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The TV Show Re-watch Dilemma


Cerina
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Do you guys ever start to rewatch an entire show and then come across the question on whether or not you should skip the bad seasons/episodes? And where do you fit in movies and/or spin-offs? Actually most movies come at the end, so that's not that big of a deal.

 

For example, I'm rewatching Buffy. I already forced myself to do Season 1 (because it's short, it's easier). But I just finished Season 3, so now I'm conflicted. Do I bother with Season 4, I mean I already suffered through 1, or do I skip it? If I skip it, I'll miss out on the Tara/Willow relationship beginnings and a few Anya moments (if I remember correctly) and Spike (I never want to miss Spike!).

 

Also, if I'm rewatching Buffy, should I also rewatch Angel? If I rewatch Angel, should I do it episode by episode along with Buffy or do it as an entire season? Or I could watch Angel in lieu of Season 4 of Buffy and maybe just watch the episodes of Buffy where there's a crossover? But then if I watch Angel, I'll have to deal with the ending and God that ending sucked. And I'll have to deal with the dishonor they did to Cordelia. Which is why I hate rewatching Firefly, because then I feel I need closure so I watch Serenity and then SUCK ENDING!

 

This is waaaay too much thought to put into something I only want on as background noise...

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If you skip out on season 4, you'll miss out on rewatching the Hush episode, one of the best! I don't rewatch series very often but I always like to se the entire thing again. And I thought Fred got the worse ending... :(

 

I've avoided rewatching BSG for similar reasons. Alias has a great season 1 and I have to force myself to bail out after it is done. I always stop watching Twin Peaks mid season 2.

That reminds me that I never finished watching Alias.

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For example, I'm rewatching Buffy. I already forced myself to do Season 1 (because it's short, it's easier). But I just finished Season 3, so now I'm conflicted. Do I bother with Season 4, I mean I already suffered through 1, or do I skip it? If I skip it, I'll miss out on the Tara/Willow relationship beginnings and a few Anya moments (if I remember correctly) and Spike (I never want to miss Spike!).

 

For what it's worth, I'd recommend watching it again because I think you'll be surprised by how much you enjoy it. The season arc is something of a dud, Adam as a sort of cult figure prophet for demons had so much potential, but the individual episodes are actually as good as any other season. Actually, to a large degree the excellent individual episodes prevented the Adam taking off. Just as he started to get going, there was a great run of episodes of This Year's Girl, Who Are You?, Superstar, and New Moon Rising (plus Where the Wild Things Are, but that was probably the worst episode of the season) where he was mostly in the background.

 

After that run of excellent episodes, suddenly they ran out of episodes and there were only two left to tell Adam's story and it was like, that's it?

 

 

 

Also, if I'm rewatching Buffy, should I also rewatch Angel?

 

Up to you. That's a lot to watch without much crossover after the first season. But you MUST watch "I Will Remember You" after Pangs as it's the last great Buffy/Angel episode we ever got, and only Becoming: Part 2 surpasses it for heartbreaking between the two when Buffy realizes what Angel did.

 

The funny thing is Pangs is arguably the high-water mark for Buffy's comedic episodes and it leads directly to patented Sarah Michelle Gellar tears on Angel.

 

Faith's crossovers with Angel are probably required viewing as well.

 

 

 

And I thought Fred got the worse ending...

 

Cordy's ending wasn't bad. Thank goodness we got it in fact. But the way she was written out was ridiculously disrespectful both to the character and to Charisma Carpenter as well. Cordelia essentially stopped being a character on the show at the end of Season 3 and we didn't even know it until she was off the show and you realized that whole Angel/Cordy romance that looked like it was going to be a major thing was just dropped. After all that character development and becoming really the core of the whole team, she's gone until she says goodbye in the last season. And, really, her brief reappearance makes you realize just how much she's missed.

 

Fred's ending was shocking, but it was meant to be shocking. That was typical Whedon, hit you just when you feel safe and take away a beloved character. And it definitely had a purpose. Plus, the only reason we didn't get Fred back was because they cancelled the show.

