We used to consume TV shows once a week, one episode at a time. Today, we expect a full season to drop all at once. And we might binge them all in one weekend, just to get to the cliffhanger.
Longform Serial Television
all the episodes drop at once
and that is how they getcha
make sure the first one hangs the cliff
all the better to catch ya
in a net of narrative
so’s to keep you glued
to the plot, ever unfolding
a trap subtle and crude
but also ancient in its shape
though it may seem odd
the trick goes back at least as far
as old Scheherazade
spinning tales, night by night
so as to keep her head
if she bored the sultan
in the morning she’d be dead
the stakes today aren’t quite as high
all that’s on the line
is an advertising budget
and our ever-dwindling time…
