Is watching a TV show like "Mad Men" all at once a poor way to appreciate or review it?

[gallows_fodder]

@Monkey_Chews

Funny, just had a long discussion about this very topic topic with some friends tonight, using Mad Men as the main example.

Much to my surprise, I found that I appreciated Man Men a hell of a lot more when I watched it in discreet bites. I watched the first three season on DVD in quick succession, and really enjoyed it. But the difference when I came to watch the fourth season, which I did as it aired on a weekly basis, was a revelation. With a week between each episode I found so much more to enjoy. I had time to really reflect and chew each moment over, think about what was happening with the characters, and what the events of each episode had meant for them. I found it a much, much richer experience.

Mad Men, I think, is probably more susceptible to this than something more plot driven or tension-filled than, say, Breaking Bad or Battlestar Galactica (two other shows I’ve switched midway through from watching all at once to week-by-week) because it’s not so much driven by events, or a need to know what’s happening next, but by subtle characters moments and the depiction of the slowly-changing times.

Partly, too, there was the fact that I would discuss each episode a lot more with friends and co-workers who were watching at the same time. I had some really enthralling discussions of what was happening with each character, where their life might be heading, what was the significance of certain looks or comments, what a fucking bitch Betty was being, or whatever, that just didn’t have a chance to happen when I’d watch a show all by myself in a big chunk. Even the SDMB threads contributed to that - I"d come in a read people’s opinions after each episode and it often gave me a really different perspective. So there’s also a social, interactive aspect to watching a series slowly and at airing time that just doesn’t have a chance to happen in the same way when you’re tearing through a series on DVD, going “What happens next episode, I gotta watch one more. And maybe one more after that.”

I totally agree with all of this. Some shows are perfectly suited to marathoning – Mad Men is not one of them. You need time to digest (and discuss, even if it’s with the voices in your head!) each week’s installment before moving on to the next one in order to fully appreciate it. Some episodes are very subtly and intricately crafted with parallel scenes, allusions to other episodes/literature/history, etc., and you’ll miss the connections if you move too quickly through the series.

[Odesio]

When you watch a television show back to back the flaws in the series stick out a lot more. I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer back to back on DVD and while I enjoyed the show the flaws that existed just stood out that much more. Most of season 6 and 7 was just a chore to get through but I wouldn’t have noticed it as much had I waited a week between each episode.