Oh, the joys of TV shows on DVD!

Author: Addason McCaslin

Middlebury College offers its students a nearly inexhaustible list of activities, organizations and opportunities that enrich both the mind and body. Yet there is only so much enrichment that one can take without falling asleep or collapsing from exhaustion. Sitting down in front of the television and letting the mind go blissfully blank has become a familiar way to kick back and relax ever since those old black-and-white models first came on the market. Watching TV briefly frees us from the concerns and expectations of an otherwise hectic life, and occasionally we may even learn something along the way.

Traditionally, without skilled VCR programming, TV shows have been available for viewing only at set times through the week. This inconvenienced many busy people - they needed their favorite shows to relax, but they had few ways to find out what happened when they missed an episode. Today, however, busy people like students at Middlebury College can have their cake and eat it too. Many popular TV shows like "Family Guy," "Friends," "The West Wing," "The Simpsons" and "Sex and the City" amongst others can now be found on sale in video stores. Unfortunately, no boxed TV show comes with a disclaimer asking consumers to "please use responsibly."

Any given Midd-kid may lie anywhere on the spectrum of boxed TV show use, from abstinence to full-blown addiction. Middlebury College ranks sixth on the Princeton Review's list of students who never stop studying, and this seems to be reflected in many students' use of boxed TV shows.

Carlos Beato '07 believes that for schedules like his "free time only exists in the weekends and often a lot of people would rather just sleep or just relax than watch TV." Nevertheless, many students choose to incorporate an episode of "Alias," or maybe "The OC" or "Freaks and Geeks" as a brief respite from the rigors of school. Moriah Helms '08.5 does not regularly watch boxed TV shows, but she realizes that "you can watch just one as a study break - it's a lot shorter than a movie." In truth, shows that run for 30 minutes on TV are just over 20 minutes when watched from a boxed set. We can justify a 20 minute break from studying to watch an episode of "Family Guy" with much more ease than we can a two hour break to watch our favorite movie.

Boxed TV shows fulfill an important function in the lives of many students without becoming a harmful addiction. Some students make a tradition of watching an episode or two of their favorite show every night before turning in. Bri Cavallaro '08.5 and her friends who watch the "The West Wing" say that this nightly ritual "is a lot of fun and gives [them] plenty of things to argue about the next night at the dinner table." "The West Wing" may educate, but many other shows only entertain. Yet, this is not to say that pure entertainment is wrong. Normally the purpose of watching TV is simply to relax and leave the world of responsibilities behind. You may also come out with some funny quotes.

Middlebury students are an uncommonly studious group, but the temptation to binge on TV shows always looms over some of our shoulders. Having so many hours of easy entertainment in one easy-to-access case is just like sitting near the ice cream in the dining halls - it is so easy to overindulge. According to Liana Sideli '08.5, "The only problem is that you get sucked in and end up watching the whole season when you really only wanted to watch two episodes."