Five Reasons to Binge Watch Netflix's 'Between'

In the past four or five years, Netflix has unveiled quite an assortment of exclusive films, specials, and most recently episodic series. Slightly different to how television programming functions, Netflix releases new episodic series on a recurring basis but when a series premieres, the entire season is made available at the same time rather than airing on a scheduled weekly basis.

There's no waiting a whole week to find out what happened to your favorite cast, no mid-season breaks to drive you insane, the whole season is ready for you to watch at your own leisure. Whether it be in intervals or in a non-stop binge watching session that you can't pull yourself away from, it's there for you whenever you're ready to watch.Netflix's latest binge worthy series is that of "Between".

Still unrecognized in large social circles, "Between" will be the next Netflix series everyone is talking about. There still isn't much of a following behind "Between" but there's bound to be a good amount of subscribers delving into the series once the series picks up interest from a wide variety of viewers.

For now, the series "Between" is still quite new to Netflix. "Between" has been available since May of 2015 but there's hasn't been too much talk of the series in media outlets. However, the second season of "Between" has seen a spike in ratings, accompanied by a major cliffhanger ending which will have more fans talking about what's to come in Season 3; adding to the series' already growing notoriety.

The official synopsis for Netflix's "Between".

After a mysterious disease kills every resident over 22 years old, survivors of a town must fend for themselves when the government quarantines them.

Created by Michael McGowan, "Between" also hosts quite an ensemble cast. Not many notable faces are among the cast but plenty of episodic series have been developed with lesser known actors headlining; Stranger Things and The Walking Dead are two very good examples. Neither series featured any A-list actors but both series have succeeded in bringing A-list quality with actors/actresses who genuinely know what they're doing. Said actors may not be as well known as other celebrities but their names are bound to become household names, similar to the likes of Norman Reedus since his rise to stardom with The Walking Dead.

Despite "Between" featuring a variety of lesser known actors, each respective actor still bring a lot to the table; Jennette McCurdy being the best example. McCurdy hasn't had many acting roles other than her supporting roles on several Nickelodeon series, but McCurdy is showing the world that she has the acting chops to hold her own in "Between". McCurdy isn't the only young actor/actress making an impression. Between Jesse Carere and Kyle Mac, both actors heavily featured in the series, are bound to be courted for more featured parts - once their performances in "Between" are recognized for their high quality caliber.

Beyond the actors/actresses cast in "Between", it's the plot and story that'll get you hooked. Here are 5 excellent reasons why "Between" should be the next Netflix series you binge watch.

Spoilers for Season 1 and Season 2 of "Between" follow: You've Been Warned.

The Town

"Between" takes place in the small town of Pretty Lake. When a virus breaks out, the town of Pretty Lake quarantined by the government and left to fend for itself. It wouldn't seem like that big of a deal for a small town to be quarantined when most small towns pride themselves on their ability to remain self-sufficient. However, that's no the case in Pretty Lake. While Pretty Lake is quarantined and cut off from communicating with the outside world, the on-going crisis within the town makes survival quite difficult.

After the first week, the town's population is radically reduced to everyone under the age of 23. Without many adults or thoughtful individuals to keep the situation manageable, the town devolves into quite an assortment of vigilantism and reckless abandonment. The most unpredictable takes place and an assortment of gangs rise up to keep dominion over their part of Pretty Lake.

In a town run by people who are under the age of 23, what do you expect to happen?

Once the population was reduced to anyone under the age of 23, the rest of Pretty Lake had to fend for themselves - by any means necessary. From looting empty residences to stealing from one another, the population of Pretty Lake dwindles down in numbers as survival becomes more and more prevalent to the young community of survivors. Several characters attempt to keep the peace within the town but it only results in bloodshed and heartbreak.

Every character has a purpose.

In comparison to other episodic series, "Between" has made one thing very clear: it's not going to waste time on characters who are going to be killed off imminently.

Without spoiling anything, let's just say don't expect everyone to be around at the end. If a character seems like they're going to bite the dust at any moment, they probably will. However, don't be so quick to write off a character you think has no hope to be developed further in the future either. Quite a few unpredictable characters have survived so far and continue to be featured on the series.

The conspiracy freak actually makes valid points.

To not spoil who fills in this role, one of the character's on "Between" is characterized by his/her previous history as an advocate to an assortment of conspiracy theories. Usually, when a character is emphasized to be obsessed with conspiracy theories, they turn out to be the one to cause the most internal damage to a group with their misguided intentions. However, that's not the case with this series.

The conspiracy theorist of "Between" actually has some idea of what he/she is talking about. Said character uses facts and reasonable judgement to come around to conclusions which inevitably benefit the main survivors' group . That's not to say there aren't ups and downs along the way, but at least, "Between" doesn't feature the stereotypical conspiracy theorist - who gets written off almost immediately.

More shocks and twists than you may be prepared for.

"Between" has only spanned two seasons of six episodes each in its series' run but the plot has developed quite substantially in that short amount of time. The initial presumption of "Between" focusing on a quarantine is only the tip of the iceberg, there's much more to be discovered.

From what takes place within the quarantine to what takes place outside of Pretty Lake, the events of "Between" have diverted in several directions which have seen separate plot threads connect to one another. "Between" holds a degree of connectivity in plot threads most wouldn't expect the series to have.

Aside from points of connectivity, "Between" also depicts an assortment of visuals that might not blend with those of weak constitutions. That's not to say the visuals are grotesque but some are less than kind depictions; i.e. dead children.

Alliances are made, and friendships are forged.

In a time of crisis, the young residents of Pretty lake find themselves in an unprecedented situation. Without the assistance of their families, Pretty Lake's young residents resort to allying with those who they trust, turning on anyone they don't, and meeting all suspicion with violent confrontations.

Several unpredictable situations result in the young residents earning a bit of retrospect into the right course of action but it takes some missteps along the way for them to figure it all out. And none of those missteps come without their own set of consequences; death being the least of those consequences.

In an enclosed community, cut off from the outside world, children driven to fend for themselves will inevitably progress in a self-destructive direction so it shouldn't surprise you to see the town of Pretty Lake thrown into chaos when an epidemic occurs. However, when crisis approaches, cooler heads tend to prevail and there is some salvation in even the most impossible situations - evident by Pretty Lake's survivors.

Those were just some teases into Netflix's "Between". The series has much more to offer, and from what's been teased for Season 3, there's a whole lot more to be excited about. Without spoiling anything further, Season 2 very slyly hinted at some science fiction elements being introduced.

As it sits, "Between" has been level with a non-fiction approach to a contagious epidemic, but there have been some hints at more sci-fi components being integrated into the real world aspect of contagions and epidemics. We'll have to wait until information on Season 3 is revealed to find out if the series is going with a sci-fi approach or sticking to realistic scenarios.

"Between" is currently available for streaming exclusively on Netflix. Season 1 and Season 2 are currently available.