Primetime Screen Time

David and I discovered Amazon Prime and Netflix just as the last of the spring TV shows were wrapping up.

You know what that means, right?

Yep, we discovered binge-watching. What did we ever do before?! Watch one show a week and then wait a whole seven days to watch the next episode? In retrospect, that’s just crazy!

I remember one night when we watched from 7 PM until 5 AM. Even for us, that’s a lot of screen time, especially now that we’re old-er-ish. Don’t ask me what we watched that night because that was way too many hours of binge-watching ago. I was just left with the sense that it happened and so we must have enjoyed ourselves. I don’t remember any other details except —

That all-nighter really screwed up my already delicate sleep cycle. Listen, I cannot help if my body and all of its systems, rhythms and cycles came from The School of Just Call Me a Diva and Get Me a Spiked Hot Chocolate, Will Ya? Thanks, Love, You’re a Dear!

I didn’t ask for a diva body, but that’s what I have to work with, which goes completely against my mentality of — I can do anything, anywhere at anytime with only my can-do attitude and a Swiss army knife. I know. The inner me and my body are completely at odds. But now you know why I am the way I am. It took me weeks to get back on a sleep schedule where I could actually go-the-eff-to-sleep before 2 AM.

Now David and I only binge-watch until midnight-ish. Okay, maybe that slides into 2 AM on occasion, but that’s the latest; and we only do that when a new season of a show we love comes out like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Bosch or Mindhunter or Goliath or…(okay, I could list shows forever, but I won’t.)  We love Bosch. Also, Mrs. Maisel is my hero!

Or should I say heroine? Female hero? *throwing my hands up in frustration* It just occurred to me that I don’t know what’s politically correct in this situation. Is this like the actor vs. actress debate? Many women in the performing arts prefer “female actor” or just “actor” and consider “actress” antiquated. So is that the same with heroine? Someone in the know, please help me out with this!

Whatever the word is, this past summer, David and I turned into serious binge-watchers. For instance, we watched all 21 seasons of Silent Witness. I don’t know whether to be proud or horrified. It took the entire summer, but we did it. We got to the point where we’d mute the theme music (opera) at the beginning of each episode because we’d watch so many in one sitting. We did the same with Bosch’s theme music (jazz.)  It wasn’t until sometime in September that Lauren showed David how to bypass the intro. Thank God…and Lauren!

We watched just about everything that caught our eye this past summer on Amazon Prime and Netflix, winding up with Downton Abbey. Just as the “pickin’s” were starting to get slim, fall TV arrived. So now we’re back to slow-watching our perennial favorites while occasionally binge-watching a newly listed season of a favorite, like Goliath. Surprisingly, I’m okay with this set up.

Last fall, I was meh about the TV lineup. Not this year. I’m excited about four new shows — Evil, The Prodigal Son, Stumptown and Treadstone.

It’s still early in the season, but all of these seem promising; although, The Prodigal Son needs to step up its game. It already feels formulaic, which is a shame because I adore Michael Sheen, even as an imprisoned serial killer. And Bellamy Young plays the strong, complicated woman/ wife/ mother role so well! It just needs more plot, less plop plod. And what’s up with the Lou Diamond Phillips’ character? An actor of his caliber deserves a more complex role.

STEP UP YOUR GAME, PRODIGAL SON WRITERS!

I love that Evil doesn’t tie everything up in a nice, neat bow but leaves the audience wondering and pondering. David finds the show disturbing. How is it that my husband can watch 21 seasons of autopsied bodies on Silent Witness and listen to Coast to Coast all night long on the radio, but you throw in a few visual boogeymen and a psychopathic kid or two on a TV show and all of a sudden, he’s “disturbed?”

*sigh*

Personally, I’m intrigued with inexplicable events or moments in people’s lives examined and analyzed from a paranormal or spiritual perspective. Bring in the psychological angle and I’m all in! I’m glad to see Michael Emerson again, even if I don’t like his character this time around. I’ve missed him since Person of Interest went off the air. I also miss Jim Caviezel.

Jim Caviezel, where are you?

Speaking of Person of Interest, Camryn Manheim is in Stumptown along with a very cool PI named Dex played by Cobie Smulders with Jake Johnson as her bar owner friend. I love that it’s set in Portland aka Stumptown. This could also easily go formulaic, but the novelty hasn’t worn off yet (knock on wood!) Also, I love that Dex’s car with it’s janky cassette player is a character in its own right.

