Submitted by scoduxx t3_ycvik5 in television
It annoys me so much, but as I continue to watch a show with more and more seasons, as I progress I lose all memory of the earlier episodes. However, I still follow the plot fine and know what’s going on, but if you asked me to describe an episode I couldn’t tell you a thing, but in the back of my mind I remember everything…
Anyone else feel remotely close to this while trying to enjoy a show?
Yes. On the upside, it makes rewatching the whole series feel like a somewhat new experience. I’m currently rewatching Veronica Mars for the third time; I remember the major plot points but lots of smaller things I had forgotten.
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Exactly the same, I watched an episode of breaking bad today and 1 hour later already forgot what happened at the end. I end up searching up a summary for almost every episode.
If it's a series I loved (like Game of Thrones or Witcher) I rewatch the whole previous season the week before the next season arrives, for other shows I have to read a synopsis summary somewhere, otherwise I'd be sooooo lost.
I did this all the time with Game of Thrones. I was so hyped back in the day to rewatch the entire series in one go once it had all finished. Butr the finale fucked so many storylines up, there was no point rewatching them.
Especially if there is a long gap between seasons. I usually quickly go through the last few episodes of the season before starting the new one.
X-Files did that to me. I got so lost with the alien dna conspiracy. Still enjoyed the ride, but just lost track of any coherent progress through that narrative. Monster of the week eps still hold up though. 😊👍
I think it's harder to retain information when you binge watch previous seasons.
For example, I think I watched the first 2 seasons of "Barry" in like 3 days. A couple years later when S3 drops, I could barely remember anything that previously happened. The stuff that already annoyed me previously seemed more pronounced and I dropped the show completely.
Oh yeah, big time. Especially if I watch it high or it’s been a long jump.
If it’s a show I really like I’ll do a rewatch to ramp up. I’ve done that with Succession. Otherwise if you watch the last season’s finale it will jog your memory.
It’s also a thing with binging shows, your brain doesn’t absorb everything as well compared to watching at a slower pace.
Does it stop you from enjoying the show?
Oh yeah, terrible memory here.
I had to take notes watching Game of Thrones to even know WTF they were talking about
Frequently yes, but I don't generally see it as a problem. I choose to take the view that I'm going to get a lot more out of a re-watch.
Legit didn’t remember that the tall skinny martian investigator dude was in the same universe as James Holden.
For narrative heavy shows, I always watch the previously on segment because it just gives you the past story beats that are relevant to this episode. Though if its binge mode I just go for it and see what I take away.
I like to put the onus of my understanding and enjoyment on the show and how its presented
I really appreciate the "previously on" segments as well. It annoys me that Netflix often doesn't have those because it's like they're assuming that everyone is bingeing their shows.
When I rewatch a show I usually get shocked at how un-dynamic or flat the characters are, lacking their calling cards, or how simple the plots start out.
Yeah, especially if there was a long time in between seasons passing or if there's a huge mythos or large cast.
I remember rewatching old eps of GOT and going "oh yeah, I forgot about this character."
I really want to continue DARK but it's been years since I watched season 1 lol
Yes, mainly because it’s just far too long between seasons nowadays. A year was fine, but any longer and my ability to recall plot details falls off a cliff.
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I've been rewatching older shows a lot lately and I'm constantly surprised by the storylines I've forgotten over the last couple decades.
Like in Chicago Fire when one of the main characters lost his fiancee in a fire, went undercover in a human trafficking/drug ring, became an alderman, nearly died in a fire multiple times in the span of like the first three seasons.
I don't even want to wonder what I've forgotten in Grey's Anatomy over the last 19 years
Yes. When someone starts watching a show I watched and wants to talk about it, I discover I have no memory of certain things happening or what happened when (sequence of events). Sometimes before a new season I’ll go back and watch a few episodes.
One of the hardest things about being a regular on /r/bettercallsaul was the sheer volume of people who had watched the series (and Breaking Bad) ten thousand times and knew every detail and side character. I watched both shows live from the beginning but never did a rewatch (until I did a BB rewatch when Saul ended), so I had zero fucking clue what anyone was talking about if it didn’t pertain to like, the last two or three episodes. My brain is a sack of shit
Yes, and it’s been this way my whole life. With books, movies, tv. It makes me sad that I can’t discuss things I’ve enjoyed because I can’t recall names, places, etc. But like someone else on the thread said, it does make rewatching or rereading more fun!
It didn't used to be much of a problem for me back when I watched most TV shows on TV, because I'd usually watch slowly (week after week) and frequently watch reruns when the show was in syndication as I waited for the next season. However, with streaming, it's becoming more common for me to forget. I'm not the type to binge, its just that having the show available to watch whenever I want, making my watching habits wholly random and unreliable, and not really feeling compelled to watch it more in the interim between seasons because now there's just so much stuff to watch elsewhere makes it so I forget things more.
That's my theory for my situation anyway because my memory has become absolute garbage as a whole over time, so maybe I'm way off. lol
sure I do. Watching GOT season four and not remembering fuck all about what happened in season one seemed just normal, so recaps came in handy. I mean, I am not fucking Robocop, who the hell remembers all that shit after years
Did it stop you from Enjoying the show?
Protip, STOP looking at your phone the whole time. You will remember more.
I watch on my phone 😅
Toadfinger t1_itomf32 wrote
Yes. Like The Wire. I've watched the series all the way through five times. Discovered something new to me each time.