diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PlexBrowse.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PlexBrowse.tsx
index 9a7f341..82bdf25 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PlexBrowse.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PlexBrowse.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   type PlexSeasonDetail,
   type PlexUnifiedResult,
 } from "../lib/api";
+import { formatRuntime } from "../lib/format";
 import { useDebounced } from "../lib/useDebounced";
 import { useHistorySubview } from "../lib/history";
 import { DetailCustomizeMenu, Filterable, useArtBackdrop, useDetailPrefs } from "../lib/plexDetailUi";
@@ -67,13 +68,6 @@ type Props = {
 
 const PAGE = 40;
 
-function dur(n?: number | null): string {
-  if (!n) return "";
-  const h = Math.floor(n / 3600);
-  const m = Math.floor((n % 3600) / 60);
-  return h ? `${h}h ${m}m` : `${m}m`;
-}
-
 export default function PlexBrowse({
   q,
   onClearSearch,
@@ -483,7 +477,7 @@ function PlexPosterCard({
         style={{ background: "color-mix(in srgb, var(--card) 60%, transparent)" }}
       >
         <div className="text-sm font-medium line-clamp-2 leading-tight hover:text-accent">{card.title}</div>
-        <div className="text-xs text-muted">{[card.year, dur(card.duration_seconds)].filter(Boolean).join(" · ")}</div>
+        <div className="text-xs text-muted">{[card.year, formatRuntime(card.duration_seconds)].filter(Boolean).join(" · ")}</div>
       </div>
     </div>
   );
@@ -526,7 +520,8 @@ function PlexInfoView({
             onPlay={onPlay}
             onPlayItem={onPlayItem}
             onFilter={onFilter}
-            onStateChange={() => q.refetch()}
+            // No onStateChange: PlexInfo.setState already invalidates ["plex-item", id] (this very
+            // query), so q refetches automatically — a manual refetch here just double-fetched.
           />
         </Suspense>
       )}
@@ -845,7 +840,7 @@ function EpisodeCard({
             {!withShowTitle && <span className="text-muted mr-1">{ep.episode_number}.</span>}
             {ep.title}
           </div>
-          <div className="text-[11px] text-muted mt-0.5">{dur(ep.duration_seconds)}</div>
+          <div className="text-[11px] text-muted mt-0.5">{formatRuntime(ep.duration_seconds)}</div>
         </div>
         {onAdd && (
           <button
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PlexInfo.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PlexInfo.tsx
index 691fe92..1c8a28a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PlexInfo.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PlexInfo.tsx
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { Check, ExternalLink, FolderPlus, ListPlus, Play, RotateCcw, Star, X } from "lucide-react";
 import { api, type PlexFilters, type PlexItemDetail } from "../lib/api";
+import { formatRuntime } from "../lib/format";
 import { DetailCustomizeMenu, Filterable, PrefToggle, useArtBackdrop, useDetailPrefs } from "../lib/plexDetailUi";
 import PlexCollectionEditor from "./PlexCollectionEditor";
 import PlexPlaylistAdd from "./PlexPlaylistAdd";
@@ -28,13 +29,6 @@ type Props = {
   library?: string;
 };
 
-function fmtDur(s?: number | null): string {
-  if (!s) return "";
-  const h = Math.floor(s / 3600);
-  const m = Math.floor((s % 3600) / 60);
-  return h ? `${h}h ${m}m` : `${m}m`;
-}
-
 export default function PlexInfo({
   detail,
   variant,
@@ -170,7 +164,7 @@ export default function PlexInfo({
                   {detail.content_rating}
                 </Filterable>
               )}
-              {detail.duration_seconds ? <span className={mutedCls}>{fmtDur(detail.duration_seconds)}</span> : null}
+              {detail.duration_seconds ? <span className={mutedCls}>{formatRuntime(detail.duration_seconds)}</span> : null}
               {detail.studio && (
                 <Filterable
                   className={mutedCls}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PlexPlayer.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PlexPlayer.tsx
index 68e4ddd..dd98ae7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PlexPlayer.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PlexPlayer.tsx
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ import {
   X,
 } from "lucide-react";
 import { api, type PlexMarker } from "../lib/api";
-import { useAccountPersistedObject } from "../lib/storage";
+import { formatDuration } from "../lib/format";
+import { LS, useAccountPersistedObject } from "../lib/storage";
 import { useDismiss } from "../lib/useDismiss";
 import { useBackToClose } from "../lib/history";
 
