Could a companion star have possibly been pulled in, prolonging the energy release?

One question I have about GRBs. Do we only see them head-on (pole-on)? Would this mean that for every GRB we see there are many many more we don't see? Or might we be seeing most GRBs slightly off-axis somehow, maybe by refraction or reflectance off its ejected matter. If so, then might this recent long lived event be a rarer head-on perspective?

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"What you think you thought you saw you did not see." Agent J, MiB - Manhatten Bureau