What to expect, one step at a time
A Candy Shorts series noted here follows a shape you can learn in a minute: a free opener, a second free episode, then paid steps up to the last. We describe structure and pricing, not scene lists.
Step one: the free opener
Episode 1 costs nothing and is the single episode whose length we can quote. Across our eight series it runs between 48 and 91 seconds, so expect something brief. Its job is structural: it has to put a premise and a tone in front of you quickly. Watch for whether you understood the situation by the end. Should you want a gentler entry, the longer openers take more time over this, though extra seconds are no promise of anything else.
Step two: the second free episode
The next episode is also free, and it is the point where a series has to show it can continue as well as begin. We cannot say how long it runs, and we will not guess what it contains. What you can watch for is pacing: whether the tension from the opener develops or merely gets restated. Our note on using the free pair suggests a question to carry into each one.
Step three: the first paid step
Episode 3 is where the ladder starts charging, at a list price of 12 tokens. This is also a good place to stop and count. Five episode series have 3 paid steps ahead of you at this point, Kiss My Enemy has 4 and Isabella's Revelation has 5. Paying once does not oblige you to pay again, as far as the arithmetic goes, but it helps to know the distance before taking the first step. A promotion may have changed the figure, so glance at the current price.
The final step
The last paid episode is number 5, 6 or 7 depending on the series. By then your total sits at 36, 48 or 60 tokens at list price, which the token page explains in more detail. Whether the ending repays that sum is a matter of taste, and we have no scene notes to offer. What to watch for is simpler: at each step, ask whether you would pay for the next one if it were the only one left.
Short answers
Do you list what happens in each episode?
No. Our notes cover episode counts, prices and the length of episode 1, and that is deliberate.
How many paid steps should I expect?
Three, four or five, depending on whether the series has five, six or seven episodes.
Can you tell me how long the later episodes are?
We cannot. Only the running time of episode 1 was noted, so any other figure would be invented.