If you’re a fan of the Jason Bourne movies (The Bourne — Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum, Legacy and Jason Bourne), then I don’t have to tell you what Treadstone’s about. I hope the subsequent episodes live up to its premier showing, which left me wanting more. Okay, this is definitely binge-worthy. Slow-watching this is going to drive me bonkers.

As always, we’re welcoming back old friends: the NCIS’s, the Chicagos, Bull, Young Sheldon and Mom. I’m sure I’m leaving out a few. I do miss Big Bang Theory. It was time for it to end, I know — and there are re-runs if I get desperate — but fall’s just not the same without Sheldon, Amy, Leonard, Penny, Raj, Howard, and Bernadette. A movie, maybe?

The real annoyance this fall? If it wasn’t made clear last year that the medical shows swap storylines  — we’re being hit over the head with it this year. So what’s up with that?

Okay, I’m willing to believe it when the NBC medical show’s dealing with a severe case of necrotizing fasciitis aka flesh-eating bacteria; but how can I continue to suspend reality when the CBS show is also treating the same “rare” condition and it turns out to be an outbreak with numerous fatalities? David and I start looking at each other and asking, “Didn’t we just see this on that other show???!!!” Puh-leeze!

And when the Fox show removes all the patient’s organs in order to treat whatever’s wrong with said patient and then is able to re-attach the organs — AND THE PATIENT SURVIVES — that’s a neat trick. But when the ABC show airs the same procedure in the same week? How am I supposed to believe this same story twice? Have the writers no shame, blatantly ripping each other off?

BTW, who’s paying for these expensive, experimental surgeries? The money fairy?

It’s wonderful that these patients survive thanks to technological marvels and the uber surgeons willing to perform them — but more importantly —

I want the same coverage that their health insurance plans apparently provide!

All I know is that my insurance company would have said, “Are you serious? I don’t care if you survived both necrotizing fasciitis and a complete surgical disembowlment and reattachment, the real miracle will happen when you see one red cent from us because we’re not paying for any of it! IT’S ALL EXPERIMENTAL. CLAIM DENIED!”

Who else has noticed this?

Anyway, David records everything we watch so we can skip commercials, which is essential when trying to get through approximately four hours of shows (every weeknight) plus the news before heading off to bed. Besides, everyone knows that the only time to watch commercials is during the Super Bowl and that’s not until February.

Until then, Go Cowboys! Yay. (Okay, they looked pretty good in their first three games. Gotta admit, though, things are not looking so pretty for our team right now.)

Note to all the Cowboy players and their coaching staff: You can do it, you rough and rowdy divas! I’ll even lend you my Swiss army knife for good luck. Now get out there and beat those other teams! REMEMBER: BELIEVE IN YOURSELVES! YOU. CAN. DO. THIS! RAH! RAH! SIS BOOM BAH!

*tries to do a herkie and collapses in pain* —

Just help me to my chair and bring me a cold one, will ya? I’ll be fine. Thanks, dear, you’re the best!

So what are y’all watching/streaming this fall?

TTFN,

Mona

 

26 thoughts on “Primetime Screen Time”

  1. The Kid snagged us into watching Stranger Things last year … last weekend, we did the third season over two the course of two days. My sleep and sense of reality are *almost* okay now, six days later. I don’t think I could sustain your pace! LOL

    Reply
    • Hey Lille,
      I know you’re not into TV, but we’d be lost without it at our house. Glad you’re coming down from the surreality of your toe-step into Stranger Things! I’ve been trying to get David into that. I’ll wear him down before the end of the year. Just you watch. Or don’t watch…cuz…oh, never mind! Mona

      Reply
  2. A post that includes “Goliath” and football talk? You hit me right in the heart, Mona!

    I have to admit, though, I can’t watch that much TV. I’m restless! There is no doubt in my mind that Mrs C would enjoy the binge-watching thing all night with me, if I were capable, but instead we “slow watch” one show at a time, one or two episodes a night. One and a half episodes of ANYTHING, or about 75 minutes into a movie, I gotta get up! I gotta get something done! I gotta do SOMETHING else. It’s a curse!

    And speaking of curses, your Cowboys and my Rams have the same one: 3-0 to 3-3 in the span of 3 games. What the hell is going on?! Y’all go out and handle them Eagles this week, will ya, while we take down the Falcons. Let’s squash some birds together! Ain’t no winged thing been made can take on a cowboy or a ram. I guarantee it!

