Absentia season 1, and the importance of keeping the mystery alive

After months of Absentia season 1, we have found ourselves in a rather interesting position in terms of covering the show. There are several countries where the show is airing right now, and others that are about to start airing it. Yet, here in North America there is still no official news.

In some ways, it only seems fair that North America has to wait a little bit longer, given the fact that there are countless U.S. shows that we get to see weeks or months in advance of other countries. We’re just not used to it stateside, and of course there is that innate desire to roll out our premiere review or get into discussing what happened in the episode. With any good show, such temptation would be there.

Yet, it doesn’t feel right to unveil coverage just yet. CarterMatt has long been geared towards a North American / UK market, so why start posting coverage of a show that no one within this market has had a proper opportunity to see just yet? This show is a mystery at its core, and it feels imperative that we all work to keep the meta-mystery alive in one way or another. We’re already seeing some users on social media do this by keeping their accounts spoiler-free, and we’re going to do our best here to ensure that we follow along until things are airing in the United States or Canada. (We’re hoping that the two countries are going to air the show at around the same time — that makes sense for the sake of commercial success.)

One other thing that goes along with keeping the mystery alive is this: Supporting the show and giving into temptation. We know that it’s going to be tempting to try and find the show online and watch it, but remember this: Absentia exists on the strength of viewers. Namely, diehard fans who spread the word and convince other people to watch. No matter who the US network is, someone has shelled out a pretty penny in order to license the show and its episodes. Watching the show live, via DVR, or on some sort of official platform is us as the viewers making a return on that investment. If you want to support the show or its star Stana Katic, that is the way to do so. There’ll be plenty of “buzz” online about the show, so don’t watch it through some unauthorized means and then think that if you tweet about it you’re actually helping to promote it. You can do that without giving anything away or supporting piracy.

Ultimately, patience is a virtue — it’s hard without that US premiere date out there, but in the end the series should prove to be very much worthwhile. If you’re in one of the lucky countries, relish in your good fortune; for everyone else, isn’t it okay to be in the dark a little while longer? (Full disclosure: We have seen the first episode through an official source, and will only watch onward through similar means or when the show actually airs on North American TV. It’s going to be tricky not writing about the show as much while we wait, but we’ll still give you everything that we can that isn’t spoilery.)

While you wait for Absentia season 1…

Check out more coverage here! For the record, we’re putting Absentia season 1 here as a reminder that if we all continue to watch, we can help to ensure there will be a season 2!

For some additional news on Absentia, we suggest heading over to our CarterMatt Facebook page right now. (Photo: Sony.)