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Gilmore Girls Again: Why Comfort Binge Makes You Happy
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There are series that you can watch over and over again without getting bored in the slightest. In addition, the “always seeing again” has a positive side effect.
by Viola Kaiser
When my co-workers talk about the Gilmore Girls, it’s like they’re talking about their boyfriends. When they talk about Stars Hollow, it sounds like they’re talking about their hometown. It goes so far that one has to think of Luke when she drinks too much coffee. When they talk about this series, they get a slightly ecstatic expression on their faces. It doesn’t strike me as odd the way they behave when talking about Lorelei and Rory, though. On the contrary, it seems very normal to me. I myself watch the same thing over and over again: I especially love this one episode of Modern Family, in which Edward Norton appears and sings “Gold” by Spandau Ballet.
“The Life of Brian” I can say
However, even before there were streaming services or “Gilmore Girls” or “Modern Family”, I was already doing what the English-speaking world recently called “Comfort Binge”. I watched the same movies over and over again on DVD. “The Life of Brian” or “Love Actually” I can say word for word. And even though I already know what’s going to happen at 5:31, I’m not bored at all. On the contrary, it has had a consistently positive effect on my life. I don’t want to learn anything new or be totally surprised, I just want to see something I already know and like. Some nights I’m so exhausted that I can’t even follow complicated strands of crazy new stories. That’s just too much for me. Instead, I could watch all the episodes of “Modern Family” in a jumble without even having to really think. Because I’m just so familiar with the cosmos of this series. I would go so far as to say that comfort binge makes me healthier. Because it calms me, because it keeps my pulse beating evenly, because it makes me happy.
I’m looking forward to seeing the protagonists again
Also, I now know the protagonists of “Modern Family” and “Brooklyn 99” so well that I always look forward to seeing them again. I’ve developed a real bond with them. The fact is that I first need a warm-up period for every new series. By the time I know everyone, the season is often over. Sometimes I’m really down because it’s over now. But this feeling doesn’t even arise when I watch episode 12 of season 2 over and over again and laugh about it for the 1000th time. Knowing everything already, it’s almost like meeting old friends. But I don’t even have to get up off the couch or comb my hair. I can really only hang out like that with real friends. Sometimes I do that too. With the best, I even share my favorite episode with Edward Norton.