Everything from the Boys, to Marvel shows, to Lower Decks waste so much time every episode recapping what happened previously. We’re watching these shows on demand. If we needed a recap we simply watch parts of the last episode. Binging shows is so normal it’s a meme now.
Do the people making these shows seriously think there’s a possibility of network syndication or something? As if we’ll eventually go back to the network model?
What do you think?
I like it. First reason is I don’t always watch just one show, sometimes I’ll move between 3-4, so it can be a week before I see the same show again. Just because a lot of people binge doesn’t mean everyone does.
Secondly there’s no way on earth I’d want to scrub through the previous episode trying to find and remember the important points, especially with buffering, it’d probably take just as long as rewatching the episode.
Third is that it’s not always just the last episode they’re recapping, sometimes it’ll be something from episode 2 that’s only now become relevant in episode 5, and without binging it I definitely prefer the reminder, sometimes even with.
My last point isn’t really a point explicitly in favour of recaps, but finally, you can skip them very easily if you don’t want them. Most if not all streaming services literally build in a skip button for the theme/opening/recap. But even if they don’t it’s pretty easy. So I don’t really see it as a big deal in the end.
I presume they do it for the people who don’t binge watch or who end up dropping a show for a while, only to come back and not remember what happened last episode.
I personally enjoy them considering there are times I watch shows with breaks of weeks in-between episodes and need it. Saves time.
So much time being 30s in an hour long episode?
Who’s “we”? I love recaps at the start of an episode when the last one I watched was a week ago. If you don’t like them, it’s streaming video. Just skip forward!
I don’t always binge watch shows. And I’m not going to rematch all the episodes every time I come back to a show. And as an ADHD person I appreciate the reminders of what happened.
I imagine it’s to pad runtime.
If I’m binging, I’ll skip them if the option is there. Otherwise, they help when I remember a show exists and I come back to it.
I like them. I watch stuff in bursts. Like ten episodes at a time, then I don’t have the time to watch anything for a month and my memory gets sketchy.
And The Boys recaps are funny.
Previously on The Boys: Splatter, splash, gloop, burp, blop!
Exactly what I was talking about!
I like to put things that didn’t happen in the “Previously On” portions, to fuck with people’s heads.
“More broccoli?”
"It isn’t broccoli I want… it’s… you!"
I don’t binge. Can be helpful if it’s been a few weeks since I last watched one, although if it’s been that long and I can’t remember what happened then it’s probably not that good a show anyway.
Maybe have the recap as a separate bit that plays only if you’re not?
Honestly, the best treatment of this was in the pre-streaming world with the “next time on Arrested Development.”
The running joke is that they would pretty much never happen, except once in a while when they did.
A lot of times they re-cap the bits from previous episodes that are relevant to the one you’re about to watch. They aren’t random flashbacks.
Yeah. They always show that old character that you forgot about in the “previously on” right before his surprise comeback.
Which ruins the surprise.
If they need a recap for the viewers to remember what’s going on then it’s bad storytelling.
Oh yeah, because everyone will obviously remember what a guy mentioned off hand on a random episode 5 years ago.
I agree that a “previously on” for what happened the previous episode is bullshit, but that’s almost never the case.
The fight you’re looking for is one you need to have with yourself.
Or possibly the viewers have more going on in their lives than focusing on one TV show.
Not bad, just extended. If you’re watching season 3 and there’s a throwback to season 1, it’s good to have that reminder.
Not everyone binges shows, and some release weekly, and in either case are following the pattern of recaps for those who didn’t just watch the previous episode before starting the current one.
I’m just glad all of the ones I can think of have a skip recap button. Same for intros!
I tend to watch shows three or so episodes at a time, but then it can be a few days or even weeks until I get back to it.
Side note: I really appreciate shows that put out a proper recap of the last season. I ain’t rewatching an entire season just so I can watch the new one.
I’ve been watching Clone Wars with my partner and find the recaps really useful since we usually only watch one episode at a time.
Official chronological order, of course