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Was that drunk knight a Baratheon or a Tully? Did that patient have necrotizing fasciitis or necrotizing dermatitis? Isn’t that soldier a younger version of that one guy from the other thing?
And why exactly did Carrie and Aidan break up again, again?
These questions were inspired by the TV series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”; “The Pitt”; “It: Welcome to Derry”; and finally, “And Just Like That …” They were answered in The New York Times’s recaps of the episodes. (For the record: Baratheon; fasciitis; Dick Hallorann, who is killed as an old man in “The Shining”; it’s complicated.)
Recaps became a key component of television coverage in the early part of the 21st century, as shows like “The Sopranos” kicked off an ambitious new era of TV distinguished by complicated storytelling, highly serialized narratives and provocative material. A barrage of shows based on books, earlier series and other media brought abundant Easter eggs and rabbit holes. Stories got denser, richer, more complex, more worthy of discussion.
The best recaps are entertaining while providing helpful context, deepening viewers’ understanding of a show and its themes and giving them a spot in the comments forum to share their own impressions. The same readers often return week after week, following along as the story develops.
Recaps probably peaked as a phenomenon a few years ago, when screens were dominated by blockbusters like “Game of Thrones” and “The Walking Dead,” sprawling sagas that captivated millions of viewers with dozens of characters and subplots. (Of course, I recapped both of them, so I might be biased.)
Streaming has atomized television and its audience. Recaps, usually written in advance off episode screeners and then published after the episode airs, are still a big part of our weekly coverage. But time and resources are finite, so we’re strategic about what shows get them.
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