Finding the essential episodes of multiple-season TV series.
November 15, 2013 7:47 AM Subscribe
I'm wondering if there is a website that builds lists of the essential episodes to watch in a given series in order to maintain story continuity and emotional investment.
I am not going to watch all 144 episodes of Buffy, for example, but could probably watch 20 episodes. I'm looking for something more than just the top 20 episodes--I also want those episodes that are important to the long story arc of a series. I suppose this is the sort of hand-crafted curation that doesn't exist on a single site, but thought I would ask.
I am not going to watch all 144 episodes of Buffy, for example, but could probably watch 20 episodes. I'm looking for something more than just the top 20 episodes--I also want those episodes that are important to the long story arc of a series. I suppose this is the sort of hand-crafted curation that doesn't exist on a single site, but thought I would ask.
No general case solution for you, but conveniently AskMetafilter did this for Buffy a ways back - if your scroll down to the bottom, the OP summarizes the episodes people recommended - it includes both story-arc episodes and the best of the monster-of-the-week episodes.
posted by heyforfour at 8:17 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by heyforfour at 8:17 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's not 100% what you're after, but for Buffy specifically, the Complete Buffy Episode Guide has not only brief summaries of each episode but also brief notes and comments on references and (beginning in the middle of season three) story continuity. So you actually could put the top 20 or so episodes into story order and just skim the guide to know what's going on between them or what subtle references you missed in the best episodes.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 8:43 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Monsieur Caution at 8:43 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Fans of the show are generally really happy to compile a list like that for people. I know I like to do that -- it's fun to think back on favorite episodes.
So if you find an active forum for the show online, you can put up a post saying that the show sounds great but you don't know where to start -- which episodes should you watch? Usually people will post lists that they think will take you down an enjoyable path through the series. In terms of looking for places to ask, Television Without Pity is a good place to start, because they have forums for tons of shows, even shows that have been off the air for years. There are some forums that have basically died or that are defunct now, though. There are probably still places online where people talk about those shows, but I'm not sure if there's another consolidated site for tons of forums (would actually love to know, if anyone has found one).
But shows can lose a lot of resonance when you watch them in big chunks or you skip around, so be prepared for the shows you watch that way to never make it to "favorite" level with you. Even on a more micro level -- I used to fast forward through parts of episodes, and wow, it's a whole different experience to sit there and watch the whole thing. The pacing is very different, and different parts of the episode will play on each other so that even the bad parts often bring something to the whole. That's true for series, too. I'm not saying "don't watch a condensed version," because yeah, the time commitment can be impossible. But don't have super high expectations, either, because virtually any show is going to work better if you watch the whole thing (or at least watch the whole thing until it jumps the shark and then avert your eyes out of loyalty).
posted by rue72 at 11:29 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
So if you find an active forum for the show online, you can put up a post saying that the show sounds great but you don't know where to start -- which episodes should you watch? Usually people will post lists that they think will take you down an enjoyable path through the series. In terms of looking for places to ask, Television Without Pity is a good place to start, because they have forums for tons of shows, even shows that have been off the air for years. There are some forums that have basically died or that are defunct now, though. There are probably still places online where people talk about those shows, but I'm not sure if there's another consolidated site for tons of forums (would actually love to know, if anyone has found one).
But shows can lose a lot of resonance when you watch them in big chunks or you skip around, so be prepared for the shows you watch that way to never make it to "favorite" level with you. Even on a more micro level -- I used to fast forward through parts of episodes, and wow, it's a whole different experience to sit there and watch the whole thing. The pacing is very different, and different parts of the episode will play on each other so that even the bad parts often bring something to the whole. That's true for series, too. I'm not saying "don't watch a condensed version," because yeah, the time commitment can be impossible. But don't have super high expectations, either, because virtually any show is going to work better if you watch the whole thing (or at least watch the whole thing until it jumps the shark and then avert your eyes out of loyalty).
posted by rue72 at 11:29 AM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Post this question about a specific show to AskMetafilter.
posted by John Cohen at 12:46 PM on November 15, 2013
posted by John Cohen at 12:46 PM on November 15, 2013
Response by poster: It looks like the question has already been answered for Buffy [see above link]. I think that perhaps a better strategy might be to go to TV.com and just read extended summaries for the bottle episodes. A better question for me to have asked would have been, "What are your strategies for binge watching a series?"
But everything in this thread is very helpful and I've started watching the show.
posted by mecran01 at 9:18 PM on November 15, 2013
But everything in this thread is very helpful and I've started watching the show.
posted by mecran01 at 9:18 PM on November 15, 2013
Buzzfeed just did a feature where they rank every single episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, worst to best. The summaries give you a good idea of which episodes are important to the main plot arc, as well as which one-off episodes are worth watching. (This list got me to watch the creepy one-off episode Hush, by the way, which is excellent.)
posted by Green Winnebago at 11:05 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Green Winnebago at 11:05 PM on November 15, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thank you for the Buzzfeed link. I glanced at it, but there is the danger of spoilers. I may take the BF list and sort it chronologically, then compare it to the TV.com ratings for best episodes. At some point I will probably start to spend more time preparing to watch than actually watching, and be filled with self-loathing.
posted by mecran01 at 8:49 PM on November 17, 2013
posted by mecran01 at 8:49 PM on November 17, 2013
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posted by themanwho at 7:54 AM on November 15, 2013 [5 favorites]