Barista in Portland called me out for skipping character intros in shows

I was at this coffee shop on Hawthorne last Tuesday grabbing a pour-over and this barista named Jen said I was missing the whole point by skipping the first 3 episodes of every series. She was like "you're just watching plot points, not stories." It hit me because I realized I've been treating shows like homework I need to rush through since I only have 30 minutes of free time after my commute. Now I'm halfway through Slow Horses season 2 and actually paying attention to the setup. Has anyone else caught themselves fast-forwarding through the "boring" parts and then wondering why nothing lands emotionally?

3 comments

3 Comments

kim_west18d ago

Is skipping TV intros really something worth getting roasted over?

oscar_ellis20d agoTop Commenter

Oh MAN does this hit home. I used to be the SAME way, skipping right to the action because I figured setup was just filler. Then my buddy made me watch The Americans from episode one and I realized I was missing all the little character moments that make the big payoffs hurt so good. What finally worked for me was treating the slow parts like a podcast while I fold laundry or something. That way I'm still paying attention but not getting antsy about wasting time. Now I actually look forward to the quiet episodes because they make the loud ones matter.

the_joseph20d ago

HAHA yeah thats a solid trick. I started doing the same thing with Better Call Saul and now I actually enjoy scrubbing through the slow parts. @oscar_ellis is right about the character moments though - the quiet stuff makes the explosions feel earned instead of just loud. Plus folding laundry is way less boring when youre half watching a tense spy scene.