The Written Podcast: Which Episode Do I Watch?

Once you’ve finished a TV show what do you do next? That depends on how awesome the show was, right? If it’s phenomenal we restart the entire show from the beginning and re-watch every episode until the last once more, once again following the progression of the characters on screen. With how TV has changed and it being so much easier to access entire boxsets of our favourite shows online, binge-watching every episode has now become common place. Before, if we really wanted to do that, we’d have to wait for the DVD to come out in stores, which would normally be several months down the line. Binge-watching has become commonplace within most households, especially when entire series are released at once – the most popular platform to do this is Netflix, the company that reinvented what it meant to binge-watch something.

But what happens if you don’t want to watch every episode from start to finish? Some might say “why wouldn’t you? If it’s a good show, why not watch it from start to finish?” True, some shows are exceptional, that once you’ve started watching one, it’s difficult to not watch another. With most streaming services having the feature of automatically playing the next episode once you’ve finished with one, it may be difficult to pull your eyes from the screen for another hour or two, pushing bedtime further away, whilst also knowing you absolutely need as much sleep as you can get for tomorrow’s incredibly important meeting/presentation. But some people, including me, like to pick and choose which episode to watch. Which brings me to this article’s main question – which episode do you watch?

Picture the scene: It’s Sunday morning and you’re grabbing some breakfast. It’s been a long week and all you want to do today is relax. You have your breakfast on the table or in your lap and you’ve turned on the TV to watch an episode of one of your favourite TV shows. The problem is, you can’t decide which one you want to watch. After spending too much time trying to pick an episode, your cereal has gone all soggy, or your full English has gone cold. Why do we sometimes struggle to pick which episode we’d like to see? I have a reason for why I struggle, but you may disagree.

To put it simply: Some episodes have too much story.

I know what you’re thinking: “That doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.” Surely, the very reason why you love the show is because of the story. I can sense a good amount of confused expressions out there, probably ready to tell me just how stupid that reason is. Let me make an attempt to explain.

Sometimes the filler episodes are the go to ones when all you want to do is pass the time. Those episodes that are their just to get the episode count up to the studios requested amount, those episodes that aren’t really connected to the main storyline of the series. And sometimes, those filler episodes are some of the best in the series purely because the writers, actors, and producers are having a lot of fun. Let me elaborate further by way of a couple of examples.

Smallville – series 4, episode 19: “Blank”. I’m sure you can argue with me why it’s not a filler episode, but it’s not connected to the main storyline either, but does utilise a lot of elements that’s been set up during previous episodes. This filler episode would not have been possible without the character, Chloe Sullivan knowing Clark’s secret. In this episode, he’s struck with total amnesia, unaware of who he is and therefore has no knowledge of his powers and how to control them. This episode is funny due to Clark’s and Chloe’s chemistry throughout, Clark’s complete confusion about what’s doing, and Chloe’s constant attempts to keep his secret from being seen by other characters, especially Lois Lane, who at the time didn’t get along with Clark. This episode can be re-watched so many times, whether via binge-watching, or via casual morning watch whilst having breakfast.

Another example is pretty much every murder mystery series. Elementary, and Monk are my two favourite murder mystery shows because you have a different villain each week, you have a different viewpoint each week, you get to see Sherlock’s and Adrian’s abilities at work. Of course each series has a main storyline, a main mystery that needs to be solved, but sometimes all I want to do is watch one of those episodes that are connected to the main storyline, which in these two shows, are about ninety-nine percent of each series. I can pick and choose at leisure and enjoy watching the characters. I’ll get round to enjoying the storyline when I binge-watch it again.

If I haven’t exactly explained myself properly and you’re still just as confused by my reasoning, then how about moving to those shows that either feature very little storyline, or not storyline at all. Red Dwarf is the best example of having very little to no storyline. The British icon can be assorted in a random order than makes Pick and Mix looks organised, and still enjoy the episodes. You can pick an episode out of a hat and just watch it, and enjoy it, because whatever happens on that episode stays within the confines of its runtime. Convenient plot devices that are incredibly useful for any situation the crew of Red Dwarf find themselves in, and never brought up again in future episodes, it’s never explained how a hologram can get older and it doesn’t need explaining. Suddenly Dave Lister is his own Grandfather, Kryten has a special ability to help with their situation, and never uses it again. If that formula was used in most other shows and movies, we’d be moaning about it for months afterwards, but with Red Dwarf, we all just accept it and enjoy the show for what it is.

Sometimes you don’t need an episode that’s full of storylines where you have to remember what has happened in previous episodes and series, all you need is to sit down and enjoy watching your favourite characters on screen, which is why filler episodes are sometimes perfect for those moments, and in the age where boxsets are easier to access more than ever, you can enjoy those episodes.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)