Featherhat

The Flash's handling of Arrow's characters post ending has been incredibly weird. Did we really need to have William still kidnapped after 2 years with no resolution? Did we really need to see Mia almost at pre Crisis levels of angst over her parents? Especially when we'll never see any of it resolved. We definitely didn't need a Diggle tour of the Arrowverse that ends with him realising that it's all been a mistake and going home. I wondered if this was all set up for a theoretical Justice U where Diggle has to rethink his life, but it's very unlikely that show is even happening at this point. Ray makes a little more sense but not much.

I feel like it's common on TV for a woman to be less than enthusiastic about a wedding and/or wedding planning whilst the groom is portrayed as wanting a "perfect wedding" or being a groomzilla. Grey's has pulled this trope several times and I get the idea of reversing gender stereotypes but it so often goes the other way and makes them seem like they have the emotional and communications skills of a toddler. I guess the fact that so many characters in work place dramas and comedies get married at work despite that being the last place most people want to IRL is because we the audience have emotional attachments to those set/actors and not attachment to random guest stars as college friends or whatever. It can't always be about budget.

Yay, The Orville is back. I didn't adore this episode but I'm glad it's finally premiering. With spiffy new credits. Very interesting exploration with Isaac. I don't actually blame most the crew for not forgiving him. Isaac was an active part of the attempted genocide for years, even if he did switch sides. It did feel heavy handed though. Kelly saying they have to nip this in the bud was funny considering the crew has been openly, actively shunning him for months without either her or Ed noticing. I'm not sure we're supposed to like the abrasive interloper who says things like "embrace the masochism and stay angry" at least I hope not or Seth doesn't know fandom or TV watchers in general at all but I generally like Anne Winters well enough, so we'll see what happens.

More Joy? I haven't seen a medical drama so determined to drag down every single one if it's characters into misery porn over multiple episodes since S3 of Grey's Anatomy, which is my "gold standard" for that. I hate that they basically gaslit us over Iggy and Martin. Right, he's holding you back because he hasn't been supportive. Because of one word when he's been shown to be above and beyond what most spouses would put up with and you're the one who had the emotional affair. What's the betting that we're going to get him whining about it all next season. WTF have the done with Sharpwin? It's like they didn't even try to make them "joyful" this season or have them work through difficult issues *together* and they've completely destroyed Helen in the process, she's up she's down, she's in, she's out and it's exhausting. Max is also exhausting but he's more all in on the relationship. I'm sure she's had a day and something terrible happened but I'm also not sure I really care. I know Freema had some availability issues but it's been nonsensical. Floyd, the less said the better. Any time literally any show announces a "love letter to the fans" I know it's going to be a horrible shit show. It basically seems to be a code word for pulling the most horrendous BS. They pretty much do exactly the opposite of what most fans want to see. More than one show has succeeded in uniting a very divided fanbase over how terrible this "love letter" was.

The trailer was good. It's clear they've spent some money by CW standards to make it look good. It will be interesting to see how an outright Western (modern version) fairs on the network. One of the things giving me pause is the revenge plot. Unless they're told really well I tend to end up getting bored before too long because it becomes lather, rinse and repeat.

It's been going on for so long, I've forgotten how long it's been going on for. The reason I think it is pregnancy related is Wallace's "don't worry, there's a happy ending!" It will turn out to be pregnancy symptoms thrown backwards in time because she's having speedsters. Then they can wrap it up and go "see, told you it was leading to something huge and awesome!" And hope the fanbase forgives them dragging it out so long. The same goes for a "Iris from the future" reveal. Obviously the fact that he doesn't know how to stick the landing and doesn't bother creating an interesting journey despite the fact that most people realise they aren't going to kill off Iris even if CP leaves a lot of Iris's storyline the last couple of seasons completely pointless despite any huge reveal. If indeed there is one.

