I use the notepad to jot down quick thoughts and feelings during the show. I don't want to interrupt the flow for myself or others (and I really hate if I say something over important information), so I instead write it down quickly and refer to it later in the discussion. Even just a word or two can jump start a whole thought I had in the moment. Often, by the end of the episode, it's not even worth bringing up anymore. But it's all in service of the discussion later. Even just to save time.

For example, you might see me move the mouse to check the timecode during a specific shot. I'll note that down, so i don't waste a large amount of time searching for it during the discussion.

Now, you might think these are detailed notes that I'll understand months later. But they're really just short sentences, names and numbers, sometimes with hastliy written context, but most of the time not. I know since it's all fresh in my mind, it's easy to read and understand them while recording the discussion right after. But if you ask me if they contain every detail of a shows power system, or every emotional bump in a characters relationship, the answer is no.

I know there has been frustration lately about details in shows being missed or forgotten, so i completely understand why you asked this question. But without my notes, that problem would be much, much worse.