I Am a Netflix Binge Watcher

Friday, March 4th looks like an ordinary day to most people, but it’s an important day for those with a Netflix account. It’s House of Cards release day, with 13 episodes for the taking. How best to view them? For some, it’s a slow unfolding over days, even weeks, but for me it takes it all, take it all now. In my case, it starts with four episodes on Friday then binge the rest of Saturday.

I had no plans other than the odd tweeting, laundry, and other housework. I do some tasks, watch an episode or two, and repeat. In the case of House of Cards, I had to wonder how far can Frank and Claire Underwood go with their shenanigans. (Define House of Cards shenanigans? Murder; Blackmail; Duplicity; Public humiliation; Breaking the fourth wall.)

Binge watching on Netflix is easy. First have no plans, and then have something to do to alternate the episode watching. Laundry makes me feel like something has accomplished yet keeps up the stream of episodes. I read about too much bingeing makes people anxious and depressed. Too much of anything creates anxiety and depression, and we live in a time of a huge supply. As a sucker for Shakespearean overtones, House of Cards has two parts Macbeth, dollops of  Richard III, and a *spoiler* lover for the first lady.

I have wracked my brain wondering if a woman gets called a mistress, what do you call the guy? Side-dude? A mister? Seriously, I have turned my head inside out over the issue. Frank playing around like he did with Zoe Barnes in Season 1 does not surprise people. Claire, on the other hand, had one rekindling with the photography guy, but nothing else other than the threesome with Edward Meetchum, the stalwart Secret Service agent but Frank was present too. Claire should have a side dude of her own. I lobby to call lovers of female characters, whether their husbands/boyfriends know or not, side dudes. (Grammarly popped up with its repetitive-word caution and recommended ‘sidemen.’ That can work too.)

Let’s shift from duplicitous Washington power couples to Marvel superheroes. Hello Mr. Cox and your bodacious, British booty! Of course, I speak of Daredevil and its second season this week. After a cracking first season, Matt Murdoch comes back with red threads and his Catholic conscious. How will they top Wilson Fisk? By bringing in Electra and The Punisher. From the trailers, I can hardly wait for the character of Daredevil to have his world turned upside down. One line catching my attention gets growled by Frank Castle (played by Jon Bernthal, no stranger to shade-of-grey comic characters.) “You’re one bad day from being me.”

It looks like Marvel wants to take all their characters, shake them up like a martini, and see what happens. Civil War will give that on the big screen, but I admit the small screen has the interesting characters. I enjoy Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.  and Agent Carter, but Netflix gives more flavours to those characters whose spice will filter out on networks like ABC.  While I joke about booties, Charlie Cox brought the chops to his role as Daredevil. He’s fun to watch and shows Matt’s blindness as just part of his life as he navigates a sighted world.

For Daredevil, a little savouring will happen. No rushing. Ration episodes like peanut butter m & ms or chocolate ice cream. I will remember a quote from another popular, and binge-worthy, Netflix show to guide my viewing, ‘you got time.’