The Agony or Joy of Anticipation.

RHYS BOWEN: How  many of you have enjoyed The Other Bennet Sister? I am. In fact I don’t think I’ve been invested in a series since Downton Abbey. Maybe it’s because I’m a huge Jane Austen fan and whoever wrote this has given it the exact feel of the Austen novels, and many similar scenes (when Mary faints and Tom Hayward sits outside her room is a replay of Marianne Dashwood and Colonel Brandon). So even if she has borrowed heavily from the original, nevertheless it’s enjoyable. Mary is such an identifiable character–unsure of herself, feeling lesser than her sisters, awkward in company.  I’m sure today we’d suggest she might be on the spectrum!

One of the things I’ve enjoyed is having to wait a week for the next episode. Every week Britox tries to tempt me. Upgrade to Premium and you can binge the whole series. Very tempting BUT the wait and the anticipation is one of the things I’m really enjoying. Thinking “In three days I get to see another episode.”

I’ve always been a person who loves anticipation. I spent my childhood telling myself : In a month it will be my birthday/Christmas/Vacation. Counting down to the event made it even more delicious. I suppose I grew up in the lean years after WW2 when treats were few and far between. Turkey, tangerines, nuts only at Christmas. Ice cream occasionally in summer. And the going without made the treat even sweeter.

My daughters went to an expensive private school where most of the girls were richer than we were. They had a snack bar where the girls could buy treats. Clare’s friend Sabrina had money for an ice cream every day.  I could just about afford to give Clare money for an ice cream on Fridays. “Sabrina has one every day,” Clare pointed out.  “Do you think they are as special to her as they are to you?” I asked. “You look forward to Friday, don’t you?”

        She thought about this and agreed.

And so I am still one who enjoys the anticipation. In two months I’ll be flying to England…That’s why it has been hard during the last couple of years. With John’s declining health I had to cancel so many things at the last minute that I did not dare to look forward too much. Now I can again. And it’s great.

What about you, Reds. Do you binge whenever you can? Do you find yourself counting down to big events?

LUCY BURDETTE: I’m an anticipator too, Rhys. I love planning vacations way ahead and figuring out where we’ll eat and where we’ll go. I had a sister-in-law who loved to travel but never made reservations ahead of time and couldn’t imagine why I was wasting my time. I’m sure I do miss out on some spontaneous decisions, but the anticipation is truly one of my greatest pleasures! And ps, I do not binge either:). 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, this is so fascinating. I love anticipating! But I’ve never really thought about it.  Counting down, yes, absolutely. And when the thing happens, it’s over, you know? In the anticipation part, absolutely anything is still possible. 

And during anticipation, there is still time to get ready–oh, I’ll think, plenty of time to pack/write/plan/prepare. I love it.

And yes, in TV, I definitely do not mind waiting for the next episode. It gives us time to discuss and predict! 

HALLIE EPHRON: What an interesting question. Jerry was a great travel planner and what I loved was NOT knowing a thing about where we were going or what we were going to do until we got there. I didn’t even want to see pictures. 

I think he’d have liked me to have been more onboard with the planning, right up until I started having opinions. 

He never took me somewhere I wouldn’t have wanted to go. And seeing without knowing what was coming next was a special pleasure.

JENN McKINLAY: I’m not a binger. I prefer to watch one episode at a time – good thing because I’m always on deadline and couldn’t binge if I wanted to. I do like anticipation but then I also find it comes with anxiety. Example: Anticipation: I’m really excited to go to (insert place). Anxiety: What if the hotel loses your reservation? I never used to feel like this. I think it’s a post-Covid thing where everything was cattywumpus all the time. When the anxiety spikes, I have to remind myself that everything goes my way, and it usually does, even if it’s not how I expected it to go. 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I love anticipation, although this winter was SO long in New England I went past anticipating spring to getting ready to ask to speak to the manager…

We’ve talked about the pleasant anticipation of watching streaming shows the new old-fashioned way, but my mind goes to books! Is there anything more delicious that learning one of your favorite authors has a book coming out, with the date set, and getting to pre-order it. Back in the day, you had to show up at the local bookstore, but now, of course, it pops up in your e-reader or arrives on your doorstep like a present. 

Youngest taught me the Dutch have a word, Voorpret, which describes the feeling of excitement and anticipation you experience when you’re getting ready to go out. I wish I had known the word back in my single days, when one of the best parts about going out with girlfriends or on a date was the sense of anticipation while picking out an outfit, putting on my face, and dancing around my room to Duran Duran. So much voorpret!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am definitely an anticipator. I was the kid who didn't want to open Christmas presents early, and even on Christmas morning would save mine until everyone else had opened theirs. I think planning trips is half the fun–although I am open to a little bit of travel spontaneity. Like Julia, I love pre-ordering and looking forward to books, and I am happy to watch TV shows once a week. Of course, Rick is just the opposite, and doesn't want to start a series until every episode has dropped.

RHYS: I'm anticipating lots of things at the. moment. All good things: a week in San Diego, England and Scotland at the end of September, oh... and my new stand alone, THE CASTLE IN THE GLEN, comes out on August 4. 

Who else is good at anticipating? Who hates it?