For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a binge watcher/reader. Whether it’s a show on Netflix that I love or a book I’m obsessed with I just cannot control the impulse to stop my entire life and do nothing until I finish it. It’s a thing that Will and I “fight” about when we are watching a show together and I’m like, “WOOOO 10th episode in a row LET’S KEEP GOING ALL NIGHT” (that’s what she said, amirite?) and he’s like OH DEAR GOD WE NEED TO STOP RIGHT NOW THIS IS MADNESS. I dive in head first and don’t come out until I’m done and then have the biggest hangover ever and feel depleted emotionally depending on the show. I LOVE IT. Definitely with shows it’s always been this way — even before Netflix I remember my college roommate and I getting stuck in show vortexes even without Netflix auto-playing it and having to get up to put a new disc in. Which is #dedication.
However, it wasn’t until recently that I realized how enjoyable it is to savor. That’s something I just rarely do. I feel binge binge binge fast fast fast is the way I operate because 1) I think I have an addictive personality when it comes to fictional stories and characters 2) I have no self control and 3) I have a tendency to want to move on to the next thing because I have a never-ending list of entertainment I want to watch/read.
BUT I did something I haven’t done in FOR EVA with a show — I savored the shiiiiiiiiiit out of it.
Like just really, really took my time and savored it. The show was Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries which I talked about back in February when I got into it. It was just a show that was sooooo delightful and made me so HAPPY. I needed that. I wanted that feeling to stick around. I binged the first few episodes and then I was like….I don’t want to do that? Which is a really weird feeling for someone like me who will spend a whole weekend binge watching a show. It was partly being busy that set me on a slower pace but also partly this desire to just savor this badass lady detective and these delightful characters who I grew to love with every episode and revel in two of my most swooooooony OTPs of all time. Like ever. It had the makings of a show that I would normally binge watch but I didn’t.
(Legit how you could not want to draw out THOSE kinds of glances?? SAWOOON. No really, it was a lot of self control bc I was constantly wanting to binge and find out if those glances would turn into more.)
I let myself settle in with an episode or two each week during the busy summer months this year and it’s just been something that brings me great delight each and every week. I look forward to it and it kind of was my go-to thing to do when I felt stressed or burnt out or needing an introvert party by myself.
I finished it at 5am one morning when I wasn’t able to sleep because of feeling really anxious and I just wept that it was over. Firstly because OMG I NEED A SEASON 4 AND THAT LAST EPISODE SET MY HEART ABLAZE WITH SOME THINGS. But also because I felt like my experience with savoring the show made it that more special to me for some reason. The romantic tension that was soooo slow and well done felt even more that because I didn’t tear through it in a weekend — which is FINE and I still deeply love shows when I do that but this was like one of those times that made me realize that savoring a thing I love is important to me and I should do it more often because I still feel ALL THE THINGS just as intensely but in a different way.
It made me think a lot about savoring things outside of just entertainment. To just slow down. Enjoy it fully. It’s not a thing I do a lot and I truly wish to because I see what a positive experience it can be.
BUT ALAS….I’m now done with Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (it’s on Netflix!) and you should ALLLLLLLL watch it because it is an absolute delight. No seriously. Now to find a new show…..to maybe binge watch or maybe not??
Are you a person who savors or do you have the tendancy to binge? What factors into that? Are there some things you slow it down/savor and some types of things that are more binge-able? Do you have any shows that are delightfully savorable?
Emmah says
I’m a full on binger with no abandon haha. If I enjoy something, I go all in! Time is the only thing that will stop me haha.
I binged the heck out of the tv show Lucifer lol. (only 13 episodes right now)
Jamie says
SAME. I like the way you put it “binger with no abandon.” Will cannot handle my need to binge things. I get obsessed. He’s like “I don’t get why you want to finish a whole series in a day or a weekend” and I’m like “I don’t get why you don’t”
Nessa Luna says
I hate the pressure that the internet puts on you to binge-watch a series when it comes out on Netflix. I watch Daredevil and Jessica Jones and I am planning to watch Marvel’s other collaborations with Netflix, but I hate the fact that you’re practically forced to watch it all in one go because the internet will otherwise spoil it for you. I usually just end up saving it for another time, and mostly watch two or three episodes a day but ugh I just wish I had the time and energy to binge-watch thirteen episodes in one or two days.
Jamie says
YES you bring up such a good point of why I will binge — especially those Netflix ones like Jessica Jones or House of Cards for me. I don’t want to be spoiled.
