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幕后故事
The wait is on again
等待再次到來
An old, leisurely way to watch television drama is back in vogue.
一種古老而悠閑的追劇方式再度流行起來。
Who wound up being murdered in the denouement of “The White Lotus”—and which of the show’s pampered sociopaths was the killer?
在《白蓮花度假村》的結局中，誰慘遭殺害？在劇中那些被寵壞的反社會者中，誰又是兇手？
In “Severance” did Mark, the hero, decide to ditch his workplace lover for his life and wife in the world outside—and what on earth was up with those goats?
在《人生切割術》中，主角馬克是否決定為了外面的生活和妻子而拋棄職場戀人？那些山羊又到底是怎么回事？
While we’re at it, who shot J.R. ?
既然說到這兒了，到底是誰開槍打死了《朱門恩怨》里的J. R. ？
These questions have something in common: viewers had to wait for the answers.
這些問題有一個共同點：觀眾們必須等待答案揭曉。
In the supreme cliffhanger of television history, in 1980 fans of “Dallas” endured or enjoyed eight months of speculation before the shooter’s identity was revealed.
電視史上最令人抓心撓肺的懸念是1980年的《朱門恩怨》，劇迷們?nèi)淌芰嘶蛳硎芰碎L達八個月的猜測，最終才揭曉了槍手的身份。
Visiting Britain during that febrile hiatus (extended by a writers’ strike), Larry Hagman, who played J. R., is said to have been quizzed about the mystery by the Queen Mother.
在那個狂熱的待播空窗期（因編劇罷工而延長），扮演J.R.的拉里·哈格曼訪問英國，據(jù)說，王太后曾詢問他這個謎團的答案。（注：王太后即伊麗莎白二世的母親。）
For devotees of “Severance” and “The White Lotus”, the wait for the season finale was only a week.
對于《人生切割術》和《白蓮花度假村》的劇迷來說，等待季終集只需一周時間。
But for some people today, that seems like an age.
但對如今的一些人來說，這種等待度日如年。
Once upon a time, it looked as if streaming had reconfigured TV drama for good.
曾幾何時，流媒體似乎永遠重塑了電視劇的格局。
In 2013 Netflix released the first season of “House of Cards” in a single batch, an approach that appeared set to become the new default.
2013年網(wǎng)飛一次性發(fā)布了《紙牌屋》第一季全集，這種方式似乎將成為新的默認模式。
In an era of one-click instantaneity, it fitted the expectations of audiences, the younger kind especially.
在這個點擊即得的時代，這種方式符合觀眾，尤其是年輕觀眾的期待。
Scheduled weekly releases, universal for decades, began to seem as moribund as screens you couldn’t swipe.
每周定期發(fā)布新內(nèi)容是過去幾十年來的普遍模式，如今卻開始像無法滑動的屏幕一樣垂垂老矣。
Yet today many streaming services have revived this antique rhythm for prestige dramas.
然而，如今許多流媒體服務在播放精品電視劇時重新啟用了這種古老的節(jié)奏。
Some viewers are irked.
一些觀眾感到不滿。
Are they right to be?
他們的不滿有理由嗎？
The staggered release, a form that dates back through network TV to the serialised novels of Dickens and Dostoyevsky, supplies resilient pleasures.
這種交錯發(fā)布的形式可以從電視網(wǎng)絡追溯至狄更斯和陀思妥耶夫斯基的連載小說，這種形式能帶來持久的樂趣。
The gaps between episodes can foster tension and discussion, if more often on Reddit threads than at water coolers.
劇集之間的間隔會讓劇情張力和討論熱度發(fā)酵，盡管更多是在Reddit論壇蓋樓而非在飲水機旁閑聊。
You are less likely to encounter spoilers before you reach the end.
在你看到結局之前不太可能被劇透。
If “Dallas” came out on Netflix today, you might learn the culprit’s name osmotically before you knew J. R. gets shot (or had heard of him at all).
如果《朱門恩怨》如今在網(wǎng)飛開播，你可能在知道J. R. 被槍殺（或聽說這個人）之前就無意中知道了兇手的名字。
At its best, a great show’s weekly structure melds with the structure of your life.
一部優(yōu)秀劇集的最佳狀態(tài)是其每周更新的結構能與你的生活結構完美融合。
Time imbues the characters with an extra, humanoid dimension.
時間會賦予這些角色一種額外的人性化維度。
Whether they are sympathetic (like Mark in “Severance”) or villainous (like J. R.), they keep you company on your commute or at the gym.
