Opinion Piece- Streaming through the Madness

Exams are shit. I know that isn't exactly a revelation, it's just a ground principle I need out in the open to start this discussion. Early summer used to be a time for joy, for starting to relax but for many teenagers, it is a long and painful wall to break through to get to the joys of late summer and the freedom that offers. In order to make it through exams and also get good grades, what many people do (and I know this because I'm a good budding journalist and researched on those around me) is unsubscribe from any streaming services, stop watching TV and face a life of work. It may seem like a smart move but I suggest the opposite. I suggest you try streaming through the madness (I know, that's the title of this post, clever move).

Reason one is something that many dedicated nerds often forget: humans need breaks. Revision is really important but your brain can only work so hard for so long so only work when you are actually in the best state for it. Case in point, a friend of mine loves Community for many reasons, among which is the fact that the episode lengths perfectly accommodate for revision breaks. Twenty minutes of escapism, of laughter, of relaxation, then back. It's a good system and one that I am always trying to apply myself to. Also, face the fact that you can't spend all day revising. At the very least, you need a way of unwinding at the end of the day because you surely aren't going to be revising right up until nine o clock every day. Don't push yourself too hard, it can be as crippling as not working hard enough.

My second reason is focused around how much legitimately amazing TV is coming out over that period. Admittedly, we are (still) living in the Golden Age of television so there is great TV coming out at all times of the year but the next few months especially seem to be overflowing with it. When it comes to stuff I'm interested in alone, there's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Fargo and possibly even Rick and Morty all with their third seasons and the big fifth season of House of Cards. House of Cards especially is difficult as it comes out right in the middle of the exam period, but I won't let that stop me. You'd better believe that on the day it drops, I am going to binge the entire season hard, like a meth addict but with more health problems. Why do I do that to myself? Because I want to be part of the conversation. TV is weirdly a great way of connecting with others and talking about that amazing twist in the final episode is not something you want to miss out on. It's the same reason I will be watching the first few episodes of Twin Peaks when they release before I leave the stack of episodes to multiply into a healthy selection for bingeing.

This year though, there is a weird yet legitimate reason for binge watching and that's for the sake of your education. Primarily, this refers to the premiere of The Handmaids Tale which comes out later this month. For many English students, this couldn't have come at a better time as there is no easier way of studying a text than through an adaptation of it. Obviously films are the ideal choice as it's quick and easy but there already was one for The Handmaids Tale and it missed much of the subtleties. Cue TV coming in. With TV, even just a miniseries, there are so many more hours at play for the creators and they can therefore not only accurately adapt the book but also expand the themes of the original novel in ways that weren't possible before. This applies to other things of course, as there is also a miniseries of Tess of the D'Ubervilles for all the poor souls who are studying that. Even if an adaptation isn't massively accurate, it can sometimes be interesting to see how differently others approach the novel.

So yeah, don't unsubscribe from Netflix just yet. I know it can be distracting but if you're able to use with restraint, it can be invaluable. After all, everyone needs to unwind and if you can't, you may be in pretty big trouble.