Stitch on 5/8/2008 at 14:36
Even the collected DVDs don't appeal to me much, though. Watching a good (say) eight hours of content stretched over twenty-plus hours of DVDs doesn't seem like a good investment of my time.
I think soap operas like Lost that attempt to build to some definite peak (however distant) are inherently difficult to pull off over an extended period of time. If you focus on subplots and episodic ministories you lose sight of the overall arc, but if you focus too much on the main plot then things wrap up too quickly and the network will find that a popular show has ended in its marketable prime.
The pilot episode of Lost was fucking great. The next one was not.
Scots Taffer on 5/8/2008 at 23:48
Guys, if you have an arc-heavy story that features lots of filler episodes just to pad out the arc without actually having much go on, that's just fucking bad writing.
WAREAGLE on 6/8/2008 at 00:16
I really regret putting the thread topic in caps
Gorgonseye on 6/8/2008 at 00:43
And it only took you three pages!:D
The_Raven on 6/8/2008 at 01:02
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
Guys, if you have an arc-heavy story that features lots of filler episodes just to pad out the arc without actually having much go on, that's just fucking bad writing.
Amen; the Battlestar Galactica remake is extremely guilty of this as well.
Thor on 6/8/2008 at 01:21
Lost is a fine series of mystics. It has so many un-understandable/seemingly unlogical stuff that reveals it's ''key'' once in a while, that the show doesn't quite get boring. Or it does...atleast i liked 1st season the most. Next ones weren't really that good and much more revealed.
Renault on 6/8/2008 at 01:54
Quote Posted by WAREAGLE
I really regret putting the thread topic in caps
Not enough to change it, apparently.
Zygoptera on 6/8/2008 at 03:24
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
Guys, if you have an arc-heavy story that features lots of filler episodes just to pad out the arc without actually having much go on, that's just fucking bad writing.
Not necessarily bad writing, per se. IIRC Joss Whedon stated outright that there was always pressure from the networks to include lots of primarily standalone (filler) episodes in early to mid season so as to provide more accessibility to new viewers, and by their nature standalone episodes will always tend to be less "significant" and annoy people who want more of the main arc. I'd also suspect there's some pressure to pander to fans of the different Lost characters ('what, no Sawyer-centric episodes, suckage' syndrome) through filler.
More generally, the variable quality is a near inevitable consequence of the length of network TV seasons in the US- the previously cited "quality" series, as well as quality series from outside the US, all have lower numbers of episodes per year than a standard US network drama, allowing a more consistent writing team and creative vision, and more time for quality control. It also seems near impossible to get the pacing right for a long run series. I'd pretty much agree that the only long season serials that got the pacing right from the last ten years were the first two seasons of 24 and the first season of Heroes, with the same caveat. Every other arced show, even ones I like, tended to feel either rushed or too drawn out or sometimes, as with 'How to Stop an Exploding Man', both.
Tonamel on 6/8/2008 at 04:18
Quote Posted by Zygoptera
Joss Whedon
J.J. Abrams, wasn't it?
WAREAGLE on 6/8/2008 at 04:24
Quote Posted by Brethren
Not enough to change it, apparently.
Tried and it doesnt work. maybe i dont know something
