Party of One: Unpopular TV Opinions

[Enigma X]

10 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

My unpopular opinion: I don't fault shows for trying to make me weepy. Other shows try to make me laugh, or cringe, etc. Not sure why sentiment is so shunned.

I am more pissed off at shows that try to shock me all the time.

[Chaos Theory]

36 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

My unpopular opinion: I don't fault shows for trying to make me weepy. Other shows try to make me laugh, or cringe, etc. Not sure why sentiment is so shunned.

 

25 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I am more pissed off at shows that try to shock me all the time.

It is the same problem with a show killing a character every episode or insisting on having "shocking" moments all the time.  Eventually it gets old.   Its not that This Is Us has had big sentimental moments its that it has had them every episode.  There big sentimental moments come off the same way as "shocking moments" would have.   The first few might have been necessary for the plot but after awhile they just become manipulative.  

[Enigma X]

25 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

 

after awhile they just become manipulative.  

Eh, I view all scripted TV as manipulative. I mean characters are written with an aim to keep you watching whether it is to love, hate, or whatever them.

[ribboninthesky1]

1 hour ago, memememe76 said:

My unpopular opinion: I don't fault shows for trying to make me weepy. Other shows try to make me laugh, or cringe, etc. Not sure why sentiment is so shunned.

Given the success of This Is Us, how is that sentiment shunned? Because a few people on a thread don't like the show? 

[memememe76]

It's not just This is Us. Pretty much every show, movie, song that tries to get the audience to cry is accused of being manipulative.

[Anela]

On 11/23/2016 at 4:31 PM, Dee said:

Unpopular Opinion: I still enjoy The Simpsons.

Is that unpopular? The only people I know who don't like The Simpsons, are my immediate family. It seems like everyone else *loves* it. 

6 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I am more pissed off at shows that try to shock me all the time.

Me, too. I don't need someone to die in the most shocking way possible, to get me to watch every week. 

[truthaboutluv]

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Is that unpopular? The only people I know who don't like The Simpsons, are my immediate family. It seems like everyone else *loves* it. 

I think the popular opinion is that while people love the show, they think it's well past its prime, it's had a very long run and should probably end.

[Haleth]

If a show is written well enough for me to cry or be heartsick about something that happened then good on them.  Manipulative?  Maybe.  But if I can't care about the people in a show it's not worth watching.  I get bored if I haven't made an emotional connection to the cast.  I connect with This Is Us.  The big sentimental moments are part of the story.  There is a narrative building toward what probably will be a huge revelation.  We know it's coming.  And I'll cry buckets.  On the other hand I'll slog through a show like Chicago Med (which my husband loves), bored out of my mind because I don't care about the characters.  I end up playing with my ipad and looking at the clock instead of paying attention.  I'll take emotional manipulation any day.

[Wiendish Fitch]

1 hour ago, truthaboutluv said:

I think the popular opinion is that while people love the show, they think it's well past its prime, it's had a very long run and should probably end.

I'll drink to that.

[topanga]

15 hours ago, Enigma X said:

I am more pissed off at shows that try to shock me all the time.

Yes. I stopped watching Scandal mostly because it got too ridiculous but also partly because I got tired of ABC telling me, "YOU MUST WATCH THE LAST TWO MINUTES OF THIS EPISODE." Dude, if your hour-long drama is only important because of the last two minutes, you're doing something wrong. 

 

Quote

It's not just This is Us. Pretty much every show, movie, song that tries to get the audience to cry is accused of being manipulative.

UO: This Is Us is not the new Parenthood. I know there are similarities in terms of tone and the focus on family dynamics, but  I found Parenthood very heavy-handed and manipulative. Sure, This Is Us has its sappy, "message" moments, but they are better-written and acted than the "we Bravermans" crap that was Parenthood. (I'm talking about Parenthood the show, not the movie). 

Edited November 25, 2016 by topanga

[Ohwell]

UO:  The reason I stopped watching This Is Us is that I didn't like any of the characters.  I also think that Sterling K. Brown is overrated. 

