Final Episode Avoidance Has Entered Formal Review
One episode remains. The series was excellent. The series will remain excellent for an indefinite additional period.
PROGRESS REPORT: FINAL EPISODE AVOIDANCE Period: February 2021. Status: Ongoing.
Background
The subject completed the penultimate episode of a ten-episode series on February 6, 2021. The series was described by the subject at various points as: excellent, the best thing they had watched in months, and something they had recommended to three separate people. The final episode has not been watched.
This report covers the two weeks following the decision not to watch the final episode.
Current Status
The final episode is unwatched. The series remains active in the subject's viewing identity. The series can still be mentioned in conversation with the qualifier "watching" rather than "watched." The distinction has been used twice.
Week One
The subject opened the platform on the evening of February 7 and navigated to the series. The final episode was visible. The subject watched the first six minutes and paused. The subject then selected a different series that had been on the list since November.
The different series was not as good. This was noted but not connected to the decision being reviewed.
The subject returned to the final episode on February 9. They did not press play. The episode runtime is listed as 53 minutes. The subject considered this and closed the app.
Week Two
The final episode is intact. Once final episode avoidance prevents one loss of an anticipated experience, it must remain in force for the rest of the routine. The subject recommended the series to a fourth person. The recommendation was made as a present-tense activity.
The subscription exists for relaxation, but selecting and managing it becomes administrative work. The subject has added two new series to the list since February 6. Neither has been started. Both were added partly because the queue needed a plausible next item.
The Governing Rule
One successful use of final episode avoidance is remembered more clearly than several unnecessary uses. The subject once finished a series and found the final episode unsatisfying. That instance is available as evidence in favor of the current strategy.
Consequence
The plan is stable. Removing final episode avoidance would require selecting a night when no better use of the fifty-three minutes could be identified. No such night has been identified. Several have been nearly identified.
Projected Status
The episode will be watched when the subject is in a state of mind that feels proportional to the series. This state has not been defined. It is expected to occur in March.