hitting up your inbox. here's a question for you: since you've written about tv from a lot of different periods, how would you describe the difference between 90s shows like the x-files or buffy (or even early 00s shows like alias) and stuff made more recently? i feel like "is one better than the other" is kind of a pointless question, but are there things you think each era is better at? worse at? basically just interested in your thoughts on how tv storytelling has changed in the last 30 years
oh wow. Iām sure Iād have a better view of this if Iād been in this industry longer; my sample size from theĀ ā90s and earlyĀ ā00s is small ā and more personalized to meĀ ā compared to how many recent shows I watch/have watched. thatās my disclaimer. the rest is below the cut because I went long.
overallā¦ itās hard to generalize about TV now because thereās so much of it. but I think itās a shame weāve fallen out of love with the procedural! now theyāre mostly overlooked (by critics) and mostly formulaic, which is too bad because a good case/monster-of-the-week show can go anywhere. itās much easier for procedurals to try on different tones or experiment with form (no dialogue, musical, black and white, etc). and the best ones usually find tension in the idea that resolution is possible: the x-files and buffy both use the monster-of-the-week structure to emphasize how open ended their fights are. one of my favorite new shows this season was evil on cbs because itās a procedural that works withĀ the format in order to push boundaries. Iād love to see more of that. bring back procedurals that feel fresh!
but as much as I hate the trend of showrunners trying to turn everything into a ā10-hour movieā (TV needs episodic structure!) obviously itās good that weāve got more serialized storytelling. and yes thatās The Legacy of The Sopranos, but itās also streaming making it easier for people to catch up on what they missed. weāre at a point where even comedy can be really experimental and long-form; the good place could not have happened a decade ago. Iām glad TV trusts audiences to be smarter now. I just donāt think itās an accident that the showrunners who are best at serialized storytelling (vince gilligan, damon lindelof, mike schur) have experience writing for procedurals (or standard sitcoms). episodes matter.
peak tv is great because even though thereās still a lot further to go, there are so many more shows now written by diverse voices, featuring diverse casts, telling stories that havenāt been on TV before. but at the same time itās harder for those shows to find audiences and stick around, and you can see how it makes them less patient with storytelling if theyāre on the bubble. the streaming model doesnāt help since apparently thereās less incentive to keep shows around past three seasons. TV shows just donāt last as long anymore. which can be for the best (watchmen was perfect as it was), but at the same time one of the things that sets TV apart as a medium is the time you get with the characters. we watched buffy and scully grow up. and I love the sort of rambling quality of a long-running show and the way the writers are forced to work around real life. I think thatās interesting! (because, again, most stories in real life donāt end neatly.) I donāt want to fully lose that unpredictability. emily van der werff at vox wrote about this recently: TV doesnāt always need to be shorter; it just needs to know how to tell short stories that add up.
this is beside your point, but Iām really interested in how shows hold up over time and what keeps them relevant. the x-files and fringe are both sci-fi shows about investigating the unexplained, but the x-files doesnāt really care about science and fringe really does, so the x-files is less dated than a show that came out 15 years later. alias is very post 9/11, even though the pilot was filmed before 9/11. itās about living in a surveillance state. but it never seems able to make a strong comment on that; thereās a lot of push and pull between critiquing and accepting the secrets the government āhas to keep,ā because at the time I think they could only go so far. whereas the americans will probably hold up better, even though itās also a spy drama, because those questions are the whole point (being a period piece also helps).Ā
I think any good show has staying power; itās not just about relevance (breaking bad is about the darkness people are capable of, etc, but really itās going to hold up because itās entertaining as hell). but I do think ā90s dramas have a leg up because technology hadnāt totally invaded everyday life yet, so the stories they told were more human. itās hard to make interesting TV about problems that happen online and on our phones. some shows are doing it ā the good fight, evilā¦ basically, the kings are doing it ā but a lot of stories about how it feels to be alive today are looking at it sideways (like the leftovers or the handmaidās tale). the good place had to go to the afterlife to point out that no ethical consumption is possible under capitalism. we donāt have a clear way to talk about the present as itās happening, even on TV. maybe thatās because itās so fragmented.
but ultimately I think the good shows are still doing the same things. itās tempting to say TV storytelling is bolder/less linear/weirder now, but itās really just packaging. itās the difference between twin peaks and twin peaks: the return. theĀ ā90s version looks more traditional, but itās finding the tension between absurdity and structure as opposed to going all-out absurd. itās the same questions in a new format. the x-files and the leftovers are still making the same points about the impossibility of understanding the world around us and the importance/limits of relationships to mitigate the chaos. the x-files just couldnāt have told that story with a lion sex cult.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
Hey! You posting the latest podcast reminded me that I wanted to thank you guys so much for making an effort to transcribe your episodes. I've loved reading them, and as a deaf person it's so rare that I get to access that sort of fandom content. So kudos, and if you ever feel like posting a paypal to make transcription more affordable, I'd be glad to contribute.
Thank you!Ā Weāre pretty new to podcasting, so weāre doing what we can.
