I Accidentally Watched Episode 8 First

I'd just finished watching a very long series and was ready for something completely different. People had been raving about this show, saying how good it was, so I thought I'd finally see what all the fuss was about.

Within about ten minutes I was confused.

Seriously confused.

I was sitting there thinking, What is all the hype about?

The show didn't make sense. Nobody had been introduced. There seemed to be all these characters that already knew each other, and everyone was acting like I should somehow understand who they were and what was going on.

I honestly thought it was terrible.

I remember thinking, How can everyone be talking about this? This isn't even good.

As the episode went on, I became even more confused. There were relationships I didn't understand, conversations that seemed important but made no sense, and apparently major events that everyone else seemed to know about except me.

Eventually I gave up trying to follow it.

I picked up my phone and started playing a game while the show continued in the background because, quite frankly, I thought it was rubbish.

Then the episode finished.

You know how streaming services automatically move to the next episode? Well, instead of another episode starting, the screen suddenly changed to "Recommended shows to watch next."

I sat there staring at the television.

What do you mean recommended shows?

Had everyone really been talking about a TV show that only had one episode released? Was it one of those weekly releases where everyone gets excited over a single episode?

I was completely confused.

And then the penny dropped.

I hadn't been watching Episode 1.

I had somehow managed to start watching Episode 8.

The final episode.

The season finale.

There I was spending an entire episode complaining that nobody had explained the characters, nothing made sense, and the storyline was all over the place, when in reality I'd skipped the entire season.

Suddenly everything made perfect sense.

Of course nobody was introducing themselves.

Of course there were storylines already happening.

Of course everyone seemed to know what was going on.

Because apparently normal people start at Episode 1.

I told my boys what I'd done, expecting at least a little sympathy.

Instead, they found it absolutely hilarious.

"Well now you don't need to watch it, Mum," they told me. "You already know what happens."

Helpful as always.

Needless to say, I went back to Episode 1 and started all over again. This time the characters were introduced. The storyline made sense. The relationships developed properly, and I finally understood why everybody had been talking about the show.

Turns out it actually was really good.

Who would have thought that watching a show from the beginning would help?

The funny thing is that brain fog doesn't always look like forgetting where your keys are or walking into a room and forgetting why you went there.

Sometimes it looks like confidently watching the final episode of a TV series and genuinely believing the writers have done a terrible job.

Sometimes your brain fills in the blanks so well that you don't even realise something's missing.

So now, before starting any new show, I have a new routine.

✔️ Check it's Season 1.

✔️ Check it's Episode 1.

✔️ And maybe double-check one more time... just to be safe.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the show was Off Campus. The series I'd just finished before that was The Walking Dead, which, between you and me, I can fully relate to some days.

Apparently brain fog now comes with spoilers.

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