heated rivalry having everybody glued to the screen in a breathless 6-episode binge while matt damon admitted that netflix writers repeat plot points 5 times in dialogue because “people are on their phones so it needs to be like an audiobook and dumbed down, we only write old stuff what the algorithm already favors, we’re desperate for viewers’ attention” like an idiot death loop and a hilarious contrast to HR which proves that watchers are more than willing to focus if the series is well-paced, even if the source material is not shakespeare level or the most epic crime fantasy action banger of all time. and if we want audio only, we look for audio only formats! but who kept a second screen on when ilya’s jealous ass had a whole breakdown in the club? nobody! people’s enjoyment of moving images and plots isn’t a thing of the past and will never be divorced from humanity because our lives and speech are literally moving and story-telling - if anything, dumbing down screenplays only frustrates movie culture, but from the producing side. it’s because you just don’t give the audience what they are looking for (pretty men with curls, good acting, happy endings for gay/bi ppl, fresh faces, and chemistry). and while e.g. the rings of power costs 1 billion in total and all of GOT costs 1.5 billion (!), each HR episode was made with a tiny 2 million budget. looks like big money is not what people want to watch and the industry should follow suit or it will be replaced.