[Anela]

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

I think the popular opinion is that while people love the show, they think it's well past its prime, it's had a very long run and should probably end.

Oh, I had no idea that it was still running! I thought there was an anniversary special in recent years, but that was all. Wow, I really must live under a rock.

[ribboninthesky1]

12 hours ago, memememe76 said:

It's not just This is Us. Pretty much every show, movie, song that tries to get the audience to cry is accused of being manipulative.

Guess it's a matter of perception.  It feels like the shows that go for shock value/twists are accused of audience manipulation, probably because those shows tend to be the more critically acclaimed/popular at the present. 

I agree with @Enigma X that TV in general is manipulative.  For me, if it's becomes very obvious that's going on, I get annoyed.  Allow me to be blissfully ignorant in being manipulated, please and thank you.  

[topanga]

35 minutes ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

Allow me to be blissfully ignorant in being manipulated, please and thank you.  

This has nothing to do with your post, ribboninthesky1, but I'm blissfully ignorant when it comes to mystery and suspense shows. I like to sit back and watch the drama unfold. Even if I have a hypothesis in my mind, I don’t actively explore it. So when people post that they knew who the killer was or how the crime went down, I can honestly say that didn’t. I don’t want to know until the writers tell me what happened. 

[Chaos Theory]

Of course all tv is manipulative.  All forms of entertainment whether books, tv, movies, or music are manipulative to a certain degree.  We all have our lines in the sand on what is reasonable and what is not.  I tend to draw mine where the story gets overwhelmed by whatever the writers form of manipulating is.   Sometimes its the OMG moments other times its unnessesary violence and others it is heartstring emotions none of which are strictly necessary for the plot but used mostly because the writing cannot stand on its own.  

[GreekGeek]

I enjoy most holiday-themed episodes of shows I watch regularly. The Middle has the best holiday episodes; every year I tune in, especially at Thanksgiving, to see what will go wrong this year. 

I also love A Christmas Carol in just about any form: traditional, modernized, with a female Scrooge, etc. The only time I don't like it on regular series is when someone who isn't particularly Scrooge-like has to act like Scrooge: Mr. Carlson on WKRP in Cincinnati, Oscar on the first Odd Couple TV series, Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties. The latter missed a particularly good opportunity to show how the original Scrooge didn't like Christmas because he couldn't profit from it, but an enterprising lad like Alex would find a way to make money from the festivities.

I find the variants on It's a Wonderful Life fun too, especially when it gets spoofed, as in the above-mentioned Married With Children.

The holiday-themed stuff I don't enjoy on TV are the hastily-thrown-together recipes, the "don't gain weight" tips, the rants about holiday foods someone doesn't like (though the latter may be more common in print or online publications).

Quote

 

[callie lee 29]

I like holiday episodes too. They're just fun. 

On another subject, I'm always constantly behind on The Middle, but I did catch part of the Thanksgiving episode (where Frankie acted like a psycho) and the Halloween episode, the latter reminding me of an UO - I like Frankie. And I think her kids are in general, little assholes.  

Second, when did the idea of "quirky/eccentric" old people being the go=to for the funny in sitcoms become a thing? TV Land runs Everybody Loves Raymond and King of Queens back to back in the late evening. Between Marie Barone and Arthur Spooner I've had my fill. One can be quirky and eccentric and not be a mean-spirited, bitter and/or selfish person. 

[Babyfoot]

Of all the Real Housewives of Where the hell ever, I still like Jill Zarin the best.  

Crickets.

I don't think Kelly Bensimon is necessarily crazy. I do think she's vapid and painfully inarticulate. I thought/think Scary Island wasn't so much evidence of her insanity but her of stupidity. She was trying to speak metaphorically (lacks the brain power to do so) and her cast mates took her literally.

Just me? Hello? Hello?

Crickets.

