And one of the problems with the "arc" segments of S5 & S7 (less so S6) is that many episodes felt like wheel spinning in service of the arc.
This is very true. I had similar issues with both seasons. It was almost as if the writers were thinking, oh, now we have to add something about this or that to further our arc.
Whedon isn't a very good plotter. I had similar issues with Dollhouse and Firefly.
"The Good Wife" - as an example - has excelled along both tracks. Something relatively interesting is happening in each episode and episodes are also building larger plots. And gets good use out of whichever characters it happens to feature from the ensemble. It's an ideal - a show that demonstrates you don't have to trade off anthology vs. arc but can excel at both.
Very true. It handles both well, often using the anthology to strengthen the arc. That's key. Star Trek the Next Generation did that rather well at times. It's amongst the few anthology series that I liked. Doctor Who is another one.
I require something to happen characterwise in each episode, some furthering of their arc, some change in their makeup, something...The anthology/episodic series that lose me are the ones where I feel like the characters are just treading in place. They don't get to evolve or change, their relationship doesn't really change, and they are put in fake jeopardy to boost ratings at the end of each season, but at the beginning of the next season - they are perfectly fine and it's as if nothing happened.
I admittedly have stopped re-watching programs that I've already seen too, no time. Now I only watch programs haven't seen - I have a stack...S4 of Fringe, S1 of House of Lies, S5 of Dexter, S1 of Homeland...too much tv and too little time. ;-)
Truth is I watched Buffy too many times...I know it too well, can't really rewatch it...anymore.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-03-02 06:17 pm (UTC)This is very true. I had similar issues with both seasons. It was almost as if the writers were thinking, oh, now we have to add something about this or that to further our arc.
Whedon isn't a very good plotter. I had similar issues with Dollhouse and Firefly.
"The Good Wife" - as an example - has excelled along both tracks. Something relatively interesting is happening in each episode and episodes are also building larger plots. And gets good use out of whichever characters it happens to feature from the ensemble. It's an ideal - a show that demonstrates you don't have to trade off anthology vs. arc but can excel at both.
Very true. It handles both well, often using the anthology to strengthen the arc. That's key. Star Trek the Next Generation did that rather well at times. It's amongst the few anthology series that I liked. Doctor Who is another one.
I require something to happen characterwise in each episode, some furthering of their arc, some change in their makeup, something...The anthology/episodic series that lose me are the ones where I feel like the characters are just treading in place. They don't get to evolve or change, their relationship doesn't really change, and they are put in fake jeopardy to boost ratings at the end of each season, but at the beginning of the next season - they are perfectly fine and it's as if nothing happened.
I admittedly have stopped re-watching programs that I've already seen too, no time. Now I only watch programs haven't seen - I have a stack...S4 of Fringe, S1 of House of Lies, S5 of Dexter, S1 of Homeland...too much tv and too little time. ;-)
Truth is I watched Buffy too many times...I know it too well, can't really rewatch it...anymore.