S04.E08-E09: A Very Arondekar Christmas Parts 1&2

[Skooma]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I often wonder why Sam doesn't just tell people there are ghosts. At least family members. It's easy enough to prove, they did so with Bela. I guess one possibility is that they worry if news spreads they could be overrun by curiosity seekers and news media, and possibly scientists who want to study Sam. It could get very complicated and overwhelming.

Exactly.  I thought the show went too far with telling Bela which then lead to Bela's boyfriend already.  And he is a loose canon if there ever was one.  A big time juicy secret is very hard for people to keep their lips zipped about. 

The whole show is based on two golden principles:  Jay (originally Mike in the UK) can't see the ghosts which is a main pillar of the whole comedic basis for the show and (2) the absolute need for Sam (UK's Allison) not to let other people know she sees them.  We don't want Sam assumed to be mentally off by the public after all.

[kathyk2]

3 hours ago, Skooma said:

Exactly.  I thought the show went too far with telling Bela which then lead to Bela's boyfriend already.  And he is a loose canon if there ever was one.  A big time juicy secret is very hard for people to keep their lips zipped about. 

The whole show is based on two golden principles:  Jay (originally Mike in the UK) can't see the ghosts which is a main pillar of the whole comedic basis for the show and (2) the absolute need for Sam (UK's Allison) not to let other people know she sees them.  We don't want Sam assumed to be mentally off by the public after all.

Sam had to tell Bela because she thought Jay was playing a trick on her. I'm glad she did because it brought Sam and Bela closer together. 

[Skooma]

43 minutes ago, kathyk2 said:

Sam had to tell Bela because she thought Jay was playing a trick on her. I'm glad she did because it brought Sam and Bela closer together. 

I know why she told here.  I just don't think the writers should have set it up so she had no choice to tell.

Edited 12 hours ago by Skooma

[possibilities]

It seems to me that the show has decided to stick with the formula of telling the jokes around Jay being in the dark, and everyone keeping the secret from most others. This revolving door of stories using the same set up seems to be bringing in good ratings, so that means a lot of people like it. And it's easy to play the same beats over and over again, from a writing perspective, much easier than having to come up with new ideas that don't use this structure and write 22 of those per season.

On the other hand, there ARE lots of stories to tell. This very thread has floated many ideas-- telling other people about the ghosts and proving it to them as was done with Bela, having Jay become able to see and hear them on a more permanent basis, telling storied of ghosts who are no longer there, telling stories of how the ghosts lived and died before becoming ghosts, telling stories about the ghosts before Sam and Jay arrived, having the ghosts and Sam and Jay do other things besides what we've seen them do so far. I think that these are all valid options, and would add dimension to the show, but then other people think the entire basis for the show's humor and apparently also its general appeal would be destroyed by some of these directions.

Since people are lazy and risk averse in a lot of cases, sticking to a winning formula is usually how things go, and experimenting with changing it is unlikely. Once in a while we'll get a flashback but the show will continue to mostly be about shenanigans that Jay only experiences 2nd hand, and where 3rd parties are unaware of what is happening at all. I think that's the most boring part of the show, but most people seem to think that is THE main appeal and THE key thing that makes it fun.

I think they have such a great cast and setting and characters and set up here, that it really begs for more development. It seems like we get a few flashbacks per season, but they are doling out the backstories very slowly. We still don't know how Sass died, or what Hetty's power is, for example. I wonder if those episodes are lower rated than the others, and that is why. If we in the forum are so easily imagining stories they don't tell us, I don't think the writers could be worried about running out of material if they give us those kinds of episodes more often. But they don't seem to want to do it.

Edited 2 hours ago by possibilities