Binge Viewing

One of my retirement "projects" has been to obtain all the seasons of The Sopranos. Marvelous show. Saw every episode as they were aired, and then some. From beginning to end.
My re-viewing of them has been anything but chronological. I've seen, in this order, the 4th, 5th, 3rd, 6th(part 1),6th(part 2- really, Season 7, but, God knows why, they packaged it this way)1st and 2nd seasons--but somehow it all ties together in my head. 

Something I've long resolved to do was have every season of this very well-made show, and I now have the complete collection. Sopranos from stem to stern. These are things you do in retirement. I guess this falls, however loosely, under projects..

I was a fan of this show when it was on HBO, and have seen it from start to finish, but not in the 6 years since its last season. So now I have the whole story, with its many characters(like Dostoevsky, only with Italian names, as far as that goes), its many twists and turns, moves and counter-moves(the assassinations between the rival gangs: NY and NJ, tend to follow a move/counter-move sort of pattern), and its eventual cataclysmic ending with the gang-warfare version of WWIII. 

Like all binge viewings, you eventually get to that last episode. There's no more story. They're showing a cartoon at this point, or sweeping the floors and imploring the people still watching to get the f*ck out. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here. Time to move on. 

And there are always other long-running series' to get all engrossed in. I've done St Elsewhere as well, and Six Feet Under. And naturally The Twilight Zone(which I still revisit--yes, in more ways than one..). And there are a few more I can think of right off the bat that are probably fodder for future binges: Hill Street Blues, Northern Exposure.

In my retirement, one thing I don't think I'll ever run out of is binge material. If so, just put my ass Six Feet Under.