A year or more ago Netflix decided to charge more for the service I had at the time, which included getting movies mailed to me. I remember being pretty ticked off at Netflix for expecting me to pay more. I chose not to pay more and stopped receiving those mailed movies. However, I kept my Netflix account and I have to say I am so happy I did. I have decided that traditional TV for me is somewhat dead. First, I absolutely hate most of the “reality” television that seems to be everywhere these days. Second, I have discovered that I don’t really like waiting week after week to find out who died or what’s happening next. Third, it is difficult to find quality TV by wading through the wasteland of what is available on a weekly basis. Finally, I like picking my time when I want to watch whatever it is that strikes my fancy. I cannot believe I’m about to do this without getting paid but I have to say I am about to give a shout out, a tribute if you will, to Netflix for creating programming that has peaked my interest and caused me to reevaluate my TV watching experience.
It started this May with “House of Cards”. Of course, I tuned in because how could I not watch Kevin Spacey being a freaking, dirty, cunning politician. I love House of Cards and watched it the first weekend it was out with fascination. I didn’t watch one show and wait a week. I delved in for the long haul and used up my entire weekend. I cannot wait for the second season. It is bound to be awesome, as Netflix has chosen to use good actors and writers to create it. After House of Cards, I heard that they had created another season of Arrested Development. I had only seen the show on occasions when my son has asked me to watch it with him. I knew he liked it so I thought I should watch it from the beginning. I prepared for the coming of the new season by watching the prior seasons. I have found that I have become obsessed with this format. I would much rather watch one show all the way through and then move on to another than wait a week, or a year, to see the next season. It’s like reading a good book. It can be hard to put it down.
After watching Arrested Development, I moved on to Breaking Bad. I love Breaking Bad even if the show absolutely doesn’t “get” women at all. Women seem to be some kind of whiny after thought but I don’t care because watching Walt go from being Malcolm’s dad to developing into the monster he becomes is a portrait in growing a psychopath. The character is so interesting that I get enough from his relationship with Jesse. I don’t really care that Walt’s wife wore super high heels and sexy clothes when she was eight months pregnant and looked like she never was troubled with swollen ankles. In Breaking Bad, women are not the breadwinners of the show. The cops are all stereotypical, macho, MEN, but who cares? My son thinks Skylar is a bitch. Maybe living with a psychopath can turn someone into being a bitch. I can forgive the show for creating female characters that have little dimension because the show keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what crazy development will grow from Walt’s manipulative mind. Now, I’m just waiting for the final season to kick in.
Finally, I watched Jjenji Kohan’s Weeds and her new program, Orange is the New Black. Weeds took me on a bumpy ride of illegal drug sales through a prominent upper middle class experience, which eventually bordered on the ludicrous, but always managed to entertain me. Her new show, Orange is the New Black, was very strange at first to watch. The first three or more shows I was just trying to figure out what it was. The premise was foreign to me. I was mostly confused about whether I liked it or not. Then I realized that I wanted to watch the next show. It took awhile to understand the character development. Many flashbacks show why certain inmates ended up in prison. It served to humanize the inmate experience. The show exhibits much nudity and crudeness that would normally be associated with male dominated viewing. However, this is largely about women in a women’s prison. If you get a chance to watch it you must get beyond the first few shows to really understand it and probably appreciate the writing. The biggest surprise for me was the casting of Laura Prepon from “That 70’s Show”. She is outstanding as Alex Vause, a major dealer of heroin and the female love interest for Piper Chapman who is played by Taylor Schilling. Orange is the New Black is not for the religious right or young audiences. It has a mature theme that borders on the bizarre. Piper begins the show as a likable enough young all American girl but as you see how the show develops, you see how destructive she can be without really even being aware of how she causes chaos to those around her. Much like Breaking Bad the character Piper grows into someone that is hardly recognizable. I am anxious now to see what becomes of her.
My summer time TV viewing has changed completely and has made me wonder if I really need TV as I find myself not that interested beyond watching the news or a few shows. With programming like Netflix, Amazon, and Project TV, the verdict is still out. However, I have discovered that the best TV shows are rarely on regular standard TV stations like ABC, NBC, CBS, or FOX. The best shows that I have been watching are on AMC, A&E, and Netflix. AMC could be arguably the best channel on television with The Walking Dead, The Killing, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad. The acting is fantastic. It is what I find missing from all of the other channels that have seemingly decided that most people want to watch “reality” TV. There are some of us out here that actually appreciate a good story and good acting.