Is it possible to watch a show from the beginning and love it all the way through?

[morganlucas41]

Written for month_of_meta's Meta Month of March challenge.

I came to most of my fandoms pretty late in the game - either after they were over completely, or after they’d been on for a few seasons. The few shows I try to watch from the beginning either get cancelled, or I end up abandoning for various reasons. Moreover, I’ve seen a pretty near-universal disdain

Comments

[janie_tangerine]

That was some great meta! I had never really posed myself the question (also because I'm mostly an hybrid watcher too, or at least I was for both Lost [I marathoned S1/S3 and watched the rest as it aired, and obviously by S6 I was jonesing for the good old days of S1...] and SPN [caught up with S1/S2 and watched S3 live, and I totally got the open canon syndrome there too because I thought it didn't hold up to the other two - thankfully S4 happened and I stuck around..]), even though it's also true that the only show I ever quit because I couldn't take it anymore was Heroes sometime in S3 so I guess I'm easily satisfied (or: the truth is that if I get attached to some fictional characters I can't let them go too easily and since I already know that what I want to happen almost never happens I tend to endure everything I don't like that they throw at me as long as there's -something- that still works for me. And except for Lost I never had the S1/old times nostalgia thing

[morganlucas41]

Thank you!

I think that the best viewing experience is also a question of whether you're invested enough to do fandom or not

True. Since one of the main advantages of watching a show live is that you can participate in fandom, if it's a show that you wouldn't really be doing that for anyway, then it probably wouldn't matter if you just watched it all at once. Lost and SPN both had a lot of activity in their heydays (well, SPN still does), so that definitely made a difference.

But then again...I wonder if fandom involvement is always a good thing. Often the theorizing, speculating etc. with other fans can really backfire when something goes in a direction you don't like or didn't expect. In that sense, watching a show all at once, with no outside influence, might be the purest way to do it. And for a small fandom that you're not really looking to get too involved in, is probably ideal.

[philstar22]

Interesting. This is definitely something I've noticed. I always get into things late. I got into Buffy late, and I love all 7 seasons. I got into Doctor Who only recently, and I love all 6 seasons of NuWho. On the other hand, I watched Sanctuary from the beginning, and I'm not as big a fan of the last season.

So maybe there is something to it.

[morganlucas41]

Yeah...it's not really a theory you could prove or disprove, since everyone's experiences are so different. But it seems like I've seen the same reactions in many of my fandoms. Thanks for reading!

[executrix]

Some shows just marathon well, others are more enjoyable if you space them out more (even if you have all the episodes on DVD or available online). I think one important factor is whether a show is tightly serialized--if there are tiny details that pay off in later episodes, you're more likely to notice and remember them if you see three episodes at once.

My current fandom is "Revenge," and while I hate having to wait long weeks for new canon, what I *really* hate is constantly getting jossed.

[morganlucas41]

Excellent point about serialized shows. I remember this being true for me with Lost - I marathoned the first 3 seasons, then watched the 4th and on live. I could remember details of the earlier seasons much more easily than friends who had been watching it from the beginning.

You're right, every show is different, though. And getting jossed - I definitely think that'd be frustrating for fic writers.

[endeni]

Wow, that was pretty interesting and well put. Thanks for sharing. ;)

[morganlucas41]

Thank you for reading and commenting! I'm glad you liked it :)

[cottontailcake]

Reply>>
So, this is definitely not a question that I can answer, but it’s a terribly interesting question! I’m a hybrid ‘viewer’ of Harry Potter and SPN, and a closed-canon fan of Dragonriders of Pern. I’m a fandom-only follower of the mangas Bleach and Naruto: I read just enough to understand the fandom, and then enjoyed the fanfic it produces.

Actually, for SPN I was a hybrid viewer twice. I first discovered SPN mid-S3, and I watched it avidly until there was nothing left to watch. Then came S4: I went Angels? WTF? And left. Later, I chanced upon bardicvoice’s excellent episode metas. I read a few. I fell in love with her stuff and her unerringly positive view of SPN, and started watching again. I’ve only just become up to date

[morganlucas41]

Good point about spoilers - I've run into that problem too, wanting to read fic for something I've only just started watching. Also, you're right about one of the drawbacks on marathoning - you just don't have time to absorb the episodes, often. I both love and hate the waiting in open canon, which is why I just haven't been able to decide which I like better.

I'd like to read your meta of 7.17! It's always interesting to read different people's opinions :)

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I love meta, so I'm always on the hunt for more, lol.

[swanpride]

Mmmm...good question

[morganlucas41]

I don't think I know a single long running show which is still the same show in the last episodes as it was in the first season. And the changes rarely happen organic enough to take the audience on the ride.

I agree with your first sentence wholeheartedly. For me, the reason I tend to like later seasons of a show more is because I like those changes. I like seeing characters grow and develop. If it's a good show, there's going to be character development, and I'll probably like the characters more as they grow over time.

Admittedly, many shows jump the shark and make changes which do not feel natural or organic, but I don't think that all change is automatically bad. I love seeing characters grow and change

[swanpride]

I agree, it's nice to see characters develop, and that might be part of the reason, I often prefer the second season over the first one. By then, the writers had time to establish the characters and the world they are playing in. But I also think that writers often lose the original premise over time. Ie Psych - I liked Juliet the best when she was still quirky and girly, by now she is more a younger version of chief Vick. I don't mind that the writers allowed her to harden, but I think that there was no reason for her to loose the quirky and girly site nearly entirely. Or Castle: I originally watched the show because I liked the meta on writing they used in the cases. Now it's all about silly love stories and UST. The writers put emphasis exactly on the aspect of the show, I wasn't interested in. They fall in some sort of run-of-the-mill pattern. That doesn't mean that one can't watch the episodes. But what made the show special, is lost, and that's always sad to see

[morganlucas41]

But I also think that writers often lose the original premise over time.Yes, this can certainly happen in some shows, and I agree, it's really frustrating when it does