I respect your opinion and perspective as I do that of the others who have responded in kind. I am not much of a joiner/talker so the community aspect holds no real appeal for me. I agree that there is tons to learn going over the season in bulk and wonder about and catch. That's why it's fine for me to let it end where it did, seems like a good stopping point for me.
It isn't just this show that I'm like that about. I never watch episodic shows one week at a time. I watch whole seasons instead. I appreciate the quality of the podcast and love its portability. I work from home and am usually listening to it while I do my job but I have taken it with me on plane trips and to the grocery store and think it's awesome. Just cannot abide a half a year absence. It is highly likely that I won't listen to more until the whole show is completed.
Different strokes for different folks right?
I prefer listening to a whole season at once but I can't wait that long.
When the TV show Heros first cam out I watched the entire first season back to back and LOVED it. Then I watched the Second season one episode at a time and hated it. The second season was mediocre at best but I also couldn't stand commercials after watching the first season with limited commercial interruption. It spoiled me so much that I completely stopped watching live TV. I only watch internet episodes now.
It is a compliment to We're Alive that I will listen to weekly episodes.
Serial Radio and TV shows are designed to have a cliff hanger to force you to stay interested until the next show is released. The Internet has turned me into a instant gratification junky and cliffhangers usually feel so fake that I can't stand them.
Its kind of funny because in the late 80's a lot of sociologist were talking about how TV had reduced people's attention spans and created a demand for instant gratification. Those same sociologist must look at what the internet has done and wish for the good old days of Broadcast TV's dominance.
I like your point of view. Back in the Eighties a lot of series were based on the scheme. You just have to take a look at how the A-Team, Miami Vice, MacGyver and so on were produced. There was utterly little interconnection between each episode. The plots were less elaborated, the good guys were good, the evil ones really evil. But thanks to broadcasting stations like HBO, the way of presenting a TV series changed. The people in charge optimized the possibilities a serialized media format is able to provide. Ironically, most blockbuster movie seem to respond to this new trend, their overall running time has increased during the last years up to nearly two and a half or close to three hours: Django Unchained, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games, even Skyfall.
I think what makes WA work is "augmented listening." You have random access to each and every episode, you have the vast opportunities here at the forum, you can check facts on the Internet, but most of all - you are not able to extract all the information and hints hidden in each episode by only listening once.
I started doing the same just after Lost ended, but only with somewhat "serious" series, not with comedy. I guess the disappointment was too much for me, so I was overcome by "fear of commitment": I'm never going to suffer through a series the way I suffered through Lost, becoming a passionate watcher, engaging on the ARGs and forums just to be let down in the end. I now only watch series which are already completed, so I can watch them at the pace I prefer and in any case, they won't have my passion and excitement for naught again.
Unfortunately, this applies only to things I discovered AFTER Lost, and I discovered WA before that But I trust KC WAY more than any $-stuffed Hollywood writer with a dadaist script generator, so I keep engaging in it on a weekly basis
I've only listened from beginning to the current stopping point (Season 3 finale) once. I know that many of you have already listened several times, but I'm issuing out a challenge.
My fellow WA fans: While we wait for Season 4, relisten to the entire series to date and ADD TO THE WIKI! The first time around, I actually added to the WIKI after listening to each chapter. Our WIKI is seriously lacking and it could use some TLC. Who's game?
Oh, and all you Facebook users... check out and join this WA marathon event: https://www.facebook.com/events/486546401392893/
Last edited by Aerock; Feb 25th, 2013 at 09:23 AM.
Drop beats, not bombs. Fight war, not wars. When the heart does not know what it cannot do, it does everything. Revolution only works for those who participate. Start loving... I am ♥scbubba liked this post
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