TV Bingeing

You know those people who can sit for hours upon hours in front of their TV? Those people who, when they come across a new show that they like, have no problem starting from the very first episode of the very first season and whipping through every single episode until they're all caught up to present time, or even til they finish the entire show's run? The people who get up after finishing nine hours of TV to find a permanent dent in their couch cushions?

I am not one of those people. (Ram is - his idea of the best day ever surely involves watching a TV series from start to finish in a single afternoon.) It took me a FULL YEAR to watch seasons 1-3 of Arrested Development, and every time I sat down to watch one, it was because Ram had cajoled me into it. It wasn't because I didn't think the show was funny - it was hilarious - it was because the thought of making my way through episode upon episode and season upon season was completely overwhelming and daunting. So binge watching TV was not for me. 

Until Orange is The New Black.

Ya'll, have you seen it yet? I am obsessed. I don't want to go too far into detail if you haven't seen any episodes yet, but here's a little rundown with no spoilers: OITNB is a Netflix original series, which means that when it was released in July, the entire first season (13 episodes total) was available at once - meaning once you were hooked, it was super easy to binge watch! It's based on a true story about an upper middle class white woman named Piper who gets sent to prison a decade after committing a crime (carrying a suitcase full of drug money into another country as a favor to her girlfriend), and how she struggles to adjust to a completely new set of rules behind bars, surrounding by a truly insane cast of characters. 

In my opinion, the unique premise is really what ultimately hooks you, but the supporting cast members - prison guards and other prisoners included - are just phenomenal in both their acting and their portrayals. My favorite characters are Crazy Eyes, Nicki, or my personal hero, Taystee - I laugh so hard when they are on screen. This is a clip from my absolute FAVORITE scene in the entire season:

I cannot get enough of Taystee. She is basically the reason why I started re-watching the season - AGAIN!

Now the question remains... have I been converted into a TV binge-watcher? Or was my obsession limited only to OITNB? I think I need to find a new series and test out this theory. Ram has suggested Scandal, but after last weekend reading everyone's insane excitement over Breaking Bad, I kind of want to see what the fuss is all about. In the meantime, I will slowly but surely make my way through the eleven episodes of last season's Grey's Anatomy that are still sitting on my DVR leftover from May. I AM THE WORST.

If you have a suggestion of a fabulous show I should sit down and commit to, I am all ears!