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The joy of holiday specials.
Oct. 23rd, 2023 12:35 am++ With YouTube attempting to block anyone from using adblockers, it just really highlights the absolute capitalistic bullshittery that's been happening online over the recent years. Listen, websites need money to continue to exist, we know and understand this. At best, it's an inconvenient annoyance. However, bombarding people with an endless string of unnecessary and oftentimes unskippable ads isn't going to win people over. And forcing people to see them by taking away their choice to block it just so you can get money is going to repel them even more.
++ Because it's nearing Halloween, this is something that's been on my mind recently. I absolutely love holiday special episodes in television shows, which is something I think has been lost in the recent years of streaming that has drastically reduced episode numbers per season. Aside from losing the episodic factor, it doesn't allow us to get these amazing holiday-centric episodes that can be silly and ridiculous or just overall festive in tone. It can be plot-related or just something completely separate. Sure, not all of them are winners, but the joy comes from seeing what the writers can come up with to accommodate to the holiday themed episode, and if nothing else let us be entertained. Halloween and Christmas special episodes are my favorite, though Thanksgiving episodes can also be just as good too, if nothing else than for the autumn aesthetic. And I think that's what I like about these special holiday episodes, it's the aesthetic. Whether it advances the seasonal plot or not, you can always count on those holiday episodes of providing some kind of festive aesthetic vibe.
(Similarly, while I don't really watch them, I can understand the appeal of Hallmark holiday movies, since they provide a similar dedication to the aesthetic of the holiday they're centering the story around. Every scene, every location, every frame is filmed with lights and decorations so you don't forget what holiday they're in, lol.)
++ Because it's nearing Halloween, this is something that's been on my mind recently. I absolutely love holiday special episodes in television shows, which is something I think has been lost in the recent years of streaming that has drastically reduced episode numbers per season. Aside from losing the episodic factor, it doesn't allow us to get these amazing holiday-centric episodes that can be silly and ridiculous or just overall festive in tone. It can be plot-related or just something completely separate. Sure, not all of them are winners, but the joy comes from seeing what the writers can come up with to accommodate to the holiday themed episode, and if nothing else let us be entertained. Halloween and Christmas special episodes are my favorite, though Thanksgiving episodes can also be just as good too, if nothing else than for the autumn aesthetic. And I think that's what I like about these special holiday episodes, it's the aesthetic. Whether it advances the seasonal plot or not, you can always count on those holiday episodes of providing some kind of festive aesthetic vibe.
(Similarly, while I don't really watch them, I can understand the appeal of Hallmark holiday movies, since they provide a similar dedication to the aesthetic of the holiday they're centering the story around. Every scene, every location, every frame is filmed with lights and decorations so you don't forget what holiday they're in, lol.)
