I have a confession to make. I have five episodes of Season 3 of Orphan Black just sitting on my DVR unwatched.
I know, I know. I'm a terrible person, and what makes this even worse is the fact that I just can't bring myself to hit play and make my way through them. I was very excited for Season 3 of Orphan Black to begin back when it premiered in April, but after watching the first four episodes and being behind in doing so, I might add, this season has just been confusing, convoluted and just not memorable for me. Even with the season finale arriving on Saturday, I am sad to say that I have just not been motivated to catch up.
Does this mean it's time for me to finally give up on Orphan Black? Because TV seasons can be so long and contain so many episodes, it's common for them to feel slow or difficult to get through at times. But then, bam! Sometimes, an episode will come along and something big happens, reinvigorating your love for the show.
Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen, and episode after episode, the show continues to be a slog to get through. When that happens, you might think you would be so much happier if you didn't watch that show every week, but you stick with it because you feel like you can't give it up when you've committed to it for so long.
As you can see, TV shows are a lot like romantic relationships. No, that's not as sad as it sounds because it's true. You navigate through the sea of TV shows to find the one that looks interesting to you, get to know it by watching the first few episodes, have that moment when you fall in love with it and fight with it when it betrays you.
Obviously, there's a point in a romantic relationship when the bad outweighs the good, and you know it's finally time to break it off. That moment will come when you're watching a TV show too, but how do you know when it's time? If you've experienced one or all of these emotions with your once-beloved show, it might just be time to call it quits.
1. It Feels Stale
When you start watching a show, everything is so new and exciting that you just want to keep spending time with it in order to discover more to fall in love with. However, after watching several episodes or several seasons of the same show, the novelty naturally wears off. You don't feel that rush of enthusiasm when the opening credits sequence begins, and it becomes harder and harder for you to remain attentive while watching an episode. For me, I love all of the various clone personalities on Orphan Black, but the whole conspiracy premise has gotten a bit boring to me, even if the show has added new developments to it this season. When a horrifyingly funny quip from Helena doesn't do it for me anymore, something must be very, very wrong. If you go too long without cracking a smile while watching a show, it might be time to give it up.
2. You Feel Exhausted After You've Spent Time With It
Some shows are more involved than others. You can't exactly have Game of Thrones on in the background while you're taking pics for Instagram of the meal you're cooking. You would have no idea what was going on because there are so many characters, backstories and details to pick up in every episode. I've found that with Orphan Black, too. A show like that, which is centered on a big conspiracy and is already quite mysterious, can be even more difficult to follow when so many characters are ambiguous, and you have to keep track of who's good, who's bad and what their main motivations are. However, if you love watching a show, you're usually more than willing to devote that kind of attention to it. If you continue to come away from an episode feeling exhausted rather than satiated after trying to keep track of all of its plot points and nuances, you might be better off not having that show in your life.
3. It's Too Needy
Some series require you to watch every episode, while some can be watched more casually, catching an episode here and there and still being able to understand what's going on. TV series require a lot of time to get through, and if you're experiencing the former and not enjoying yourself, it could just be a waste of time. I can't just watch Saturday night's season finale of Orphan Black because I would be so lost without catching up on this season first. I would be so lost. Unfortunately, having all of these episodes constantly nag me, desperately begging to be watched, sometimes makes me feel like I should get the heck out of here.
4. Trying To Make Long Distance Work Is Too Difficult
With so many channels and platforms for TV today, it would be difficult to have access to all of them, and this sometimes determines whether you keep up with a show or not. I get BBC America and I have a DVR, so this is one problem I actually don't have with Orphan Black, but it is what I'm going through with Community, a show I was also a big fan of. Season 6 has premiered and wrapped up on Yahoo Screen, but I haven't seen one episode of it. That's partly because of the platform it's featured on. I watch all of my TV through my cable subscription, Netflix or Hulu. I just don't frequent Yahoo Screen, and therefore, I never really have the opportunity to watch Season 6 of Community. I have effectively broken up with this show without actively doing so. Whether one of your shows has moved to a channel that you don't have access to through your cable subscription or your friend has finally changed his or her Netflix password because you've been a freeloader way too long, sometimes it's just not worth the effort to try and find a way to spend some time with a show.
5. You Want To Play The Field
As I previously mentioned, it would be very difficult for you to keep up with every show that you wanted. Sure, we'd all love to do nothing but spend time in bed watching TV all day, but that usually doesn't pay the bills. That means you really have to narrow down the few TV shows you're going to stay up to date on. Once you have that schedule set, there's usually little wiggle room to add any more in. However, when you see that shiny, new trailer for the most-anticipated show of the fall TV season, it can be very tempting to stray and not give your old standbys the same amount of attention you once did. Sometimes I think to myself, "I could finally see what all of the fuss is about with House of Cards if I didn't have all of this Orphan Black to watch." There are times when I try to keep up and finish the series I watch regularly out of obligation, not always because I really want to. If you feel like you want to try out some new TV shows for a while, you might have to say goodbye to some on your current slate.
6. You Forget All Of The Happy Moments You've Had Together
Ultimately, watching a TV show is about being entertained and having fun. If you no longer feel that, there's not really a point to continuing to watch it, now, is there? The only reason I like watching Orphan Black these days is just to hang out with my favorite clones for an hour and to watch Tatiana Maslany's masterful portrayal of each of them. However, I feel like a lot of the humor and suspense that I really loved about the show in the first place is now gone, and I find myself wondering why I continue to watch it. If thinking about all of the good times you've had with a show doesn't do it for you anymore, or you can't even remember what you liked about this show in the first place, it's time to go your separate ways. Life is too short to spend it watching bad TV.
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