Semantic Nonsense: Cord cutting cutting
What am I doing?
Just before Thanksgiving, I received The Godfather II on DVD from Netflix. Why do I still have a DVD plan? Because it’s cheaper than their streaming plan and has more movies, including ones that are exclusive to other services for streaming. Now stop interrupting the flow of the story.
About two weeks ago, I sent it back unwatched, with the intention of canceling the Netflix account since I’m obviously not making it a priority for what spare time I get. Put a few bucks back into my pocket. So, of course, Netflix sends me an email the next week saying the envelope was empty. I can only assume the envelope ripped along the way and someone there is being pedantic.
But bad luck aside, it sparked a realization that perhaps has been obvious to some already. Call it pattern recognition if you will. Leaving a Netflix disc to collect dust for half a year started feeling eerily similar to buying a dozen (or two) games in a Steam sale. It was yet another bottomless backlog.
(Though buying a zillion Steam games is certainly foolish enough, they at least don’t carry a monthly fee.)
It’s now pretty clear to me that it’s all just another backlog. Take, for instance, my review of the first season of Disenchanted. It’s up to season four now and I’ve yet to make good on a follow-up.
It not alone, either, on stories I’ve started and not finished like they were Dragon Quest VII or something. I’m three seasons into Arrow and one into Flash; and while I was let to the party, it’s still been several years since I made any progress on the better half of DC’s media empire.
That all being said, there are a few shows I’m surprisingly current on. I’ve been able to drag my way through various new Star Treks on Paramount+ and Family Guy (don’t judge me) on Hulu in a mostly timely manner. On the other hand, the rest of the Disney bundle is not pulling its weight. ESPN+ had hockey games all year (until the playoffs, the cheapskates), and I hardly watched any of them, so its reason for existing was moot. Meanwhile, I’ve only used Disney+ this year to watch the underwhelming Book of Boba Fett.
Perhaps it’s high time I made good on an old threat to only be subscribed to one service at a time. Pop in when there’s new content — and when I’d be driven to get into my schedule — then dropping it afterwards. It’s somewhat fitting, really. While Netflix inspired identifying the problem, it’s binge-streaming model may be exactly how I get more value of my streaming services.
About The Author
Drew
Features Editor | Drew started behind the 8(bit)-ball in the video game world. He first became interested in anime by chance exposure on the Sci-Fi channel. Drew's the creative force behind blog-wide features, works the movie and food beats, and pioneered Damage Control’s entry into video, podcasts and streaming.
