I watched all of BtVS in the space of a couple of months, and most of S6/7 over maybe four days. I suspect that, yes, my viewing experience was wildly different from folks watching the show live. I came out really liking S6, and I think I like it even more in retrospect than I did at the time, although I haven't rewatched the whole thing again yet. Although it was painful and angsty, I don't think the angstangstangst really hit me until I started reading fic for that season. (However, I am still bitter about the Wedding That Wasn't - I think I hate that episode more than I do SR.)
On the other hand, I'm fairly positive I'd never have made it through S7 if I watched it live. Even watching it over so short a period, I found the unending doom! sleepover! doom! to be horribly oppressive.
In fact, I've pretty much decided that I'm a marathon TV watcher, period. I've never managed to watch any show live for more than about two and a half years, and I think it's partly because of those in-between spaces you talk about (although I also think it has something to do with my attention span...) Live, one bad episode can turn me off. On DVD, I just shrug, start the next ep, and say, "Well, if the next two or three are this bad, maybe I'll stop."
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-01-15 05:13 am (UTC)I watched all of BtVS in the space of a couple of months, and most of S6/7 over maybe four days. I suspect that, yes, my viewing experience was wildly different from folks watching the show live. I came out really liking S6, and I think I like it even more in retrospect than I did at the time, although I haven't rewatched the whole thing again yet. Although it was painful and angsty, I don't think the angstangstangst really hit me until I started reading fic for that season. (However, I am still bitter about the Wedding That Wasn't - I think I hate that episode more than I do SR.)
On the other hand, I'm fairly positive I'd never have made it through S7 if I watched it live. Even watching it over so short a period, I found the unending doom! sleepover! doom! to be horribly oppressive.
In fact, I've pretty much decided that I'm a marathon TV watcher, period. I've never managed to watch any show live for more than about two and a half years, and I think it's partly because of those in-between spaces you talk about (although I also think it has something to do with my attention span...) Live, one bad episode can turn me off. On DVD, I just shrug, start the next ep, and say, "Well, if the next two or three are this bad, maybe I'll stop."
Fascinating post - thank you!