A content item having sequential portions, such as episodes, is played back on a packaged media player in a manner that facilitates viewing the sequential portions in sequence. The point at which the user terminated a playback session is marked by storing an indication in memory, so that the user need not remember at what episode or other content portion the user left off. Upon beginning a new playback session, the media player retrieves the marker and navigates to the next content portion in the sequence.