Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:16 — 5.8MB) | Embed
A rewatch of a TV series has become a fun activity for folks over the years. People may think it is for comfort and nostalgia but it can teach us new things!
Personal Fact:
Thanks to TV shows, I’ve made friends on multiple continents.
Fun Fact:
The book and mini-series title “Band of Brothers” comes from a speech in Shakespeare’s Henry V. The section of the speech is as follows.
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_of_Brothers_(miniseries)
Rewatch and Learn:
A rewatch of a TV series has become a fun activity for folks over the years. People may think it is for comfort and nostalgia but it can teach us new things! A group rewatch can be as powerful as the best book club discussion and can unite people from all over the world.
Most of us here on the Golden Spiral Media network love a good TV show. I’m no exception. I love watching shows that challenge me and get me to think. Shows that are well written and have good characters can be a rare thing. So when I find one, I latch on and am there to the end. If I find a good one, I’ll rewatch it from time to time.
We live in a social world and I love interacting with folks using social media. It is so much fun to get together and talk about our favorite show. But this is a fairly new occurrence.
Some of the best shows out there came on when social media was not around or was not as accessible. Watching those shows, when they were first on, was fun. I loved watching them week-to-week and thinking about the story. But the issue was, I didn’t have the community of people to talk with. That is until; I discovered the fun of a rewatch.
I really enjoy history. I am not a facts and statistics person. I like history that is personal and tells the story of people. That is why Ken Burns’ documentaries have helped history come alive to so many people. He has given people a voice and given a face to major events of history. I’ve done a rewatch or two of his documentaries in my time.
One of my favorite TV shows is Band of Brothers. The series tells the story of the men of Easy Company from their airborne training to the end of World War II. It is based on these real men’s lives. The show came out at a pivotal time. It premiered two days before 9/11. This series talks about war and how it changes people. It calls for respect for those who fight for our freedoms. It also calls for us to support them as they deal with the hell they go through in war.
But when Band of Brothers came out there was no Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook communities. Years later I discovered a group of people on Tumblr who were into the show just as much as I am. This HBO War Family group was making gif sets, having discussions and engaged with each other. That is why, when they organized a rewatch, I jumped at the chance. I’ve actually participated in two rewatches with them.
When the first rewatch happened I was very surprised. When we did the rewatch, it was over two days and we used a chatroom. The things that surprised me in this rewatch taught me much.
First of all, I learned that I was the oldest person in the rewatch. I learned that people would seek out things of value no matter the age. These folks, in their twenties, had connected to the story and come to love the series a much as I. They connected with the people in the story because, they were around the same age and facing similar struggles.
I learned that no matter how many times you watch a good series, there are always things you miss. I had devoured Band of Brothers, read the book and looked things up. But here were folks who told me fun facts about the filming, actors and crew. It was so fun to experience the series in a new way.
This rewatch made the series even more special to me. My fellow re-watchers helped to give these events even more of a human face. The series centers around one group of U.S. soldiers and the battles they faced as they fought through Europe. My fellow re-watchers brought Europe to life for me. Most of them were from Europe. They talked about the towns and cities on screen. They took the images and locations and made them real.
The rewatch gave us all the ability to talk about our families. World War II was truly global. Families from all over the globe were touched by the war. I was able to share about my Granddad Allred and his service in the Army. He was involved in the action with the Battle of the Bulge. They were able to share about how their family members fought. They shared stories of how the devastation of war shaped Europe for decades.
I loved being a part of this rewatch it made the series even more dear to me, because it was imbued with new meaning and depth beyond the visual and audio coming from the screen.
I’m part of a rewatch now for Battlestar Galactica. It is a series I found after it had gone off the air. I fell in love with this human drama told from a sci-fi war genera point of view. The story deals with war, politics, religion, fate vs free will, love and so much more.
It is a very different series from Band of Brothers and the rewatch is being done week-to-week using Twitter to aid the discussion. But once again, I’m learning from my fellow re-watchers and connecting with people from all over. But the rewatch is very new and I’m excited to see what I will learn along the way.
What I Learned:
So what have I learned? The power of a rewatch comes from people. People take sights and sounds and make them a story. People take stories and help make them memories. I’ve found when we come into something ready and open to discuss and learn, we will be surprised by how much we grow. A rewatch can unite people from many different backgrounds into a community. A rewatch can help to make life long friends. So I challenge you to do a rewatch and see how much you learn! Who knows you may discover your own style of band of brothers.
I’m Geoff Gentry and this has been Stuff I Learned Yesterday.
Send in your contributions for this week’s Friday Forum. Head on over to https://www.goldenspiralmedia.com/feedback and use the form on that page to submit your written or audio message. You can also use the Speakpipe widget to record something using your devices microphone. And of course you can call our voice feedback line at 304-837-2278. We’d love to hear from you.
Join our Facebook Group at Facebook.com/groups/stuffilearnedyesterday.
You can Follow Golden Spiral Media on Twitter at GSMPodcasts and Facebook.com/GoldenSpiralMedia. If you’ve enjoyed this episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday, I would be grateful if you’d leave a review in iTunes.
[sc:stuff]