OPENING

When you Watch television programs on-line, able to watch as many episodes as you desire, it is a far different experience then turning on your television once a week to catch the most recent presentation.

Firstly, you control the environment in which you watch, able to start, stop, rewind at will.  

Secondly, by running two/three more episodes, one after another, you gain a gestalt which is lacking in the once a week presentation.

You begin to decipher the writer's view, see the tricks, get what might not have actually been plotted but but is evident in the presentation.

Thirdly, you develope an insight into the production, beyond that of mere viewer.  You see connections, mistakes, poor writing.  You can tell when a particular episode is mere filler, that is to complete a season, and those which are key.  

You can know when a program is truncated; that is, there was more to say but the show had to be brought to an abrupt end, and those which have a beginning, middle and end.

As I found a Free Online site, (in fact I found a number of free online sites) there was no pressure on me.   I suggest if you intend to watch programs online you find sites which offer free programs, and select those particular sites which do not demand you register or in anyway expose yourself to all sorts of scams, rip offs, and malware.

There are thousands of programs online.   

Take a spin through them.  Select those you want to watch and go ahead.  You might find yourself bored and not finish the first episode, you might watch a few but give up without completion.

I am only writing about programs I viewed from the first to last episode.  The First show I mention is continuing and I am not sure I will be watching the next season.

I am focusing on three programs, Homeland, Graceland, and Breaking Bad.

 

HOMELAND

 

Homeland was a very highly rated program; it is said that the President of the United States watched it. 

It is based on an Israeli production called Prisoner of War.  

The story begins with a Prisoner of War; Nicholas Brody, who was held captive by al-qaaeda being found, after having been presumed dead.   A CIA agent, Carrie Mathison,  the star of the show, believes he was 'turned' and begins investigation.

The relationship of Brody with his family, with Mathison, and society.

It is an interesting program which ought have ended after the third season, when Brody was hung.  This would have not led to continuing stories of lesser value.

However, it continued for two more seasons and was renued for September 2016.

It is one of those programs in which there is no real 'hero' and the characters are a bit off putting.

There seems to be a kind of 'style' to create flawed characters.  One ponders, however, if the flaw, i.e. bi-polar disorder, would not have disqualified the CIA agent from becoming a CIA agent in the first place.

The first seasons add a lot of details, so that we get to know the family that Nicholas Brody left behind before being abducted.

The most interesting pay back; the daughter, a smart mouthed obnoxious brat winds up cleaning hotel rooms instead of going on to college and being who she thought she was, when Brody is exposed as a traitor.

 

GRACELAND

This is the name of a house in which members of various American undercover agents live.  The treachery among them, the shifting impression of who is 'good' who is 'bad' keeps the watcher in suspense.

This show ended after three seasons; 38 episodes.  This allows one to complete viewing the entire series, (saying 3 epis a day...around 126 minutes...) in just over one week.

It is a well done series, but leaves the viewer rather uncomfortable trying to balance themselves as to who is good, who is bad...and what is going on.

There seems to have been so much that could have been added if there was more time, for the presentation does hold the viewer, and keep them guessing.

BREAKING BAD

In sharp contrast to the previously mentioned series, this one is five seasons of what seems to be a carefully planned series which has an ending.  

It is considered one of the greatest television series of all times, received numerous awards and was included in the Guinness Book of Records.

The first season was 7 episodes long. The second, third and forth season were 13 episodes each, and the fifth season was broken into 'A' and 'B' each of 8 episodes.

Unlike other series, this one took time; time to develope the characters, the environment, the plot. It was not rushing from this bit of action to that.  It seems the writers knew where they were going and how to get there.

It tells the story of a boring Chemistry Professor, Walter White, who, diagnosed with cancer decides to look after his family by running a Meth laboratory.  He moves step by step deeper into crime.

The characters who surround Walter White, his wife, his children, his sister and brother in law (who is a DEA operative) his partner, Jesse, and the various drug dealers and henchmen, have very human qualities.  They are not like other people.  

CONCLUSION

Watching these three programs online, that is, in marathons so that they flow one into another and are viewed at my convenience, brought me into a different state than usual television watching.

There are no commercial breaks, and I can stop them and start them when I please. I can consider what I am seeing, and draw certain conclusions about the style of the show... something that rarely occurs to a viewer.

Very often a director has a character walk from A to B or B to C and one doesn't see the reason why or what the point is.  When one has control of a series, one gets why certain things are done or said, and why it is this and not that.