In terms of a PayPal, I think weāre probably not going that route.Ā Cates and I do Fandalite Academy for fun, because we constantly talk to each other about Animorphs and Cates figured we might as well record ourselves as weāre doing it.Ā I need money as much as the next carbon-based lifeform, but I worry that a PayPal sets up an implied contract that weād be unable to fulfill.Ā In case it wasnāt already obvious, our episode posting schedule is *ahem* sporadic at best.Ā I donāt anticipate it ever becoming un-sporadic, and I donāt anticipate us ever achieving professional quality.Ā Ergo, I doubt Iāll ever be comfortable charging money for it, even on aĀ āsuggested donationā basis.
On a related note: weāre probably never going to post on Sonos/iTunes/Podbean/GrooveShark/ other places mentioned in ācan you post on my preferred podcast app instead?ā asks.Ā Hosting content there costs money, and Cates and I are just a couple of poor academics without cash to burn.Ā Weāre doing this for fun, yāall.Ā We hope our fun is entertaining for yāall as well.
@impalementationĀ replied to yourĀ post:Ā 1 & 2 for buffy
ooh. iām very interested in the fact that lessons rates so highly for you. would love to hear why!
part of it is that i watched season seven recently, so itās fresh in my mind. but also, lessons makes me giddy, plain and simple. it contains many of my favorite elements for a buffy episode to have. lots of laugh out loud moments, summers sisters at the forefront of the story, creative fight scenes (i really dig the brick-filled purse), some stomach-swooping moments (seeing spike pop up gets me every time). the writers know all these characters and the world inside out, and that gives the episode a really satisfying feel and pace. the fact that weāre coming off identity-crises-for-everyone season six to this self-assured tone contributes to my enjoyment, for sure
but the thing that gets me the most, i think, is the way the episode shines a light on how far buffyās traveled along her path. the scene most indicative of this for me is when she interrupts the zombified studentsā guilt trip, remaining sympathetic to their plight but also establishing that she doesnāt own that guilt. high school buffy was emotionally crushed by the responsibilities of her calling again and again. itās nice to see the way sheās established boundaries for herself without becoming callous and uncaring. (and of course the season plays with what happens when she is pushed into that territory, but seeing how sheād once found a way to balance these things both heightens the effect of general!buffyās coldness and gives me a hopefulness that sheāll once again find the way back to emotional zen)
of course, thereās also theĀ way the showās using dawn juxtaposed against buffy to show how far weāve come and to establish the seasonās theme of shared power. under buffyās guidance, dawn is way more prepared than her peers to face what demons live in sunnydale high. with someone like buffy looking over the younger generation, the horrors donāt seem as insurmountable as they did when they were happening to buffy. and that inter-generational care is a theme i really enjoy in my fiction.
bottom line is, the episode makes me nostalgic for times past and excited for whatās to come. and thatās a cool line to walk.
impalementation replied to your post: impalementation: impalementation: people talk...
@rahirahā I donāt mind! I do think it was clumsy, like I said in the original post. I disagree somewhat with the statement that āmagic is the problemā is what the show does, given that the Dark Willow arc is about Willow being unable to cope with grief, leading to abuse of magic. Which connects well with the emotional control stuff.
I think that's the main reason it's awkward, tbh. S6 starts out solidly in the "Grief makes Willow abuse magic" camp, which follows on from foreshadowing going back as far as S3. If they'd kept on in that vein, I think there would have been no problem whatsovever. But mid-season, the narrative switches abruptly to "Magic itself is addictive." (And then switches back in S7.)
The rumor amongst the spoiler hos back in the day was that Alyson Hannigan had expressed worries to Joss that Willow going full evil out of hubris and grief and becoming a major Big Bad (which was the original plan for the season) would make the character too unpopular. And because Alyson was Joss's favorite, he caved and changed it to "magic addiction." Take that with as much salt as you'd take any other twenty year old, third-hand set-side rumor. I don't know, but I wouldn't be too surprised if part of the reason behind the walk-back in S7 was the incredible backlash to Tara's death, and people pointing out how dodgy it was to go from "Magic symbolizes lesbian desire!" to "Magic is a destructive addictive force!" within the course of a season. :P
if pressed, iād come down on the side of adult btvs. i prefer the more textured metaphors of the later years to the formulaic āthis is the high school issue and the monster weāre using to horror-ify itā approach from the beginning.Ā
i think one of my most unpopular opinions, though, is that iām most fond of the transition year because it feels like a breather from all the intense trauma of what comes before and what comes after.
send me a š„+ a topic, and iāll tell you my honest opinion about it
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
impalementation replied to your post: impalementation replied to your post: ...
Unfortunately I donāt really have it in me to leave a more detailed reply. I recognize the limitations of the choices made with that plotline, I donāt disagree per se. But honestly at this point Iāve heard so many of the same complaints about it over the years that I just find it much more fun and satisfying to give the writing the credit it can be given. And I think there is credit to give there.
Fair enough -- there are definitely many plotlines where I do the same. (And as I said, I was mostly just whining to myself anyway.)