I feel like a lot of shows have trouble with this. They constantly create conflict for their couples which means that they're separated or else have book end scenes each ep but nothing else. Actually writing a couple dealing with problems together is apparently a no no for most. It even happens to non romantic pairs in later seasons, the writers seem to always split them up because they want to play with other shiny new dynamics whilst the audience mostly wants to see them work together. The time sickness plot is so weird in that they aren't ramping up any sort of urgency or mystery and even if it ends with the revelation that Iris is from the future and/or pregnant and this is some crazy issue with one or both of those things, is it really going to be worth a season of blah over it? I truly don't see why letting RF die is a bad thing. He's had 1000 chances to reform and he's refused them all - something not even Damien Darkh did. Every chance he gets he tries to commit genocide or otherwise change history/recreate reality in his own image. They all should be committed to killing him if they get the chance. Because he is willing to destroy reality for his own gain. That said, meh on Caitlin's "dark arc". They've fumbled it with KF and any kind of complex look at what that means for either character for the last 5 years so this isn't going to be any better even if DP needs maternity leave so Caitlin temporarily leaves. If their treatment of Frost is anything to go by it will end up with everyone else telling her she did nothing wrong.

It's very possible that the reason he's only committing to one season right now is that he's already got the other DC project lined up among other things, although a lot of things with DC are up in the air right now due to the merger. This is definitely a show where all parties seem to benefit from his presence on it. I was sort of commenting generally that signing a one year deal with a network often lead to bigger and better things because you get to prove yourself. He may not want to commit to another 5-7 year contract again (although even that model is changing) but a series regular contract with a big network is a huge chance for him and will also increase his potential value to streaming networks (which are also necessarily not the slam dunk they were until recently.)

A one season arc on a network show can dramatically increase an actor's chances of getting a high profile pilot next season. On ABC the number of actors who did an arc or a season or two on Grey's or Desperate Housewives for example before getting their own show is staggering, even if most of the shows themselves didn't last. It keeps them in casting directors minds and gives them a chance to prove themselves, not just in terms of acting but also in being on brand and not terrible to work with BTS. The CW is/was like that as well, you could tell who was going to be cast in a pilot by looking at who had done arcs on XYZ this year.

The CW is in the middle of being sold, so yeah that's massively affecting how they're handling renewals. In previous years many of these shows would have been renewed and given final seasons (even if just a few episodes). And the one season shows they cancel tend to be non superhero dramedies like whatever show Lucy Hale was doing that year. Given that and the fact that being an Arrowverse/DC show or from a "name" creator was no longer protecting a show I can't say I'm surprised this is cancelled but it is a shame even though it was a bit all over the place creatively speaking.

This is the first time the CW has gone on such a cancellation spree, isn't it? It's not surprising given the sale but it takes some getting used to. But I guess this is what happens when you renew everything that's getting 0.01 for 4-5 straight years.

I'm glad it's picked up, if only because I like Kat McNamara and Matt Barr. Despite Walker's solid-ish fanbase I do wonder at the potential audience for this show. Then again the CW's last historical show, Reign managed to hang around for 4 seasons and when that pilot was first announced I was convinced it would never see the light of day. I am interested to see the CW's take on a Western, just as their take on 16th C France was.....bonkers.

So after so many years and several attempts SPN finally gets a spin off. Good for them. I'll give it a try even though I'm not exactly a fan of older John and Mary, it's more interesting than another group of Hunters and definitely more interesting than whatever Bloodlines was supposed to be. It's interesting that Walker: Independence is also a prequel, albeit one with much less connection to the original. I'll check out that as well as Gotham Knights. The CW really cleaned house in the last couple of weeks/conducted a bloodbath, I wasn't even sure any of the pilots were getting picked up even though the rumours were that all of them probably would be.

New owners not messing around! For me it had become a hot mess at least 2 years ago and I hadn't watched in ages but I actually assumed they'd give it some sort of proper send off. Oh well guess I don't have to hear about Ava becoming sole Captain whilst Sara's pregnant. I assume if there was much chance of HBO Max that would have been worked out before the announcement. Seven years is pretty amazing for this show though.

I don't hate Cecile but I've never been particularly enthused about her either. DN isn't a bad actress but I just don't have a lot of interest in Cecile Levelling Up. I would imagine the death would be Caitlin, she's by far the easiest to kill off because she has a Doppelganger who is basically "her" so they get a dramatic death without loosing anything story wise. Also having it be Deathstorm would add that extra tragedy because Ronnie. Then when they defeat him they can be all "happy together in the afterlife, blah. blah, blah." Obviously Joe would be a big one if they actually wanted to shake things up a little and cause Barry and Iris yet more angst. I don't think it's Iris but I guess there's a possibility with Candice missing from a couple more episodes, before they bring her back. Although Candice posting "that's a wrap on Iris West-Allen" on her Instagram Stories and wiping her face is a little worrying. It does seem final, although she's probably just teasing and she means the season.

