Yeah. As I said, I don’t actually think it would be a smart move, I was being sarcastic. It’s a pretty common choice, though, especially in fluff TV.

I do believe it’s always better to let a character’s story reach a natural conclusion than to drag it out indefinitely, though. It’s already starting to feel like the writers are losing their grip.

I can see that’s what might be happening, but I think there’s a different reason for it. They already have a broad audience, and this is not, and never will be, the kind of show younger viewers suddenly latch onto.

I think the main characters are simply reaching the end of their narrative arcs. Normally, that would mean it’s time to wrap things up. But ending a profitable show would require restraint, so instead they’ll just shuffle those characters into the background and start stretching the former side cast as far as it will go.

The show keeps limping along, and everyone acts like this was the plan all along.

yeah i didn’t mean that i want ravi to become a main character. i was just pointing out his secondary role and how that might play into his friendship with harry.

i get what you mean, and some dynamics have felt a little off this season, especially with the choices they’ve made for chimney. but most friendships still felt pretty solid to me.

as for ravi and harry, i get why it might feel strange, but i don’t personally see the issue with them being friends. in a workplace it’s pretty normal to interact with younger coworkers the same way you would with people your age or older.

their situations in the team are actually pretty similar. they both joined a group that was already very tight-knit. ravi never really managed to fully squeeze into that inner circle, even though he’s an important character. harry has a slightly different problem because he’s basically everyone’s adopted little brother, which can make it harder for him to feel like he’s on the same level as the others.

sometimes i feel like the writers let the build-up happen off screen, in the fandom. i do like may/ravi, and it makes sense to me because i’ve been on tumblr this whole time watching people talk about them, but i can’t imagine how that relationship reads to a more casual viewer.

sometimes it almost feels like the logic is just “here are two well-liked characters, let’s make them kiss,” and that’s all the build-up they think they need.

there used to be chemistry, though. athena and bobby, hen and karen, early maddie and chim all had really good chemistry (hen and karen still do). i don’t know what happens once couples get together, but it’s like a switch flips. they fade into the background, and the only time their relationship comes back into focus is when there’s conflict.

okay actually that would be kind of funny. they did start laying some groundwork for a change this episode by bringing up a lot of the stuff that’s gone wrong lately. i wouldn’t expect anything permanent, but i could see them doing a storyline where something threatens the integrity of the 118 family and then gets resolved a few episodes later.

but the way they introduced sam, he plays right into buck’s fear of being replaced. i could absolutely see them swapping them again at some point, maybe even moving buck out for a bit, because the show really does love playing with that fear. honestly i’d like to see more of sam, and more sam-buck interactions.

it was honestly kind of funny to me that in the last episode they once again showed exactly why he’s not a great fit as captain, and then still expected the audience to empathize with him and act like he isn’t. he obviously has way less experience than bobby did, so it makes sense that he’d make more mistakes. but most of the issues with his leadership seem to come from the fact that it’s like he suddenly forgot he’s also friends with these people.

nonnie, you might be onto something. sam coming back would actually make a lot more sense. the guy was conventionally attractive (in that bland, forgettable white boy way), they gave him a very distinct character trait with the whole people-pleaser thing, and his exit felt unusually highlighted.

buck did come off a bit strong against him, but i mostly read that as him feeling threatened about being replaced, which has been a recurring fear for him. if sam is meant to come back, though, that dynamic suddenly makes a lot more sense.