Weekend Watch: obligation shows I'm obligated to oblige
the least useful version of this newsletter you'll ever get. which is saying something!
Earlier this week, a woman tweeted about Mare of Easttown—the new HBO limited series my dad and I struggled to get into but stuck—with the same issue. Wondering aloud into the Twitter Abyss if she should stick with the show because of its hyper visibility in current TV discourse, several people wrote back with a sentiment along the lines of: “Television is supposed to be fun, not homework. Watch what you like to watch.”
Obligation TV is not a new concept, but the phrasing “TV homework” reminded me of what I’m doing with this newsletter re: trying to get through a lot of new-to-me TV for the sake of having something new to talk about when I’d rather hunker down with my 3rd LOST re-watch. There are a lot of shows—some fresh and “urgent” seeming in media discourse like Mare of Easttown and WandaVision—and then “classics” like The Sopranos, The Wire, LOST—forefather shows considered “must watches” to appreciate shows popular today. There’s a lot I can and may say about this topic the next time I have the stamina to write more than 500 words on one subject, but for this weekend, I’m not recommending anything besides 8 hours of sleep, and instead sharing obligation shows I tried/am trying/will try to watch 95% because of how they’re royally ranked in pop culture today:
Because I’m dying to go on a date with a family-money law student who moonlights as a LinkedIn vlog influencer and sends his food back to the kitchen and has this show in his dating app profile…
…I’m trying to watch The Sopranos (HBO). Really though, The Sopranos is the second most common TV show I see mentioned in men’s dating profiles after The Office. Until now, I resisted this show A) because the man:woman raving ratio for this show is, like, 10:1, and there’s got to be a reason for that. B) With 6 seasons, it’s a daunting undertaking. I am spoiled by the Big Cultural Moment 8-episode limited series are having! My dad and I are one episode in, and it’s fine, but I think we’ll push through at least the first season.
Because nothing is more sacred to me than TV shows set in London featuring people on their very worst behavior…
…I tried to watch Fleabag (Prime). This one hurts, because it was the show I’d convinced myself I would fall in love with if I sat my lazy ass down and watched it. I did, 4 episodes worth, but could not commit. My one TV weakness is a low threshold for interpersonal awkwardness that lasts too long for comedic effect, and that’s the epicenter of this show.
Because Bryan Cranston keeps getting interviewed on my favorite podcasts and I want to listen without worrying about spoilers…
…I’m going to try watching Breaking Bad (Netflix). The bathtub scene. Season 1. You know the one. That took 16-year-old Rebecka out of the Breaking Bad running and she never looked back, until now. Even more than The Sopranos, this feels like THE show that is my biggest TV blindspot. I’ve been pushing this project back for…months? Years? But I am somewhat committed to watching before the year is out. Watch this space for updates, ugh.
:-) Pulpit Rock Brewing Co., a Decorah weekday buzz staple, brought back my favorite beer, B.T.O., after my relentless (twice per year) bullying about it on their Facebook page.
:-| Having this problem where I get pumped up listening to the Bee Gees at 10PM every night and cannot fall asleep until much later because my brain-to-body communication is going “Disco Time!”
:-( Remember my doctor-advised toe spacer? Sucks!
On my recent East Coast trip I, too, experienced the magic of Wawa gas stations for the first time. But can I just say, Kate Winslet clearly has never eaten an entire medium cheese pizza from Casey’s and had to stay home from the bar, a blessing in disguise, as a result. Talk about awestruck.