So the unthinkable happened and I found myself actually sitting down and watching this darned show of my own volition. No, really. It's true.
Unfortunately, as it's not the actual DVD version, I find myself with 14 .avi files presumably ripped from a DVD labeled "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - #__" (insert episode number there). Now, Craig already told me that this show has a very... nonlinear format, and of course, when all the episode tells you is what number it is on the DVD version, it tells me nothing about what order to play them in. I figure "Y'know, the DVD version should logically be the right way to watch". I get through the first three episodes all fine and dandy. Fourth episode, there's like three new characters I haven't been introduced to and I'm like "NO SPOILERS". I think "Well, maybe this calls for a trip to Wikipedia". And it tells me there's like three different orders you can watch it in - the "nonlinear Kyon" version (which has me skip to episode 8 on the DVD), the "slightly more linear Haruhi" version (which has me go to episode 4 as normal), and DVD version. So I try episode 8 and am greeted to a shot of someone being stabbed and I'm like "NO SPOILERS" --
....
Long story short, I want to watch it in the proper chronological order where everything's introduced where it's supposed to.
Can someone please help me? ;___;
~Shadowed Spirit Sage
Give me a couple of minutes and I'll help you out 
@ Sagey... I have the legit DVDs, which force you to watch in chronological order
EDIT:
K, aside from Episode 0 (which I still haven't watched 😯 ) this is the order of the episodes as they appear on the DVDs:
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 1
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 2
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 3
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 4
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 5
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 6
The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya
Mystérique Sign
Remote Island Syndrome Part 1
Remote Island Syndrome Part 2
The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00
Live Alive
The Day of Sagittarius
Someday in the Rain
EDIT EDIT: or rather that is the official chronological order... As taken from Wiki... This way the Climax happens 1/2 through the season, instead of at the end, but it's easier to follow this way... this is also the order the book plays it out in 😯
;___; Once I saw Kyon and Yuki sitting there I knew I found the right episode. Thank you so much!
~Shadowed Spirit Sage
I have the first season of Haruhi Suzumiya - now what?
Wait for season 2 to be aired before watching them all?
Now that season 2 is in the process of being aired in japanland, instead of doing the normal season 1 -> season 2 -> etc, they are inserting the episodes of season 2 into their correct places inbetween episodes of season 1 (however this time it's all being shown in chronological order).
Or are you quickly trying to catch up with where craig is, so you can watch s2 together?
The show actually has two correct ways to watch. The "original, normal" chronological order that aired, and episodes 1 through whatever the end was. You can watch them both the same way, and get the same results, (just one makes a little more sense).
Stacy and I watched it straight through. At the end, we regret not going through the "normal" route, but you really do get the exact same result, just lots of flash forwards and backwards.
The new season is a B-EYE-ITCH though. It's on episode 4 and I've practically just watched the same episode 3 times!!! RARRGH!!! I'm not going to spoil it or explain it, but that's exactly the setup, and there's actually a cool reason. BUT GOD DAMN IT, that's LOW.
Anyway, enjoy the series. Definitely one of my favorite non-Shonen shows, next to Fruits Basket.
Never got past volume 3. Was watching it in the chronological order, and it seemed okay. I reckon watching in in the broadcast order would have scared me off right away, and all this talk about season 2 episodes being chronologically placed between season 1 episodes and, well, what Jin said ( I won't go into detail either) have kind of scared me off again. I'd like to buy the box set, but it says complete series, and since there's now a season 2 with a new chronological order, I'll back off a bit longer and see what happens.
