No matter how COVID-19 has affected students personally, there is no denying that the pandemic has limited the number of activities people can participate in. Students and staff alike cannot play many sports or go to concerts and other events due to social distancing guidelines. It is even difficult to find a movie theater.
This is why for many University of Rhode Island students, it is the perfect time for binge-watching.
Since the start of the pandemic, Netflix has added classic shows like “Avatar: the Last Airbender” and its sequel “The Legend of Korra” as well as 90s throwbacks like “Moesha” and “Sister Sister.” They also added new seasons of Netflix originals like “The Umbrella Academy” and “Lucifer.” Rhody students have been eating up these new additions.
“The pandemic has given me a chance to watch a lot of shows I probably wouldn’t have time to watch in normal times,” sophomore Kyle Smith said. “Netflix has been one of the number one activities for me during the pandemic.”
As for what shows he has watched, Smith said he rewatched “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and for the first time, “The Legend of Korra.”
“I had watched ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ when I was little,” Smith said. “I re-watched it over quarantine and I loved it. It was very long, but it was just as good as I remembered it being. I watched ‘Legend of Korra,’ the sequel, after that and it was nearly just as good. It was a perfect way to get through a week of quarantine.”
While some Rhody students, like Smith, took a nostalgia trip, others went for newer shows and watched the new seasons of Netflix original series.
“I have been watching ‘The Umbrella Academy,’” sophomore Amanda Clifford said. “The idea of the show is really cool to me and season one was great. I had to watch season two when it came out.”
Clifford says she has been re-watching some of her favorites as well, including “Black Mirror” and “Narcos,” both Netflix originals. When asked about where binge-watching ranked on her pandemic list of priorities over the summer, Clifford said it was basically her number one activity.
“Occasionally I would have to run an errand for my parents or go on a walk but other than that I was usually in my room watching something,” Clifford said.
It is safe to say Netflix has become even more integrated in the lives of URI students and students around the globe as the perfect storm of the coronavirus and an influx of new seasons and shows has caused a dramatic uptick in viewership. Netflix has seen tens of millions of new subscribers and viewers and those numbers have certainly increased at URI as well.