Saturday

There’s something indistinctively different about episodic TV series. Instead of relying on cliffhangers and an outstretched plotline that lasts for seasons, they start and end a story within a shorter timeframe than the average runtime of a movie. You don’t have the unnerving feeling at every episode that you will get nowhere, rather everything is resolved within that 30-50 minute runtime dedicated to it.

I used to think somewhat negatively about these types of series, not without reason I might add, as they could have their own set of problems, however if done well, they can withstand not only the passage of time but also some undeserved criticism. Maybe it’s about me getting older, changing tastes or whatever other influence but lately I’ve been more receptive to these types of shows, and more appreciative towards them.

Generally I tend to watch movies at night from bed before sleeping, either fully committing to finishing it, or turning it off after a while. But lately I’ve been watching the original Star Trek and I feel like it’s much more fitting for such a thing. On average I get through a full episode, circa 45 minutes and I’m on my way to slumber land afterwards. Pretty much perfect for that odd hour when you’re trying to get ready for some shuteye.

I wasn’t ever a Trekkie, far from it, but I’ve come to enjoy the endearing nature of the series. Let alone most of the episodes are just people talking, there’s no constant action or anything that might cause sensory overload. Similarly tension is either split or divided into smaller sections, there’s a certain lightheartedness to the show despite the deaths of background characters, yet still being an overall fit on how things progress.

It’s somewhat amazing how the show stood the test of time, despite there being some very obvious trademarks of the era it was produced is. Sure, there’s only a handful of story types that are being done, but I guess we can chalk that problem up to TV in general for the time, and the comparatively lower budgets that shows had back then.

Anyway, something came over me during the weekend and told me I need to sit down, pop in an episode and watch it during the day. It felt much more fitting than watching it at night and I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it reminded me a bit of my childhood where you had the early morning cartoon blocks, but I’ve honestly felt liberated. I was in no hurry anywhere, nothing explicitly important to do, I was just laying there enjoying the on screen shenanigans of the characters.

This got me thinking: maybe, just maybe unwinding your mind and body during your work days isn’t as effective as your day off. The lack of “musts” and time constraints could very well enhance any experience and let the brain fully focus on other things. I doubt this is anything biological, but more so a learned trait. There’s no need to care about anything significant, unless you have things to do of course, hence why you’d be more receptive to singular events happening around you.

I could argue this could happen even after a work day, but I find myself feeling utterly different psychologically on a non work day, than vice versa. There’s the sense of “stand by and be ready for anything” that’s completely missing from me when I know I have an empty day. I’m much more calmer and in a way more prepared than when I need to be prepared. It’s such an odd feeling, especially when you consider people try to consume as many things as possible, all once nowadays. I remember laughing out loud on seeing some Tik Toks where there screen is split into two or more sections, with different things happening at the same time. It’s funny, but also depressing as I do not think these are helping people at all, rather they’re just a byproduct of the notion of wanting to consume more and more, with attention deficit issues. Generationally we’re changing or being changed and molded into someone who’s thoughts are always on constant overload.

This, I do not like. But I remember doing similar things, albeit not very often. There was a moment last week where I was watching a movie and thought to myself that I should be putting on some music for the background. This completely baffled me, as there’s no way I could intentionally focus on both the soundtrack and some other song playing in the background. Let alone it was an utterly pointless suggestion to begin with. Maybe it was this confusing experience that led me to watching Star Trek over the weekend, I can’t tell. But harkening back to where I started this post, I’m absolutely certain now that my ability to focus has been suffering.

Thinking more and more about it, I find myself remembering old shows like Knight Rider, Columbo and such where you have a singular episode hold your attention, fulfill it’s promises and let your hand go afterwards. It doesn’t trap you in any sort of psychological tension of you not knowing the outcome of a story. Which is the thing, humans by design hate or rather fear the unknown, so I think this might be something that affects our unconsciousness. I feel much more liberated watching these types of shows than serials, where everything is outstretched and constantly pulsating in the back of your head, taking up a good chunk of your thoughts.

I’m very aware that we’re in the information age, being constantly bombarded by whatever crap, but I honestly think the “simpler times” were indeed much better and in a way made us more focused and productive. The fact that in a way that entertainment has such a coincidental or deliberate affect is worrisome to me. I’d like to suggest to anyone to try and take a few steps back from what they’re doing on their day off and watch a TV show that wraps up all it’s events in a singular episode. I can guarantee, it will make you feel different.