I often had to pause during episodes of Violet Evergarden. My wife always knew when I was watching it because I would be a complete mess every single episode. I finished the show but some episodes I could not take in one go.
Breaking Bad. I made it to the end of season 4 after trying once and stopping after just a couple episodes because the tension was so intense. I just couldn’t push further than season 4, it was taking a toll on my nerves. Brilliant writing
I think it’s a show that (very much unlike Arrested Development) is worse when binged for the exact reason you stopped watching. It’s too much. You really need a week between episodes once you get that far in to give yourself time to process and chill.
Season 5 does not make it easier btw. If you go back and try again, go slowly.
I stopped for a while after Walter walked into the room and walked right out. If you get my gist… Also the penultimate part was a bit too numbing to get through.
Edit: I was too cryptic but Jesse and his girlfriend were lying on the bed after shooting up heroin. What followed makes you mad at Walter as a despicable human.
Walter watches Jesse’s girlfriend Jane choke on her own puke as she’s overdosing and does nothing to help her.
He was sneaking around in their home and did not want to risk getting caught, so he almost intervened, but then decides against it, and regrets doing nothing as she dies in front of him.
He later reveals this to Jesse during a conflict.
From Jesse’s perspective, he had just woken up and she was dead, choked on her own vomit.
Walter tells him he watched it happen and essentially admits that he could have helped.
FMA one is a real hearthchewer. I’m with you on that It came out of nowhere and it put a rail in my guts.
Gantz is an edgy circus tho. Reading it after this kid’s story, after all other things, I was somewhat prepared to this. I don’t blame you. It’s just when I was at this point, I felt like they’d do that or even worse.
Not that FMAB wasn’t awful, but Made in Abyss was a million times worse than FMAB. I couldn’t start to process the horror I just witnessed in MiA compared to just raging in FMAB.
Someone recommended the anime to me and I watched the first episode and couldn’t get to the second episode after finishing the first episode. I don’t remember exactly what it was, just that it was incredibly disturbing and I want to say it was SA related.
Same there. I watched a lot of horror movies and another kinds of gore, and it felt like I almost lost my senses at all, but the way Chauvin did that filled me with so much confusion, hatred and sadness I couldn’t stand watching it. So routine, so senseless, like he’s used to do this daily and likes it. I felt sick. And I want this mfer to rot.
With horror movies, you at least have that layer of knowing it's not real. Seeing the real horrors of mankind without that to protect you is truly disturbing.
I don’t know if this counts, but I own multiple copies of Spiritfarer and haven’t played it yet, because my mother suddenly passed away shortly before I learned about the game, and just watching the trailer still breaks me up a bit.
edit: sigh correction, just thinking about the trailer breaks me up a bit
I haven’t played it in over a year and just can’t bring myself to fully finish it. I think I was right there, but I just… can’t.
Just thinking about it makes me misty.
I hope you’re in a better place emotionally now. But maybe continue to put off playing, unless you feel you’re ready to stare some potentially difficult things directly in the face.
Thank you for the kind words. I could tell from the trailer and reviews that it’s a beautiful, glorious labor of love that I definitely need to play… someday. I’m not there yet, but I will have a generous supply of tissues available when it happens.
Mr. Robot. I think I got a few seasons in and realised that watching it was negatively impacting my mental health. It’s just too depressing in parts, amazing show though. Its on hold for me to rewatch when I’ve got the emotional capacity for it.
Believe me, you won’t feel this way by the end. Best show in the universe. The dark aspects are necessary for the story, but the payout is amazing. I constantly want to rewatch it.
Finished it this morning, it’s quite the rollercoaster and it gets even darker in the last season before getting lighter… My girlfriend needed a couple of breaks to get through it so don’t feel bad, it’s not for everyone…
I’ve already watched it, but my husband and I are going through it again because he hasn’t seen it. We binge watch most shows, but Mr. Robot is HEAVY and it gets heavier and weirder until the end.
My advice while watching it is to detach from the characters. Accept that anyone can die at any moment, often horribly, but know that the ending is bitter-sweet and that the show is absolutely worth the watch
Michael crosses so many red lines. None critical to me, but here and there it makes me eerk. And I remembered this episode juts by reading it’s name. It says something.
Read the book! It was so good as well. Not entirely the same as the movie. The movie was more of the premise with book plus some exerpts, but still amazing in its own way. I really enjoy both. Really easy read because of how it is written, and so much fun as well.
Hellblade Senua’s Sacrifice. Played it with headphones as many suggested. I had recently lost my uncle, who by the time he died, was in a pretty bad state mentally. Seeing and hearing things that weren’t there. Everyone out to get him. Calling to say the cops were trying to break into his home. No one was there.
He was a good guy and incredibly funny. Introduced me to the greatness of Monty Python at a young age. He was getting some better help near the end, finally. In part because he finally was accepting help.
He was a Vietnam vet, and from what everyone told me came back changed like so many did. This, in part, led to drug use that spiraled him down. Much better handled than some as he always held a job and such.
But the game made me think of what he might have been experiencing, and it was overwhelming for me. I think I stopped a third of the way through. It is very well done, but I just couldn’t deal with it.
Glad you switched it off. I’ve read a lot of stories of people playing Senua and having a mental breakdown over associating her with themselves or relatives. Ultimately, not the best way to reconnect with your family. The worst way.
I stopped playing it after fear of me myself having something akin to it. There are mental illnesses running in my family and I’m afraid I have some chances to play Senua IRL. 'Tis why I don’t even try to get a gun license. It’s safer that way.
I was playing it at night at a campground that was terrifying by itself at night. My roommate had gone to sleep and I was getting more and more scared as the night went on. I couldn't find a save point and I was getting frantic just trying to save my game and go to sleep. I couldn't find one after an hour or so so I said fuck it and turned it off.
Cue a mouse eating something in our loft or some other small animal making it so I had to wake up my roommate telling him I need to talk for a minute to a real person before falling asleep. I didn't sleep much that night and didn't pick the game up for another 6 months.
Played it in the day time with people in the room. Fuck that game and it's still one of my favorites of all time to make me feel that way.
I watched it with my girlfriend and the part about the bones in the tin candy container at the start of the movie flew over her head. She was hopeful that the girl might survive, I realized she missed the bones because she got a smidge hopeful when they went to see the doctor.