[MaryPatShelby]

On 11/27/2016 at 5:44 PM, callie lee 29 said:

I like holiday episodes too. They're just fun. 

On another subject, I'm always constantly behind on The Middle, but I did catch part of the Thanksgiving episode (where Frankie acted like a psycho) and the Halloween episode, the latter reminding me of an UO - I like Frankie. And I think her kids are in general, little assholes.  

How is Sue Heck an asshole? The other two I can see at times, but Sue?

I am also not a fan of the elder Barones, and can't stand any KofQ ep in which Arthur has his own plot line. He's best left in the basement.

[Archery]

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 1:36 PM, topanga said:

This has nothing to do with your post, ribboninthesky1, but I'm blissfully ignorant when it comes to mystery and suspense shows. I like to sit back and watch the drama unfold. Even if I have a hypothesis in my mind, I don’t actively explore it. So when people post that they knew who the killer was or how the crime went down, I can honestly say that didn’t. I don’t want to know until the writers tell me what happened. 

My mantra:  Let the people tell their story. 

Here's an unpopular opinion/action.  I don't like sex scenes in my TV shows, and if I can FF through them, I do.  It's not so much that I am a prude; I just don't think it's vital to watch two people pretend to have sex.  It hardly ever moves the actual plot forward, and I find myself taken out of the story thinking about how many random people have to be on set to make that happen.  It feels voyeuristic, anyway.  I'm fine with fading to black. 

[Dee]

Unpopular Opinion: I can't stand when viewers watch a genre of show hoping it was another genre of show.

For instance why watch a Fantasy show only to complain it doesn't follow the rules of reality? I mean, there is nothing wrong with wanting a cohesive show, in any genre. But if a show is aware of its genre from the onset, and plays by the rules of its genre from the onset, then what's the point of watching it if all you end up doing is wishing it was something else?

Edited November 30, 2016 by Dee

[Enigma X]

8 minutes ago, Dee said:

Unpopular Opinion: I can't stand when viewers watch a genre of show hoping it was another genre of show.

For instance why watch a Fantasy show only to complain it doesn't follow the rules of reality? I mean, there is nothing wrong with wanting a cohesive show, in any genre. But if a show is aware of its genre from the onset, and plays by the rules of its genre from the onset, then what's the point of watching it if all you end up doing is wishing it was something else?

YES!

[ennui]

3 hours ago, Archery said:

Here's an unpopular opinion/action.  I don't like sex scenes in my TV shows, and if I can FF through them, I do.  It's not so much that I am a prude; I just don't think it's vital to watch two people pretend to have sex.  It hardly ever moves the actual plot forward, and I find myself taken out of the story thinking about how many random people have to be on set to make that happen.  It feels voyeuristic, anyway.  I'm fine with fading to black. 

Is that unpopular? I think directors have forgotten how to indicate passion without sweat and nudity. When Burt Lancaster kissed Deborah Kerr and the waves crashed, was there any doubt? 

[zxy556575]

6 hours ago, Archery said:

Here's an unpopular opinion/action. I don't like sex scenes in my TV shows, and if I can FF through them, I do.

I FF as well. The fake panting and moaning gets to me and I feel embarrassed for the actors.

If it's a comedy with deliberately awkward sex, I'll watch that. ;)

[Shannon L.]

8 hours ago, lordonia said:

I FF as well. The fake panting and moaning gets to me and I feel embarrassed for the actors.

My husband worked in the movie industry and filming them is very awkward.  He did a movie with Luke Perry once and when they had to set up for the sex scene, Luke said "I'd rather be having a root canal".  It's no fun for anyone.  I don't mind seeing the beginnings of one, but, like Archery said, I prefer the fade to black. 

[vibeology]

There are times where the sex is actually key to the narrative (I can think of a few scene in Masters of Sex, for example, where what happens in the sex scene is a key part of the story) but those are few and far between. Most of the time its just there because its titillating and in those cases I'd rather not have it.