@@ -63,7 +64,6 @@ function subOrdForLang(subs: SubStream[], lang: string): number | null {
 type PlexPlayerPrefs = {
   volume: number; // 0..1
   muted: boolean;
-  wasPlaying: boolean; // resume-playing intent across reloads (best-effort; browsers may block autoplay)
   audioLang: string; // "" = default first audio
   subLang: string; // "" = subtitles off
   subOffset: number; // seconds, +later / -earlier (client-side cue shift)
@@ -90,7 +90,6 @@ type PlexPlayerPrefs = {
 const DEFAULT_PREFS: PlexPlayerPrefs = {
   volume: 1,
   muted: false,
-  wasPlaying: true,
   audioLang: "",
   subLang: "",
   subOffset: 0,
@@ -165,17 +164,20 @@ const HLS_SUB_LAG = 1.0;
 // the queue instead of the item's own episode neighbours.
 type Props = { itemId: string; onClose: () => void; queue?: string[] };
 
+// Seekbar clock — same H:MM:SS / M:SS shape as the shared formatDuration, but the live media clock
+// can be NaN/negative before metadata loads, so clamp to 0 first (formatDuration never sees null here).
 function fmt(t: number): string {
-  if (!isFinite(t) || t < 0) t = 0;
-  const s = Math.floor(t % 60);
-  const m = Math.floor((t / 60) % 60);
-  const h = Math.floor(t / 3600);
-  const pad = (n: number) => String(n).padStart(2, "0");
-  return h ? `${h}:${pad(m)}:${pad(s)}` : `${m}:${pad(s)}`;
+  return formatDuration(isFinite(t) && t >= 0 ? t : 0);
 }
 
 export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
   const { t } = useTranslation();
+  // `t` changes identity on a language switch. loadSession only uses it for error strings, so read it
+  // through a ref — keeping it OUT of loadSession's deps. Otherwise a mid-playback language change
+  // rebuilt loadSession → re-ran the detail effect → reloaded the session from the STALE saved resume
+  // position (losing live progress). See the detail effect's deps.
+  const tRef = useRef(t);
+  tRef.current = t;
   const qc = useQueryClient();
   const [id, setId] = useState(itemId);
   const detailQ = useQuery({ queryKey: ["plex-item", id], queryFn: () => api.plexItem(id) });
@@ -217,7 +219,7 @@ export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
 
   // Per-account persisted player prefs — survive F5, carry across items.
   const [prefs, patchPrefs] = useAccountPersistedObject<PlexPlayerPrefs>(
-    "siftlode.plexPlayerPrefs",
+    LS.plexPlayerPrefs,
     DEFAULT_PREFS,
   );
   const { volume, muted } = prefs;
@@ -288,10 +290,10 @@ export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
         // needs full transcoding (a later phase).
         setLoadError(
           e?.status === 501
-            ? t("plex.player.errTranscode")
+            ? tRef.current("plex.player.errTranscode")
             : e?.status === 404
-              ? t("plex.player.errNotFound")
-              : t("plex.player.errGeneric"),
+              ? tRef.current("plex.player.errNotFound")
+              : tRef.current("plex.player.errGeneric"),
         );
         return;
       }
@@ -343,7 +345,7 @@ export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
         // A fatal HLS error (e.g. the remux session died / the file became unreadable) would
         // otherwise leave the spinner up forever — surface it instead.
         hls.on(Hls.Events.ERROR, (_e, data) => {
-          if (data.fatal) setLoadError(t("plex.player.errGeneric"));
+          if (data.fatal) setLoadError(tRef.current("plex.player.errGeneric"));
         });
       } else {
         // direct file (or Safari native HLS)
@@ -358,7 +360,7 @@ export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
         video.addEventListener("loadedmetadata", onMeta);
       }
     },
-    [id, t],
+    [id], // NOT `t` — see tRef above (a language switch must not rebuild this / reload the session).
   );
 