I feel like these days I only have the weekends to binge watch bc during the week day after work we workout and so really don’t have THAT much time at night so we will only watch like 1 or 2 each night if we have a show. This summer we haven’t watched ANYTHING bc we’ve been so busy. I feel like the winter is when we definitely binge watch more shows. Gross cold day? STAY IN ALL DAY AND BINGE.
Christina Franke says
Mostly I’m a binger, but I think I need to go back through and savor Miss Fisher’s. Maybe I’ll force my boyfriend to watch it with me, because he basically only savors tv, because he’s got a short attention span for it.
One book series better savored is Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Those books are so lovely and intricate. I find that if I read them too fast, it’s a struggle and I can’t fully appreciate the artistry.
Jamie says
MAYBE THIS IS WHY WILL DOESN’T LIKE TO BINGE AS MUCH AS I DO. His attention span is short! I was honestly SURPRISED I savored Miss Fisher’s because I NEVER do but I’m so glad I did. I think it would be such a great one to go back and savor. ALL THOSE LITTLE LOOKS AND SMIRKS AND GAH.
I still need to read Daughter of Smoke and Bone!! I really do get that with some books. Like certain books just deserve the time to fully appreciate them. I feel like Jandy books do that for me. Melina Marchetta.
Tiffany says
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is a good one to savor! Each episode gets solved & wrapped up nicely so you can sort of watch one or two and be done with it for the night – it’s not like there are really obvious cliffhangers that compel you to watch the next episode… and then next.
I actually really hate binge-watching shows but I do it all the time. :X
Jamie says
It really was such a good one to savor! Like I kept wanting to just binge watch but I’m glad I didn’t. Like the romance aspects had me wanting to just get to THE KISS but at least I wasn’t ending on cliffhangers that would have made it hard to resist the binge watch.
And same! I love/hate binge-watching but it’s like my hobby apparently lol I can’t just be a normal person and watch them at a normal pace.
BRIANNA ROBINSON says
I’ve been binging shows recently with my mom. We’ll watch like two episodes a night and devour it. We did the same with Miss Fisher and now I’m done and am sad! i need season four RIGHT NOW.
Jamie says
WHY HAVE THEY NOT HAD ANY NEWS ABOUT THIS 4TH SEASON???? THAT ENDING WAS SUCH A TEASE AFTER WAITING SOOOOOOOOOOO LONG FOR THAT MOMENT. THE ROMANTIC TENSION ALMOST KILLED ME.
Audrey says
I’m a binge-r, too. My addictive personality makes me want more more more. (And my anxious personality makes me read ahead for spoilers and plot points- which drives my husband crazy.) My husband wants to binge all night or all weekend. I’m usually the one that sets a limit before we even start. Ha. We went HARD with The West Wing and now I’m trying to force us to savor The Newsroom since there are fewer seasons/episodes!
Jamie says
heh I don’t ever look for spoilers or anything like that except when it comes to watching Big Brother lol. The lives feeds are on 24/7 so I just read Twitter accounts that live tweet any interesting things going on and I always end up knowing who wins competitions and stuff before it airs and Will is like WHY BOTHER WATCHING THE SHOW??!
You bring up an interesting point that I just thought of and I definitely DO tend to binge things with more seasons bc I know I HAVE more. Also especially if I’m trying to catch up on a show that’s on cable and the season will start soon. Way to be able to set limits! That’s always Will…he’s like ONLY 2 episodes tonight and I’m all pouty like HOW ABOUT JUST ONE MORE?
kristen says
i can be a binge watcher, but more often than not, i fizzle out and never actually finish the tv show. which is weird. i can’t remember the last tv show i actually finished, or caught up with. i am halfway through so many (that i’m not likely to ever finish) and ‘behind’ on all the ones i usually watch (like greys anatomy or downton abbey). i get bored and overdose easily on tv shows. that being said, that Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries looks amazing. is it on netflix?! i watched that gif like 75 times.
i am absolutely a binge reader though. i wouldn’t know how to savour a book if it hit me on the head and forced me to take a break.
Jamie says
Haha that’s so funny! I’m like a super completionist and rarely give up on shows. I feel like I can count them on one hand…one being The Vampire Diaries bc it just got so stupid.