    Happiest of Fridays to ya, Mona. Enjoy some shows, and get some sleep! Go Billy McBride!*

    *who also happens to be the star of my own latest recap of my own latest week. 😉

    https://tombeingtom.com/2019/10/17/five-days-in-the-life-of-tom/

    Reply
    • Thanks Tom,
      I aim for the heart (but only in a good way)! Okay, are you left with the same questions I have after this last Goliath? As in, is there going to be another one? Surely, there will be. Billy is invincible…even under the circumstances. That season was definitely freaky all away around. Wow! Just so you know, we do take breaks as required in our binging sessions! Also, my brother limits himself to one, one-hour show a night because he has other stuff to get done. I wish I had that kind of discipline.

      Yeah, I don’t know what’s up with our teams! Go Rams! Go Cowboys! WooHooo! Can’t wait to read your latest post!
      Mona

      Reply
  3. The Doctor Who meme broke my heart. I miss it and need it to come back. I wish the writers and producers would stop trying so hard and just make stupid sci-fi again.
    Taking out all the organs and putting them back in? Is that like in tech, turning it off and on again? I’m not entirely sure people work the same way…
    Your diva body is like my Southern Belle body. All my body wants to do is sit quietly on the porch, read books, stay up late, eat cake, and flirt. I keep trying to make it do office work and go for runs and eat vegetables, it doesn’t like it!
    You be careful with all that binge watching. They’ve refined storytelling to a powerfully addictive drug. I’m not sure how, but it’s happened. Don’t forget to go out into the sunshine and talk to real humans occasionally!

    Reply
    • Hear that writers and producers? Sarah insists that you start making stupid sci-fi again! I second that motion! If I recall correctly, I think both episodes involved cancer. In one show, they had to remove all the organs to get to the area that had cancer. In the other show, they removed all the organs and got rid of cancer that had spread throughout the patient’s organs. In both shows, they were able to re-attach all organs and the person woke up and lived to tell the tale. Go figure. I’m hoping I’m not addicted. I mean I know I’m addicted to coke and now a friend on FB said that cinnamon coke is available! YES!!!! Maybe if they sprinkled a little cinnamon and/or Coca-Cola on the TV, it might happen…yeah…no. And, also, yes ma’am! I’ll eat my veggies, walk in the sunshine and talk to real people. Does our cats and Buddy the dog count? They think they’re human. 🙂 Mona

      Reply
  4. The binge watcher motto = “Just one more episode!” How many times have you said that?

    I also binged Stranger Things season three in two days and I just got finished binging the whole series of The Americans in about a month.

    I’m a Colbie Smuthers fan so I was thinking about watching Stumptown but haven’t pulled the trigger. Maybe I’ll give it a shot.

    Reply
    • Lee,
      Okay, I giggled when I read the motto. How did you know?!!!! Unfortunately, David and I have said that too many times to keep track of — sometimes in unison! David watched the Amerikans, but I think he slow-watched that for however many seasons it was on. I tried, but I was annoyed by the characters. I wanted to just smack Keri Russell’s character every time I saw her sour puss. That probably means she played the part exceptionally well…still…

      If you watch Stumptown, let me know your take on it. Mona

      Reply
  5. too funny!
    Hey, if you wanna say actress, say actress. If you wanna say heroine, say heroine. All the PC baloney, who can keep up? I’m not a big watcher of shows, but I did see the first season of Mrs. Maisel and it’s absolutely fantastic… loved it! I’ll keep your recommendations in mind if I ever want to binge.

    Reply
    • CG,
      So how do you say actroine? Because that’s really what I want to say right now for some odd reason, and I can’t say it without sounding like Elmer Fudd! My mouth does funny things that feel completely unnatural when trying to say that; and yet they need a word that gives us both things in one person! I completely understand about Mrs. Maisel. Can’t wait until the next season comes out! Same with Mindhunter! Sooo good! So how’s the personal ad going? Hehheeehee! Mona

      Reply
  6. Suzanne,
    There’s a sense of satisfaction after a really good binge watch, isn’t there? We haven’t tried RuPaul’s Drag Race, though it sounds like fun! I’ll look into that!
    Mona