I didn't ship them as in I wanted them to get together right now but I thought they had great chemistry and that they would probably going there as most male/female two handers do and was okay with that. There were definite teasing scenes where the writers played with it a bit IMHO. Although that is one where I think a lot of work would have to be put in storywise to make them work as a long term couple. I think the bigger issue is that the show moved away from Crane and Abbie as Witnesses stopping the apocalypse to Crane Family Drama with Katrina and Henry, whether or not Ichabbie was ever going to happen romantically. I can't think anyone expected that pre S2 whether they shipped them or not. It ended up being very uneven, like if Mulder had a wife and kid drama dominating his life instead of his Samantha Quest and Scully just had what she had in canon. They were even (mostly...) in terms of family and ill advised brief hook ups but the focus was always on them as partners on cases. (I appear to be on an X-Files kick after rewatching for the first time in years thanks to D+). Castle/Beckett took turns in having relationships and family drama, as did Booth and Brenan (not saying it was well written either). Even in something like White Collar with two male co-leads Neal had his obsessive quest with Kate and then Sara Ellis and Peter had one of TV's healthiest cop marriages one wasn't simply commenting on the other's relationship whilst having nothing of his own. Which is basically how Abbie ended up, almost all her romance happened off screen.

I agree that a lot of WT/WT couples aren't necessarily suited to a long term relationship, especially not if they've created so much melodrama in their lives because they can't effing sit down and communicate with each other and I have no idea how they'd actually function in a real relationship. However by their very nature they can't "just fuck a few times" and get it out of their systems. You can't drag this out for 5-8 years and then go "oh, well that was enough for us, we're better as friends or fuck buddies or work colleagues after all." If a show wants to go that route then do it no later than S2-3 like Ted/Robin the first time around and work them back to being friends or like some temp ships on GA. One of the reasons often given by the characters for why they don't just go for it *is* because it might mess up the working dynamic they already have and that's the excuse for dragging it out until everyone is bored. It would take way better writing than most of these shows have to do "I don't know Castle, I think we work better as flirty friends with benefits instead of torturing ourselves with this" in S7 no matter how terrible the dragging out over and over again was. Harm and Mac from JAG are two I can't actually picture being in a relationship but their WT/WT reappearing 15 years later in NCIS:LA was still frustrating. I mean these were two who were almost making out at her engagement party to another man, prompting *his* girlfriend to tell her fiance that it was alright because they needed to say goodbye to each other emotionally. When you get to that place (publicly!) whilst the relationship is dysfunctional I don't think it's going to be easy for the writers to walk it back. I do think it might work better with some On again/Off Again couples though because they tend to get together for the first time much earlier in the show than TW/TW. I think showrunners "listen" to fans much less than both fans and non fans think. It's more likely they bow to the network who want a traditional path of back and forth and then a traditional "happy ending". It's a TV formula that's proved it works. And if a show truly *doesn't* want to put together a co lead couple with awesome chemistry then they will run it into the ground with a different pairing rather than do so despite fan and critic derision. Step forward Sleepy Hollow. Almost none of these relationships work in real life, people don't have several long term love triangles without making a choice, they don't openly angst about each other for years without doing anything so that everyone who meets them knows what's up or deny their attracted to someone for years on end or spend years pining for their work partner without considering if it's worth it to transfer and then date. Most people who constantly break up and get back together are known as a toxic couple to their friends and family, not as true love. But real life type relationships don't bring in eyeballs is the thinking.

I liked Janeway's platonic relationship with Chakotay but not the potential romantic one, I'm glad they backed off that after Resolutions. Seven/Chakotay was basically Robert Beltran campaigning for it wasn't it? He was getting less and less to do so they gave him that as a sop? There's probably more to it but that's the only reason I can think of that it appeared out of nowhere and because they couldn't have the show's "sex symbol" not be in a relationship forever. Ironically Seven/Janeway was basically both characters best and most complex relationship, despite tension between the actors. There's one ep that ends with Janeway listing all the ways she's been there for Seven and will continue to be there for her and it's very intimate. I know they were stuck because it was difficult for Janeway to date anyone subordinate to her but I'm not sure "fake Irish holodeck boyfriend who somehow realises he's not a real person but is okay with that" was the way to go. Platonically Janeway/Tuvok was also awesome (Tuvok is my favourite Vulcan, sacrilege). That show actually had a lot of chemistry between it's cast despite so-so romance and so-so plots. ETA: Or that.

