In praise of binge-watching--sometimes--

I started this summer break by binge-watching Daisy Jones and the Six, which was emotionally fraught and incredibly well done. It loosely follows the rise and fall of a band, with the main character modeled a lot on the experiences of Christine McVie. I felt a real loss when I was done with the series. The music, the time period (1970s), all bring me back to my own childhood and the confusing time it was-- anti-war, open drug and sex use and abuse, women claiming their right to be heard-- all of it, set in a format that was interesting to watch. The premise of the program is that the members of the band, many years later, are being interviewed as part of a documentary about the band, which is then told through the events, the characters, and the social contexts. It is really well-acted, especially the portrayal of Daisy by Riley Keough. There's even an album that can be purchased on Amazon, titled Aurora--the music from the series, and it's on vinyl as well as more current platforms and a cd. Verisimilitude rules! (Yes, it is on my wish-list.)

Lately, I've been glued to another series, this time one on Hulu, called Only Murders in the Building, which is the brain child of Steve Martin and a host of other luminaries. Such fun! I powered through the first season, and I'm into the second-- and the second murder-- and it is awesome. Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Shirley MacLaine!!! Nathan Lane!!! It's reminiscent of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians and Clue, together. It has some deeper, poignant moments embedded in a raucously absurd plot that twists and turns. The premise: these people who live in an historic co-op building in New York have connections that go back generations, and they stumble over lies and deceptions while trying to solve an inconvenient murder of another resident--one who is known to one of them, unbeknownst to the others (at least, at first)-- well, it's too complicated to retell here, anyhow. And all of this is being recorded as an episodic, real-time podcast. So, a murder mystery series that is a podcast, with actual merchandise being sold throughout to other characters, but the merch is also available on Amazon. The second season also has a murder of a resident who was not well-liked-- like the title says, they are concerned with ONLY murders in the building. It's a perfect, cozy mystery, and follows the formula of that genre really well.

And the meta-craziness is so enjoyable! (And yes, I kind of want the sweatshirt...)

As you all know, I'm a devoted reader, but sometimes I just like to have a story told to me. The last time I binge-watched a series was Downton Abbey; I was a little late to the party, and I watched four seasons over one Christmas break, in order to be up to speed for the drop of season five. That was pretty awesome, too. So why am I in favor of this type of total immersion experience? Well, because it's a story. And you can get really sucked in, and that's the enjoyable part. I find myself trying to figure out the murders alongside the characters in Only Murders. I was emotionally invested in the relationships in Daisy Jones. With Downton, the history and the sheer visual treat of the costumes and settings, along with the plot, caught me and held me rapt for that week of bingeing. I guess it's escapism.

And escapism is not a bad thing, as long as it's not unhealthy ...though I was up way too late last night, and I have to caffeinate to function this morning!

Have a glorious day,

C