GIRL YES WATCH MISS FISHER’S!!!! It’s on Netflix. Each episode wraps up really nicely being murder mysteries but relationship and personal stuff will make you want to keep going. Plus it’s a total mood booster even though it’s murdery lol
It’s soooo hard for me to savor a good book I’m reading. SO HARD. There are certain authors who I think I do…just because I know I will die waiting for another new book to read by them. But then at the same time I just want to devour it bc it’s A NEW BOOK FROM AN AUTHOR I LOVE. So hard to balance lol
Morgan @ Gone with the Words says
I think it depends! I used to savor more when it comes to tv; my family loves tv so we’d have our shows to watch every week and then have to wait for the next episode! Torture! My bingeing is almost always an accident hahaha i.e. I get so behind on a show that I’m forced to buy the dvds or wait for Netflix and then watch it all. When I was sick in college, I watched Seasons 1-3 of The Office in a weekend, and Chris and I watched season 1 of Game of Thrones in ONE DAY. So yeah. I can binge lolol. Lately, I’ve been bingeing Great British Bake Off, I can’t get enough! But savoring is nice too, I need a show I can savor. Books I’m the same way, I like to read super fast but I’m trying to be better at reading my own body and mood, taking breaks if I feel like it. And it’s nice.
Fiona says
I have a tendency to binge for the most part. When I find something I like whether it’s a book, tv show, or video game, I tend to become obsessed and it becomes the only thing I want to do, until I either finish the thing or finally wind down. I’ve actually had to learn to savor over the past year since graduating from college. Life has sadly gotten too busy for me to binge things and then there’s always a bit of guilt that comes too. I definitely want to start watching Miss Fisher though, it sounds right in wheelhouse.
Kelly says
I think I watched the first two seasons of Miss Fisher’s over the course of about a week… so possibly I missed out on the positive effect take my time with this one! I went through it more slowly the second time through… in a lot of ways it’s such a fun show, despite the, you know, murder.
Brooklyn says
I tend to binge read but I usually savour tv shows. I’m not really sure why, I just can never make myself binge a tv series but I always want to finish my book as fast as I can. I’m currently watching Game of Thrones which I love but I can’t watch more than two episodes in a row, although I think Game of Thrones is such a good series to really savour since there is so much going on.
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight says
I don’t think the two are necessarily exclusive? I’m not a big TV show person, I don’t have Netflix, but I am definitely a binge-reader! But I do it because that way I’m able to remember all the little details and really sink into the story. If I read other books in between, I forget things, and it puts me out of the story, then back in, then out, then back in, etc. But if I binge, I just keep going deeper and deeper and deeper. And I can notice all those little details and nuanced things and still read it at a pace that allows me to savor it. I just enjoy book series more that way 🙂
Rachana says
I used to be the type of person who binge-read and binge-watched things but now I’m the type of person who prefers to savour things. It honestly just depends on the book or tv show though. Even though I’m pretty busy now (thanks high school) I still find myself making time for binge-watching things if I’m really enjoying it,
Aubrey @ Aubrey's Book Nook says
I think it really depends for me on whether I savor or binge stories. It depends on the story, my mood, and what I am doing at the same time. Thanks for the great discussion.
Deb says
Thank you for turning me on to this show! I absolutely love it, the period, the place, the mysteries, the strong women characters, everything. Plus the husband’s out of town for a week so I actually can binge watch a bit.
By the way I’m strictly a savorer — the more I like something, the more I want to stretch it out and enjoy it bit by bit. I’m the same with books and TV, although I’ll rush TV more. I never rush from one book to the next.
Jamie says
THIS MAKES ME SO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY!!!!!! It’s just SUCH a great show!!!
Got My Book says
I have always tended towards binge. One of the reasons I no longer have a TV or any streaming service is because I struggle to turn it off even if I am not enjoying it. However, I have gotten better as I created a system and structure.
Jamie says
Oooh curious about your system/structure!! Also, I feel you as someone who will still binge even if I’m not enjoying.
Bryan G. Robinson says
I can go either way. Savor or binge. For example, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been savoring a book of short stories, but this past week, I read another book in just a couple of days because it was a page-turner. The short stories are good too, just in a different way. Definitely, as far as TV shows, the shorter seasons, for example, the 13-episode or less Netflix original shows are definitely binge-worthy. Other shows that I know I still have more than 100 episodes left to watch, that have been on for several years, such as NCIS, which my wife and I are catching up slowly on Netflix, I savor them. We do “binge-watch” a few at a time, but I also think as we’re getting close to catching up with the series, we’re (at least I am) dreading the end of the series altogether. Then what will I watch?