   // Start playback when the detail arrives (resume from the saved position unless already watched).
@@ -419,18 +421,12 @@ export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
         /* ignore */
       }
     };
-    const onPlay = () => {
-      setPlaying(true);
-      patchPrefs({ wasPlaying: true }); // remember play intent for F5 (best-effort; autoplay may be blocked)
-    };
-    const onPause = () => {
-      setPlaying(false);
-      patchPrefs({ wasPlaying: false });
-    };
+    const onPlay = () => setPlaying(true);
+    const onPause = () => setPlaying(false);
     // A seek that restarts the hls.js session detaches/re-attaches the media, firing 'emptied' —
     // which silently flips paused=true WITHOUT a 'pause' event, so the play/pause pair alone let the
     // button lie (⏸ shown while actually paused). Resync the flag from reality on the settling events
-    // so the icon can never contradict the video. (Does not touch the wasPlaying pref.)
+    // so the icon can never contradict the video.
     const syncPlaying = () => setPlaying(!video.paused);
     video.addEventListener("timeupdate", onTime);
     video.addEventListener("play", onPlay);
@@ -851,6 +847,12 @@ export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
   const [skipProgress, setSkipProgress] = useState<number | null>(null);
   skipProgressRef.current = skipProgress;
   const cancelledMarkerRef = useRef<string | null>(null);
+  // Forget a cancelled-skip when the item changes: the ref holds a `${type}-${start_s}` key, and a
+  // marker at the same offset on the NEXT episode would otherwise be suppressed by a cancel made on
+  // the previous one (auto-skip silently dead for the rest of a binge).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    cancelledMarkerRef.current = null;
+  }, [id]);
   // The running countdown interval, so cancelAutoSkip can actually STOP it — clearing skipProgress
   // alone left the interval ticking, which re-set the progress ~100ms later and skipped anyway.
   const skipTimerRef = useRef<number | null>(null);
@@ -1222,6 +1224,7 @@ export default function PlexPlayer({ itemId, onClose, queue }: Props) {
                   <div
                     ref={tracksRef}
                     onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+                    onWheel={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
                     className="glass-menu absolute bottom-full right-0 mb-2 w-56 max-h-[60vh] overflow-auto rounded-xl p-2 text-sm text-white shadow-2xl"
                   >
                     {detail.audio_streams.length > 1 && (
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/PlexSidebar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/PlexSidebar.tsx
index dce76cb..65ee75c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/PlexSidebar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/PlexSidebar.tsx
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ export default function PlexSidebar({
           <SlidersHorizontal className="w-5 h-5" />
           {activeCount > 0 && (
             <span className="absolute -top-1 -right-1 min-w-[16px] h-4 px-1 rounded-full bg-accent text-accent-fg text-[10px] font-bold leading-none grid place-items-center ring-2 ring-bg">
-              {activeCount}
+              {activeCount > 9 ? "9+" : activeCount}
             </span>
           )}
         </button>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/format.ts b/frontend/src/lib/format.ts
index d8ac660..7461c35 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/format.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/format.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,15 @@ export function formatDuration(sec: number | null): string {
   return h > 0 ? `${h}:${pad(m)}:${pad(s)}` : `${m}:${pad(s)}`;
 }
 
+/** Compact human runtime ("1h 30m", "45m") from seconds — used for Plex movie/episode lengths.
+ * Empty string for a missing/zero duration (nothing to show). */
+export function formatRuntime(sec?: number | null): string {
+  if (!sec) return "";
+  const h = Math.floor(sec / 3600);
+  const m = Math.floor((sec % 3600) / 60);
+  return h ? `${h}h ${m}m` : `${m}m`;
+}
+
 // Human label for a canonical quota-action key (see backend app.quota.QuotaAction). Resolved
 // from i18n (quotaActions.<key>) so it's translated in all UI languages; falls back to the raw
 // key for any unmapped/legacy value.
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts b/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
index fc576e3..1102d3b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/storage.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ export const LS = {
   plexFilters: "siftlode.plexFilters",
   plexQ: "siftlode.plexQ",
   plexPlaylistLayout: "siftlode.plexPlaylistLayout",
+  plexPlayerPrefs: "siftlode.plexPlayerPrefs",
   notifHistory: "siftlode.notifications",
   notifSettings: "siftlode.notifSettings",
   onboardingDismissed: "siftlode.onboarding.dismissed",