 

Incidentally, now that I'm older, it's amazing that I never realized just how ridiculously beautiful Charisma was on that show. Sarah, Alyson, Emma, and Amy are all great too, but Charisma was just on a whole 'nother level.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

It is hard for me to rewatch some shows, that I enjoyed when I watched them back in the day. Some of it is because of camp, some of it is bad acting. Much of it just hasn't aged all that well. Among them, in no particular order:

  1. Buffy (a little too campy at times)
  2. Firefly/Serenity (yep, I said it!)
  3. Highlander (unwatchable by today's standards!)
  4. True Blood (I barely stuck with it in first run, can't bring myself to rewatch)
  5. Xena (guilty pleasure back in the day, now unwatchable)
  6. Farscape
  7. Alias (just unwatchable to me)
  8. Fringe (Writing is Soooo schizoid)
  9. Lost, and to be honest, I bailed by about season 2.

Oh, and look, the last 3 are by JJ Abrams....just like his movies. They may be good the first time through, but re-watchability isn't there for me.

 

I've avoided rewatching BSG for similar reasons. Alias has a great season 1 and I have to force myself to bail out after it is done. I always stop watching Twin Peaks mid season 2.

The more time goes by, the more ridiculous the Watchtower gimmick becomes, especially when binge watched. I've been meaning to rewatch BSG, but feel like if I did, I'd pretty much have to stop half way through season 3.

 

 

Other shows I have to skip through

 

Babylon 5:

  1. Except for a few episodes here and there, I skip season 1 and season 5
  2. Except for the lame episodes, I watch 2-4 mostly all the way through.

 

Star Trek franchise:

  1. Star Trek TOS & TNG, I generally skip the lame episodes throughout the show, but never an entire season. I probably watch 75-80% of the series, still.
  2. Star Trek DS9, I generally skip most season 1, except for the first episode, and only watch a hand full of the season 2 episodes. I just can't stand the Bajoran-centric/religious episodes, and the Ferengi episodes, or any of the non-arc comic relief episodes. By season 3, I can watch most episodes.
  3. Star Trek Voyager and Enterprise, I have to pretty much cherry pick the episodes I will watch.

Stargate Franchise:

  1. SG1: I can watch most of it up until season 5. By Season 6, I am cherry picking, and by Season 8's finale, I lose interest altogether. By season 7ish, SG1 almost seems like Star Trek lite
  2. Atlantis: More or less cherry pick throughout the series, skipping episodes I don't like
  3. Universe: haven't rewatched it

24

  1. pretty much skip ahead to Season 2
  2. I am OK with the series mostly, from season 2 to season 5. After that, it's too repetitive.

Dexter

  1. I can watch this show up to and through about season 4. After that, repetitive, and I avoid the series finale

Spartacus

  1. Pretty much just the first 2 seasons

 

Xfiles:

 

  1. I skip over some of the crappy monster of the week episodes
  2. I have to stop after Mulder is abducted by Aliens.
  3. That Xfiles reunion was sort of a joke, and don't care if it gets picked up

 

SOA, The Shield, Mad Men, Original Twilight Zone/ Night Gallery 1990s Outer Limits

  1. I watch everything, but never can remember which ones are the lame episodes, so when it starts and I realize it's a crappy episode, I skip it.

 

Pretty much can still watch these all the way through:

 

Sopranos

Breaking Bad

Better Call Saul

Fargo

Homeland

House of Cards

Deadwood

Boardwalk Empire

Always Sunny in Phili

Band of Brothers

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  • 2 weeks later...

 


 

x-files:

 

 

1. I skip over some of the crappy monster of the week episodes

2. I have to stop after Mulder is abducted by aliens.

3. That x-files reunion was sort of a joke, and don't care if it gets picked up

 

I'm currently re-watching x-files. I'm on season five now. I plan on stopping mid-season seven with the episode "Closure." As far as I'm concerned, that's the final episode of X-files.

That was really the perfect ending to the show. Everything that came after that was kind of a train wreck in my opinion. Seasons 8 and 9 are just downright unwatchable.

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  • 1 month later...
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