a few very specific episodes of Glee. Maybe I'm more of a re-watcher than I thought?). However, I also have a hard time paying attention to new movies and shows too, so I'm not sure if that's really a reflection on rewatching things or if it's just a me thing.
Finally, I really love your gifs every week -- they bring me joy.
You worded it perfectly - new shows with familiar formulas being the exact amount of distraction needed. I agree that it that formulaic approach provides the comfort which is why we enjoy so many classics, such as our hero's journey movies, rags to riches documentaries, or Disney princess films.
DeleteOn the flip side, I often do appreciate a really refreshing, unique take on movies and shows (but primarily pre-pandemic when shows were in production and theaters were open). My mind goes to some of the movies I saw in the theaters just before the pandemic hit, including:
- 1917 (unique filming style)
- Parasite (a super interesting film and one of the only non-Spanish foreign films I've watched through)
- Knives Out (a murder mystery influenced by the classics but with it's own approach)
These movies all developed their own takes and provided really captivating viewing experiences, unlike much else I've seen. In normal times, they do a great job of keeping my attention when the classics can't. But now in the pandemic, I do see that shift towards favoring formulaic series like we discussed. While not uninspired, it's just less to take in, and simply more relaxing.
Also, I'm so glad you like the gifs! It's slowly forming a dance party of the thumbnails :)
I actually watched all of those movies during the pandemic, and really loved all of them. I think they're definitely really unique in the ways you mentioned, but I also think that in order to do a unique take on something you still have to reference the original formula, if that makes sense. Like in Knives Out they very intentionally built on our familiarity with the whodunnit formula to pull off the twists. The source material is still the formula we know and love -- it's unique and shocking precisely because it is grounded in the familiar. Or in the case of 1917, the filming style is really cool and unique, but the story it's used to tell pretty closely follows the classic war story format. The reason I thought the way they filmed 1917 was so cool was because it gave us a new way to tell a very old story. I guess what I'm trying to say is that movies can be shocking and formulaic at the same time, and that deviation from a formula requires recognition of the formula to work. I also think that shocking plot twists can be formulaic themselves? Like I watched all of the Nolan movies over quarantine, and even though they all blew my mind, Nolan likes to use the same patterns, and you go into the movie expecting some big plot twist, because that's part of his formula. But also I totally gravitated towards things like the Bond movies over quarantine, which is literally the same exact movie 30 times, so there's definitely meaningful degrees of formulaic-ness, and my preferences definitely did change during the pandemic.
DeleteJack,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the question you had at the end of your blog post, as it raises an interesting comparison. Personally, when I watch TV, I have to pay attention, and I can sometimes become frustrated when I miss the smallest of details--this even applies to YouTube videos, which can be especially annoying when trying to rewind through ads. However, I have had some caveats. I remember a few years ago I was playing Minecraft while listening to a YouTuber tell his life story, and somehow I was still able to remember the details. Additionally, last semester, I decided to listen/watch one of Frank Sinatra's old concerts while doing math homework; specifically, it was a performance he did at Caesar's Palace in '78 (I think I initially found the video on TikTok and became very curious--you know how the rabbit holes of the internet work). These two videos shared the quality that they were long, as in over an hour, the content was mostly aural, and that they were both new. To your point, I can say that these two videos did distract me from the pain of doing Math212 homework and the stress of Minecraft SkyWars. For me, I can safely say that there is a sort of numbing characteristic to media, whether that be programming we've already watched or new content. However, in the context of your question, I think that there is no one way in which media subtracts from our overall discomfort: that is, sometimes it sucks us in so we can't think of the world around us, and sometimes it merely subtracts from our cognitive bandwidth in the background, so what we are doing in the now doesn't hurt so bad. I believe this to be the reason why I love watching Friends while on the bike machine at the gym.
I really like your examples, contrasting how media can be a frustrating distraction in that we can miss out on vital details, yet it can be useful in distracting us (from the paints of 212 homework). I think for me, it really depends on what the content is and how much attention I want to pay to it. For new shows that require a lot of investment, I want to be able to provide relatively undivided attention; with reruns and the classics, having it on in the background is no worry.
DeleteI think with the pandemic, I've been struggling to be able to provide a lot of investment for new shows or movie series, like what we were discussing in class in regards to the overexcitement of our minds during these times. Like your examples with multitasking, I've found myself doing a lot more of that lately.
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DeleteWell said, Jack! Like Alex, your question at the end made me reflect on my own habits...I'm both a rewatcher and an avid consumer of new content, but I'd say that my current state of mind definitely plays a role in what I watch -- or read! As Rina said, you've tapped into the power of stories a bit here, and for me, there are some definite similarities.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that rewatching -- or rereading -- old favorites can keep my attention, but only if I'm in the mood to watch/read them. Something like Jeopardy is a bit different, since there's new content every night -- new questions to answer -- new contestants to root for/against. And most nights, I like to get lost in a new story, which is why I prefer binge-watching shows; its like reading a book -- I read a few chapters / watch an episode in a short period of time and get fully lost in the story. If I have to wait every week, I can usually recall events from the past episodes, but not always.
And then there are some times when I just want to reread and rewatch a favorite -- when we just put The Big Bang Theory on or watch National Treasure. But if I'm not in the mood? I will totally check out. Usually, I'll look up something tangentially related and then just spiral out and when I look up, 30 minutes have passed.
Also--dancing Alex just about broke my heart. RIP. :(