I adore Jake/Amy and one reason I love it is that it doesn't actually rely on uptight girl/man child. At first look that's what it seems to be going for but they turn that on it's head early on. Amy's just as goofy as Jake and Jake does a lot of growing up before they get together and he's as much of a dork as Amy in different ways. They fill in each other's cracks (title of your sex tape) without being "what the hell do they actually do/say when they're together at home?" Ben/Leslie was just Dork/Dork which awesome, especially after the complete misfire that was Leslie/Mark. I know S1 Leslie was basically a different character but it was painful to watch her moon after that guy.

With Myka and Pete I always wondered if there was a network note that said "you have to get them together in the finale." Because there really weren't that many teases as far as can remember, at least nothing major. Even the X-Files with no romo Chris Carter running things put in teases in early seasons like Scully on the sofa with Eddie Van Blundht pretending to be Mulder but there wasn't even that. HG was canonically bi wasn't she? I haven't watched W13 in a long while but IIRC the actors both said they were playing them as though they were in love. I think at times it did get a little queerbaity (to use an overused phrase) in that the showrunner went from "they're friends but it's fine if you want to see something more." to "never say never, they're on a journey together...." It ended in 2014, which I don't think was too early but did make it considerably less likely than today. Although I guess I should be thankful they never went the Rizzoli and Isles route of the same timeframe where they openly that they created content for "that demographic" but no homo! To the point where they created this promo: Speed dating promo That is straight up something you would see to advertise Castle which was always blatantly about Castle/Beckett.

I haven't watched the video I can't comment on tone of voice by I never think that story of KC saying "I will kill you if you screw this up!" is as funny as she thinks it is. Especially given that it's *Laurel* that they had a lot of issues with. Good for Kat for getting another lead role, I guess I will check it out now, although I previously had no intention as I don't think Walker really needs a semi spin off/prequel. Although the time period does make it mildly intriguing.

Lewis/Inspector Lewis is the follow up to the long running "Inspector Morse". "Robbie" Lewis was Morse's bright-eyed Sergeant who was happily married in Morse. In "Lewis" it turns out he'd lost his wife in a tragic accident so that he could become the next gruff, melancholy detective of UK TV. His main "relationship" in that series is with *his* Sergeant, Hathaway but he does have the wonderful slow burn with pathologist Laura who is also from Morse originally. It's never the main focus of the series but it is sweet and whilst they only get together later on in the series because it's the UK version it means it's fewer episodes than it would be for the US 22-24 ep season.

It is indeed mostly Valentine's Day clickbait with little depth but I saw it right after reading the discussion going on in the "Characters we hate" thread about Chuck/Blair being a terrible relationship and Chuck Bass being a despicable character. Then looked at how many were involved in the "Moonlighting curse" of not being allowed to get together/stay together until the end of the show or when the writers had run out of every single other idea - by which point everyone was exhausted with it. John/Aeryn are in my top three TV couples but I'm not surprised they weren't included. It's hard enough to find mainstream discussion of Farscape even harder to find one that doesn't include the word "muppets" let alone it's ships.

I thought this was an interesting list: https://ew.com/tv/100-best-tv-romances-of-all-time/ Obviously it's pretty superficial but there are several relationships you'd think would have been "me tooed" by now among other things. Others where the writers haven't chosen a couple but chosen the triangle instead which is rarely anyone's favourite part of the romance. Plenty of couples who only got together at the end or after 6-7 plus seasons because the writers were allegedly terrified of the "curse".

There are a couple of youtube videos out there that analyse that in the first half of S1 Chuck is the bad guy for real. However by the back half and S2 the writers know that he's become the most popular character and they start Draco In Leather Pants-ing him. Thus comes the glossing over that he isn't some charming playboy but an actual abuser and his demons and issues whilst they explain some of his actions never excuse it. That show had plenty of loathsome characters though and whilst I was never a Dan fan "the reveal" makes the show un rewatchable to me.