I recently started watching The Walking Dead from the beginning. Since practically everyone I know watches it, I’ve caught some episodes here and there, but I thought I’d make it right with the TV gods to watch it from the beginning. And TWD is just my most recent Netflix vacation. The same happens every year when they release Orange is the New Black, when I watched Game of Thrones, and even when I watched and re-watched Parks of Recreation. And these are general stages; watching Netflix shows can affect every one in different ways and can be different depending on the show. Note: there won’t be any spoilers here—trust me, I’m not a monster, but I will walk you through the emotional stages that starting a new show on Netflix causes a binge-watcher to experience.
1. Denial
For the longest time, my friends would tell me: "You have to watch The Walking Dead. You’ll love it!" And I’d say "I already watch too many shows" or "It doesn’t seem like my cup of tea." This stage begins the Netflix emotional rollercoaster because it is one where you know you kind of want to start the show, but other things get in the way. Like, you don’t know if you can avoid other responsibilities in the time it’ll take to finish the show, you don’t know if you’ll really like it and if it’s worth it to watch all six seasons, or you don’t even have friends who also watch it to support you when certain characters die. Luckily for me, I have no problem with avoiding other responsibilities and balancing Netflix with work and school. And thankfully, every one of my friends watches TWD, so I had emotionally support in all directions (thank god, am I right?)
2. Acceptance
After you tell yourself, "Yes, I’m going to start this show," you’ve finally accepted your fate. So you steal your roommate’s Netflix password and let the show take you up, up, up on the inevitable emotional rollercoaster. This stage hit me just a few weeks ago, and I haven’t looked back—or up, from my laptop I mean.
3. Excitement
"Why didn’t I watch this sooner?!" is what you tell your friends as you thank them for telling you about it in the first place. You realize you were wrong; this show is everything you’ve every wanted in a late-night binge-watching session. My excitement really began at season 1: episode 5. I needed answers, I needed action, and gore, so I need to keep watching.
4. Daydreaming
What would I do if I were stuck in a zombie apocalypse? Where would I go? Would I be a Michonne or an Andrea? These questions haunt you but also entertain you the more involved you get in the show; you figure out who your favorite characters are and figure out which specific timelines you enjoy the most. You put yourself in the shoes of the characters, so you feel all the pain, joy, and anger they feel. This stage can be tough to overcome, but it also helps you figure out that you’d rather have a Rick in your group than a Shane.
5. Fulfillment
When you come to the final episode, of course you are going to hit play while the credits of the previous episode play just before Netflix loads for that extra thirty seconds. It is bittersweet, but also, you need to keep watching. Luckily, I haven’t made it to the final episode because TWD is still a weekly broadcasted show, but I will be upset when I’m forced to watch it week to week rather than back to back.
6. Depression
You’re finished. You watched all the episodes to date; that’s a big personal accomplishment. But now you’re left with this little void. Now you have to wait until the next season like a normal person, or worse if you watched a show’s series finale that isn’t on anymore at all. It’s tough. Now you have to gather your emotional support system, and cry it out. Or eat it out. Or watch another different show to ease the Netflix pain.
7. Withdrawal
Last comes the toughest stage to get over. When you have a paper to procrastinate on, you can’t open Netflix and start watching your latest show if it’s all over. During this stage, you could feel angry, sad, even relieved if the show ended just the way you wanted. You may think the show isn’t there for you to binge-watch, but you’re wrong. The shows we watch on Netflix stick with us, sometimes they way us down or leave a void, but the best ones stick with us. And they’re always there for us to re-watch all over again if we want to repeat this emotional process.
