IT’S HARD TO NETFLIX AND CHILL WHEN THEY KEEP RELEASING SO MANY SHOWS
Is it just me or has TV watching become like a competitive sport? Each week, I’m inundated with new shows to add to my ever-growing list – and that’s just from Netflix, which seems determined to ensure I never leave the couch. Well, I am up for the challenge. Only thing is, it’s less of a case of “Netflix and chill” and more wanting Netflix to chill out every once in a while so I can catch up on everything the indefatigable streaming service drops.
And yes, I know “Netflix and chill” has another, less Pg-rated meaning besides kicking back and enjoying the latest season of The Good Place or finally finishing the second half of The Haunting of Hill House. Well, without getting into TMI territory, bedroom activities have to take a back seat to TV viewing these days, unless that bedroom activity is watching more episodes on my laptop in bed.
This week alone, there are new seasons of Grace and Frankie, Star Trek: Discovery and Marvel’s The Punisher (all of which you can read more about on p. 82-83); movies Close (review, p. 82) and IO (from Fri, Jan. 18); and docos FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Trigger Warning with Killer Mike (both from Fri., Jan. 18). I haven’t had time to check out those last three, but as I said, I’m up to the challenge – I’ll just get to them when I’ve explored all those Black Mirror: Bandersnatch storylines and reached the end of You.
Part of me thinks I can skip Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, which dropped on New Year’s Day, a move surely designed to take advantage of viewers’ defences being down. I’m already kind of anal about things being organised and neat, so I’m surely not the target market for this one. This is, however, where the competitive aspect of being a Netflix subscriber comes into play. Everyone else is talking about the decluttering show, so I feel it’s my duty to at least sample it. No pop-culture fan wants to be left out of the conversation.
Perhaps I could pitch my own self-help Netflix show about how to manage and prioritise Netflix viewing. With the constant demands on my time, I’ve developed some rules for coping with the load. First, give a show two episodes then pull the plug if you’re not into it. Life’s too short to spend 10 episodes on a dud. Second, once committed, don’t get distracted by new, flashy shows – complete the one you’re on or you might never come back to it. Third, give Tidelands a miss. Fourth, no matter how late it is, there’s always time for one more episode. Most importantly, the majority of household activities can be done while you watch Netflix – possibly even those bedroom ones we won’t talk about. •