無論這些角色是富有同情心（如《人生切割術》中的馬克）還是陰險邪惡（如J. R. ），他們在你通勤或健身時陪伴著你。
Rather than drifting through a series passively—because you didn’t switch off during an episode’s closing credits—it becomes an intentional fixture in your diary.
你不會消極被動地刷完一整部劇——因為你沒有在片尾關掉自動播放按鈕——而是有意把它變成你日程表中的固定項目。
Then again, there’s a lot to be said for “binge-watching” too.
不過，“刷劇”也有很多值得說道的地方。
That phrase makes gobbling up a show sound incontinent, which seems oddly pejorative if you compare TV viewing with the consumption of other art forms.
這個詞讓狼吞虎咽地追劇聽起來像是毫無節(jié)制的行為，如果將看電視與欣賞其他藝術形式相比較，這種說法似乎帶有奇怪的貶低意味。
No one insists on lengthy pauses between movements of a symphony or thinks less of a moreish book or a reader who devours it.
沒人會堅持要求在交響樂的各樂章之間必須有冗長的停頓，也沒人會鄙視一本令人手不釋卷的書或如饑似渴的讀者。
Nor is binge-watching only a recent habit.
刷劇也不是最近才有的習慣。
Still in circulation, the term “box set” is a relic of the antediluvian epoch of DVDs, through which many enthusiasts immersed themselves for lost weekends in “The Sopranos” or “The Wire”.
“盒裝”一詞至今仍被使用，這是上古DVD時代的遺存，許多劇迷曾用盒裝DVD讓自己沉浸在《黑道家族》或《火線》中，度過一個個昏天黑地的周末。
“Stinge-watching”—or spacing out a show’s episodes—lets each be crafted and savoured discretely.
“細品”——拉長劇集之間的觀看間隔——能讓每一集都得到精心打磨并被單獨品味。
But releasing a season’s-worth together opens up other creative possibilities.
但一次性發(fā)布整季內(nèi)容為其他創(chuàng)意可能性打開了大門。
Less time is needed for recaps and expository dialogue.
需要劇情回顧和說明性對話的時間更少。
Story arcs twist and stretch more freely.
故事弧線更自由地曲折延展。
You cohabit with the characters in a brief but passionate fling.
你與劇中角色短暫卻熱烈地同居。
For streaming services, the choice between a weekly schedule, binge-dropping whole seasons, or (as some do) mixing the two models, is really a business decision.
對于流媒體服務來說，選擇每周更新、一次性放出整季內(nèi)容，還是（像某些平臺那樣）混合兩種模式，本質(zhì)上是一項商業(yè)決策。
Amid fierce competition for eyeballs and revenue, eking out flagship shows helps streamers keep customers who might otherwise unsubscribe.
在爭奪眼球和收入的激烈競爭中，細水長流地播出主打節(jié)目有助于流媒體平臺留住那些可能取消訂閱的客戶。
Smash-hit binge releases like “Adolescence” make a big splash—but retaining viewers afterwards requires a deep reservoir of other offerings.
像《混沌少年時》這樣的爆款全集劇會引發(fā)巨大轟動，但要想留住觀眾，還需要儲備大量其他作品。
Netflix has that; some of its rivals don’t.
網(wǎng)飛有這種儲備，但它的一些競爭對手沒有。
That is the commercial dilemma.
這就是商業(yè)困境。
From a modern audience’s perspective, the question of binge versus staggered releases is ultimately about hierarchy and power.
從現(xiàn)代觀眾的角度來看，選擇一次性放全集還是分批放出歸根結底關乎等級與權力。
Who is in charge here, you or the show?
這里誰說了算，是你還是電視劇？
To put it another way, is a TV drama a commodity like rice or soap, or does it, as art, somehow deserve a more exalted, less submissive status?
換句話說，電視劇是像大米或肥皂一樣的商品，還是作為藝術，理應享有某種更崇高、不那么順從的地位？
When J. R. was shot in 1980, that tussle didn’t arise.
當J. R. 在1980年被槍擊時，這場爭論并未發(fā)生。
Punters got what they were given, and when.
觀眾們接受了給他們的內(nèi)容和播出時間。
Now, with an ocean of content available on demand, the old weekly model makes an implicit but bold claim: that the story is good enough to fit your life around, rather than vice versa.
如今，海量內(nèi)容唾手可得，傳統(tǒng)的周播模式傳遞了一種含蓄而大膽的宣言：精彩的故事值得你調(diào)整生活節(jié)奏來追隨，而非讓劇集遷就你的時間。
When it isn’t worth the wait, it feels like a scam.
但如果等待是不值得的，那就會讓人感覺上當受騙。