    Reply
  7. I am right there with Tom on the needing-to-move point, unless I have been carrying and leveling cinder blocks all day or some such thing, in which case I can’t move (thankfully the cinder blocks are in — that part wasn’t fun!). But I totally get the binge-watching thing — for me it started in 2004 during grad school. I’d be up to my ears in theory and needing a little escape (okay a big escape). We did not have Netflix or Amazon in those days but we had DVDs (!), each of which holds three or four episodes. We called it a Buffyfest — yes, a whole weekend of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I still have every last one of those DVDs! Later, after we moved to Virginia, I remember at one point saying, C’mon, let’s have a Buffyfest and we got out the popcorn and tucked in for the long haul. Great memories!
    Thank you, Mona, for the comprehensive list of nowaday possibilities. These days I feel lucky to have gotten through Mindhunter. We did love Stranger Things, looked forward to the release of season three (was it three, I can’t remember!). Goliath had me too — some characters are just priceless — Billy in this, Hopper in Stranger Things. Systematically we watched every last Marvel movie as well (took almost half a year), though some of these we had to pay for. But we make an event of it, usually including Samuel’s homemade pizza. Lately the Harry Potters, which I never saw before and now see why they were so popular. But your selections pique my interest and give me something to go on, especially when I am/will be (inevitably) too tired to move or even think about what would be good. Thank you! Very enjoyable post!

    Reply
    • Patricia,
      Yep, as we’ve grown older and money’s grown tighter, this is now our major source of entertainment. DVD’s?!!!!!I remember those! And you’re right; that was the original way to binge-watch. Back then we called it “movie marathons.” At least popcorn’s still the same! Mona 😉

      Reply
    • Patricia,
      Silicone Poppers? They sound fascinating. I looked them up but, please tell me what you like about yours. Does it pop all the kernels? Usually we just stick the bag in the microwave and set it for about 2 1/2 minutes. I divvy up into individual bowls, drizzle mine with a little chocolate sauce (David likes his plain) and keep plenty of napkins handy! Sooo good when binge-watching! ~ M

      Reply
    • No fancy tools necessary to microwave popcorn! I have done some experimentation to this effect. You can just use any old paper bag, as long as it doesn’t have gross melty glue.
      My preferred method is to put a bowl of kernels and oil in the microwave, with a plate for a lid. Afterwards the bowl is hot enough to melt the butter you throw in the bottom… very easy.
      Probably just as easy, actually, as using a little saucepan with a lid. But Don insists that microwaved popcorn doesn’t stick in his throat like stove-cooked. *shrug*

      Reply
  8. The one I have is Lekue. I like it because it leaves no corny-oily molecules in the air to gross me out later. I am one of those people who loves the popcorn but can’t clean the pot or even crush the bag afterwards because of the old oily residue I can still smell. In my experience even the microwave kinds leave that smell behind the same way an old fashioned pot does. In other words the silicone thing pops the corn clean, and I can dress it then with whatever I want. Chocolate on popcorn though? Never thought of that! Oh yum!!

    Reply
    • The smell grosses you out, even when you use normal kernels in a pot on the stove? Is it a burnt oil smell? Is it a rancid vegetable oil smell??
      Also, Mona. Chocolate sauce. Yassssss.
      Lately I’ve been eating popcorn with grated parmesan and red pepper flakes.

      Reply
      • Sarah,
        Parmesan and red pepper flakes? That sounds like a delicious popcorn dinner to me! Next time, I’m going to try that out! Well first I gotta get more parmesan. I guess other kinds of cheeses would work too, though, don’t you think? Mona

        Reply
        • Any hard white cheese has got to be amazing: parmesan, white cheddar, asiago… hell, you could do chocolate and red pepper flakes! Go nuts! Add nuts! (That reminds me, Reese’s pieces and popcorn is also a thing, mmm)

          Reply
  9. I don’t watch any of that stuff you watch (well, I do catch the Dallas Cowboys on rare occasions, but like them, I don’t want to make a habit of catching), but I will defend to the death your right to….what am I saying! Why should I care if binge watching is outlawed (which politicians, in their infinite wisdom, might do except to watch them pontificate ad infinitum)! It would serve you right! (Nonetheless, enjoyed the post.)

    Reply
  10. Hey mistermuse,
    Glad you enjoyed the post. If you want to defend any of the hard fought liberties, freedoms and pusuits of happiness we enjoy and appreciate, I’d be honored. However, I’ve been here long before binge-watching was a thing and if it disappeared tomorrow, David and I would be okay. I don’t do politics on this blog, so… And clearly, I have more to do in life besides watch /stream media. So, it’s all good! Here, have some fresh popped popcorn if you’d like! Thanks for your input!😉 Mona

    Reply
  11. I was so excited about Prodigal Son… three weeks in, I’m bored. It sits on my PVR in the hopes that ageing it, like fine wine, will improve it. Or, I could just drink the fine wine and that, pretty much, improves any show. Problem solved.

    Reply
  12. Kristine,
    You are a problem solver. I’m hoping Prodigal Son improves as well. I’ll consider drinking as an option to enhance the show. Thanks, Mona

    Reply

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