I got rid of TV six years ago. Not the TV itself, but the satellite service that brought programming into our home. Didn’t have time to watch and didn’t want to pay for it. Much cheaper to buy an occasional streaming movie and a Netflix subscription.
But, lately, I miss the times snuggling next to my husband to watch a show. Time spent together. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a series we could watch together—a couple of episodes a week? My husband wasn’t keen on the idea, but he didn’t put up a fight.
When my daughter suggested Stranger Things, I jumped on it. Set in the eighties, the show would bring back music, fashions, and dark paneling in the homes. I used to watch science fiction and fantasy, although now it is called speculative fiction. My husband enjoys that genre. And my daughter and her husband recommended it.
Perfect.
One episode and we could get back to our tasks for the evening. Save the second episode for next week.
The show centered around geeky middle school boys in the AV (audio visual) club. I was geeky back then. Geeky wasn’t popular like it is now. It highlighted the technology of the day, most of which could be purchased at Radio Shack.
I grew up in a Radio Shack. Well, not in the store exactly. We had a house. But my parents owned a Radio Shack and us kids hung around the store ever since I can remember. As soon as I was old enough, I worked there. Sweet memories of Realistic brand Walkie-Talkies and the Basic computer language. My dad was the go-to technology guy. Kids at school bragged about talking to him about electronics.
With my husband, I settled in to enjoy Stranger Things. The show introduced a lot of characters up front. How would they wrap up the first episode with all of those characters? And there was some kind of supernatural thing. What was that about?
I watched, eyes wide and heart pounding. The kid disappeared and the credits rolled.
What?
What?
By the way, this isn’t a spoiler, because the series description includes the kid’s disappearance.
I texted my daughter. “You didn’t tell me the first episode ended in a cliffhanger. Do they all end like this?”
She replied. “Yes, but at least the season is short.”
My breathing hadn’t returned to normal before we turned on the next episode. I’m too compulsive to stop there. I’ve spent many nights reading until morning because I couldn’t put the book down. And, my husband is no better.
We watched both seasons over four days. Talk about Netflix binge watching. I’m leery of starting another series. Although my daughter assures me Dr. Who wraps up each episode a little better. And it brings nostalgia because we watched the original.
I may have to write a blog abut binge watching Dr. Who. Where will it end?
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