Binging on Mad Men like a mad man
Sitting glued with remote in front of TV is all the rage as pandemic keeps us inside
As a grizzled gargoyle of a reformed sports writer, I am accustomed to deadline-induced pressure.
Lately, though, I am experiencing a new time restriction.
I have just two weeks to finish watching Mad Men.
As of this writing, I am early in the seventh and final season, which consists of 14 episodes.
Every time I resume watching on Netflix, a little note pops up in the top left-hand corner of the screen: “This show is available until June 10.” (There is also a warning about scenes that include — gasp! — smoking.)
Barely a week ago, I had to watch two episodes per day to remain on a pace that would enable me to see the series through to its culmination.
Now I am in one-a-day mode. In other words, I have been binge-watching — not while neglecting work, of course.
CUE NEGLECTION OF WORK
(Don Draper, a Madison Avenue advertising titan, is cheating on his wife again.)
(Roger Sterling is flirting with his secretary again.)
(Roger Sterling has the best one-liners.)
(The evolution of Peggy Olson as a character is something at which to marvel.)
(Don Draper is cheating on the person with whom he has been cheating.)
(I do not trust Ted Chaough. I will never trust Ted Chaough. I do not like the man.)
(This is, er, research.)
ROLL CREDITS
Ummm, where were we? Oh yeah. Binge-watching ...
It is all the rage during the COVID -19 pandemic period.
This was confirmed via a highly unscientific Twitter survey, which was conducted to determine what other bingers are watching.
The decisive winner: Ozark. “Definitely Ozark,” said Mary Deane (@Maryfdeane). “The acting is outstanding.”
“Ozark,” added Craig Smith (@ ctsmith56). “I couldn’t wait until the next episode.”
“Ozark. Ozark. Ozark,” voted Cyndi Cherney (@cyndicherney5). “After Life. Also, Ozark.”
(After Life, by the way, is the “saddest funniest show I have ever watched,” Lisa Jay noted via @lisajaws77.)
“I got so into Ozark and it’s usually not my thing,” said Craig Stein (@craigstein14). “All 30 one-hour episodes in a week.”
Ozark, for the uninitiated, is a crime drama that can be found on Netflix. According to IMDB, “A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder money to appease a drug boss.”
Thanks to the technological wonder that is streaming, dirty laundering is aired in public.
Ozark led the way with 25 votes. Rounding out the top 10 are: 2. Schitt’s Creek (13 votes); 3. Tiger King (11); 4. The Last Dance (10) and Brooklyn Ninenine (10); 6. Bosch (9); 7. Dead To Me (8) and Money Heist (8); 9. After Life (6) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (6).
Respondents were kind enough to nominate 194 different shows. (For a complete list of the votes, please email rvanstone@postmedia.com.)
The most controversial show, by a landslide, was Tiger King. Positive review: “It’s pretty bizarre. I enjoyed it. I think the fuss is all about the absurdness of these people and their lives. It can definitely hook you in.” (Alex Howe; @Alexhowewpg.)
Negative review: “I understand how it can hook anybody, but I watched one episode and hated all the people in it SO MUCH I couldn’t watch any more.” (Elliott Hall; @Hallelliott.)
Scathing review: “I won’t get that time back and literally feel dumber for watching it.” (Sam Maciag; @sammaciag.)
And I have to mention this one: “Did Tiger King in a day. Did The Great in a day. I have officially given myself an intervention.” (Lori Szmul; @Lszmul.)
Additional levity was provided by Krista (@Krista_b_85): “I’ve watched absolute trash that I never would’ve watched before just to turn my brain off — a show called Too Hot To Handle. I’m dumber for having watched it but at the time simple and stupid felt good.”
Eric Pankratz, for his part, felt suitably proud. He has watched all 398 episodes of NCIS since the Covid-related lockdown began.
“We have a video store here in Watrous that had the first 11 seasons on DVD,” he explained via @pankratze. “A couple were on Amazon Prime. The last ones I watched on CBS All Access. It took quite a while, probably around a month or so. BTW, Christopher Lloyd is in Episode 398 and is still AWESOME.”
The same description applies to everyone who kindly responded to my informal poll.
There was only one problem. Not a single vote for Rob’s Green Time Machine.