Screens

TV has evolved over the years, from the hardware, to the providers, to the audience.  But one thing has not changed: it brings people together; whether it’s friends discussing the possible ways a series could end or families gathered in living rooms to laugh at the same comedian, poke fun at a sibling who sobs with the characters in a show, or gasp together at cliffhangers. Regardless of how you choose to watch your favorite shows (via a TV screen, on your tablet, computer, or smartphone), you watch because aside from being entertained, it connects you to people. 

My sisters and I watched way too much TV when we were younger. It was one of the ways we bonded (in addition to running outside when it rained, singing at the top of our lungs or sharing scary stories during blackouts, and eating every and any kind of junk food in sight). We were such TV hogs that we knew all the ads and even made a guessing game out of it. More than once, we got in trouble for rushing through our homework to watch our favorite cartoons or failing to do our chores. And that was at a time when choices were limited. There weren’t as many channels or shows. Now, with Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video, in addition to the already-rich content on HBO and Showtime, one can easily sit in front of the TV (or Macbook) all weekend and you won’t run out of shows to watch, good ones at that.

One would think that with my childhood affinity for TV I would’ve seen most, if not all, of the noteworthy shows that are currently available. On the contrary, I’m not the kind of binge-watcher you’d expect. Save for a few exceptions (e.g., Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, Lost in Space, The Night of, The Night Watchman, The Man in the High Castle, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Breaking Bad, Prison Break, Dexter, and Lost) it’s hard for me to sit through more than 3 episodes of a series. My body craves movement, my lungs pine for outside air, and my brain distracted by other thoughts. I simply can’t stay indoors for too long without getting restless.

On July 4th, however, I watched 8 episodes of Fauda, a Hebrew language film on Netflix produced in Israel. I woke up that day and thought of cycling for 4 hours by the Hudson. But it being a holiday, the city was crowded with tourists and local families, in addition to the runners/bikers that frequent the area; so I decided to stay home and let my to-heck-with-it-I-feel-like-being-a-couch-potato-today self take the reins. And, boy, am I glad I did! We really do need to allow ourselves to just chill sometimes. If I didn’t need to eat, shower, or sleep, I probably would have finished the entire season in one day. I even did my abs workout with eyes glued to the screen. It’s relevant, engaging, and I enjoyed listening to the characters switch between Arabic and Hebrew (I watched it in the original Hebrew version). It had a few plot holes and inconsistencies which bothered me a bit but I got so invested in the characters that I didn’t even care. 

Fauda is only one of the many gems that I was not aware of until recently. At the rate they’re coming and the rate I’m going, I wouldn’t have enough holidays and weekends to watch them all. That’s okey though. I’d much rather be outdoors and biking or indoors and reading anyway. But it’s good to know that whenever I feel the way I felt on July 4th, Netflix is a treasure trove of goodies I could count on.

The screens we see through.