While we’re on the subject of terrifically bad habits:
- Netflix
- Wine
- Daydreaming about things that will never, ever happen in a million gabillion years while almost walking into traffic
- Failed experiments
- Person avoid-y avoider
- Public transit nightmaring
- YouTube-er-ation
Netflix (after finishing, realized this is in it’s own world of bad habit-generating-ness and therefore stands unabashedly alone)
Oh God… how do I even begin this? I’m sure that on the mental end it began rather innocently in the vortex of escapism, but let’s not dwell on those pesky practically fixable root problems, shall we?
The early part of 2012 was spent drooling over Eric Szmanda, missing William Petersen, and wondering why Season 13 of CSI was not making me laugh/cry/lock my doors/be paranoid about strangers. So, to fill the void, I engaged with the mythical monster named Netflix.
At first I didn’t understand the appeal. It didn’t seem to have any of the movies and series on Instant I was looking for (CSI is DVD only), it was a year or two behind the ones I did like, and scrolling through on my Xbox was a colossal pain in the ass because of the internet lag. I took suggestions from friends: Mad Men was one, but I wasn’t into it despite the hype. SeaQuest DSV – lives in my heart forever, but the early 2000s can stay there for now.
So I turned to older shows – I think Dollhouse was the first. Got obsessed with Fran Kranz and Joss Whedon all over again, which turned into a bigger thing because of Cabin in the Woods – one of my favorites of 2012 – and the Avengers movie in the summer. But anyway, the ability to watch the same show 89787343 times for virtually no charge: brilliant.
Then, somehow, I turned to Doctor Who. Dear. God. This was very solidly the turning point in my Netflix obssession because
- Christopher Eccleston was my Doctor. It’s true: the first Doctor you watch is usually your Doctor. Until
- David Motherfucking Tennant. There are likely katrillions of blogs dedicated to why this happened, if you are not a Who-familiar, so I won’t re-hash here. Anyway-
- David Tennant also appeared as the lead in Casanova. Executed brilliantly. Watched/Mooned over this 1997343 times.
- Couldn’t find other DT-centered stuff in this media, turned to YouTube for his interviews with Alan Carr, radio pieces with Catherine Tate, etc. But needed visual media, and a series to be obsessed with so I turned to
- Torchwood, naturally. John Barrowman, my darling
- Netflix at this point realized British TV might be my thing and so suggested
Sherlock.
Holy shit. Sherlock. It was great to see Mark Gatiss and his work again, since the Doctor Who episode the Lazarus Experiment was the first time I’d seen him. This was also my first introduction to the wonderful creatures named Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch. MF: cuter than a room full of puppies. Went back and watched the UK version of The Office. Love!
BC: another post entirely. Suffice it to say I am probably technically a Cumberbitch, but a sane one as I wish him well in his future endeavors and look forward to seeing what he gets up to in the film world, but would not follow him down the street or any of the other crazy-face stuff I gather people do. This happened gradually, anyway. I even over’looked’ him at first. He’s super skinny in Sherlock, pale… certainly not without his cute moments, but I prefer… men who have met the sun. At some point. But in any case, I think Sherlock is a great intro to Benedict Cumberbatch if for no other reason than the earlier traits force people like me to focus on his expressions, movements, and voice, all of which spoil the shit out of you when you are accustomed to – and left to deal with – the hordes and hordes of actors and actresses whose on-screen presentations – by comparison – are not nearly so striking.
And it is because of this that I sought out the other stuff he’d done (on Netflix first, since we’re on the subject). To The Ends of The Earth is the first time I realized I was emotionally engaged with him as an actor – so many purposely awkward moments on behalf of his character – so then found The Last Enemy. My interest in TLE took me completely by surprise which was, again, in part owed to his skill as an actor in that series. I also liked the actress who plays Nadir, and BC’s character’s brother also shows up in another series, Survivor.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
He also voiced the series of documentaries on Netflix by Stephen Hawking – so great, an ideal pairing – and actually played Hawking in – well – Hawking (not on Netflix, shame). He’s in an episode of MI-5 (another series with a gatrillion episodes on Netflix) for a few shakes, but outside of that, that is the end of the BC Netflix-y-ness (though I think they’ve added Wreckers by now, another unexpectedly good one).
It just so happens that my fam started watching Downton Abbey (on Netflix) and I was alerted to Parade’s End, which has Cumberbatch in it, and incidentally I prefer. So amazing. Partly because I like-ish drama but kick it to the curb when possible, which PE allows me to do. That’s a marked difference between the two shows.
So we’re up to the present where I’m watching Star Trek from episode one. How hot and also adorable is Uhura, btw? Am I the only one who finds Spock cute and Captain Kirk’s long looks and “come hither, sexy-pants” swagger kind of creepy? How kind of Netflix to reestablish it’s hold on my soul by having virtually all of it available on instant. It’s going to be a long couple of months before Into Darkness, and apparently I will fill those months with … Well…
Damn Netflix. It’s a super massive black hole of possibilities, spawning more black holes and possibilities. So the first step in gaining back my free time – and as a consequence, desire to succeed in life – is likely putting down the Netflix and taking up – say – a boyfriend. A newly minted boyfriend would be sufficient, I think. Yes. Let’s prescribe a boyfriend and this addiction will come to a fiery end. Unless he loves Netflix too – then we’re both screwed.
Yep 