[Archery]

5 hours ago, vibeology said:

There are times where the sex is actually key to the narrative (I can think of a few scene in Masters of Sex, for example, where what happens in the sex scene is a key part of the story) but those are few and far between. Most of the time its just there because its titillating and in those cases I'd rather not have it.

I agree. One of my favorite recent shows is Outlander, on Starz.  It got a lot of press and attention because the sex scenes are from the heroine's point of view, "the female gaze."  And I get that, I really do.  But I ended up having to choose between watching those scenes (and there were many in S1) OR being a fan of the actors.  Because to do both made me feel like I was a peeping Tom whenever I saw the actors in interviews or in other roles.  On the other hand, there is a very graphic series of scenes depicting the rape of a male character (and I know that is not the same thing as sex). It is a transformative moment in that character's development, and watching those scenes, as traumatic and disturbing and heartbreaking and well-done as they are, is vital to understanding every single thing that character does (or doesn't do) from then on out.  But as you say, those types of key scenes are few and far between. 

[Chaos Theory]

I get that people dislike sex on tv and now that I have gotten older I tend to appreciate it less then I use to but on the flip side I would rather it stay then go.  I think removing sex from TV for whatever reason sets a dangerous precedent.   Then again sometimes it is fun to watch when done correctly or even horribly.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[vibeology]

I'm not saying censor it. Shows should keep doing what they want. I just think unless it serves a narrative purpose its a waste of screentime. A show only gets so many minutes a week to tell a story. Using two for a pointless sex scene isn't my choice, especially because every actor and crew member ever interviewed thinks they're awkward and awful to shoot. Give these people something of value to do instead. I don't think gratuitous sex scenes have ever gotten me to stop watching a show but it certainly can kill the momentum of the narrative.

[Chaos Theory]

I didn't think anyone actually meant censorship but when people talk about how unnecessary sex and violence is on tv it makes me think of the Hays code.    Yes I agree a lot of what is on tv is gratuitous but the other side is just as bad if not worse.  I've read the Hays code and some of the rules are down right creepy and others require magical thinking in order to make things come up "right" in the end,  I've seen a bunch of movies written during the Hays code era and they are incredibly good movies but often end illogically in order to make sure the bad guys get what is coming to them.    Considering where we are politically it shows that it wouldn't take much to get something like the Hays code back in "Hollyweird" given the right circumstances which is why I tend to overthink it when people mention that they don't particularly like sex (or violence) on tv.

Edited December 1, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Neurochick]

18 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I didn't think anyone actually meant censorship but when people talk about how unnecessary sex and violence is on tv it makes me think of the Hays code.    Yes I agree a lot of what is on tv is gratuitous but the other side is just as bad if not worse.  I've read the Hays code and some of the rules are down right creepy and others require magical thinking in order to make things come up "right" in the end,  I've seen a bunch of movies written during the Hays code era and they are incredibly good movies but often end illogically in order to make sure the bad guys get what is coming to them.    Considering where we are politically it shows that it wouldn't take much to get something like the Hays code back in "Hollyweird" given the right circumstances which is why I tend to overthink it when people mention that they don't particularly like sex (or violence) on tv.

I agree with this.  Let's not go back to the 50's please, even though many would like to go back there.

[izabella]

19 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

I didn't think anyone actually meant censorship but when people talk about how unnecessary sex and violence is on tv it makes me think of the Hays code.    Yes I agree a lot of what is on tv is gratuitous but the other side is just as bad if not worse.  I've read the Hays code and some of the rules are down right creepy and others require magical thinking in order to make things come up "right" in the end,  I've seen a bunch of movies written during the Hays code era and they are incredibly good movies but often end illogically in order to make sure the bad guys get what is coming to them.    Considering where we are politically it shows that it wouldn't take much to get something like the Hays code back in "Hollyweird" given the right circumstances which is why I tend to overthink it when people mention that they don't particularly like sex (or violence) on tv.

It doesn't necessarily mean censorship!

Some of us mean that we exercise our right to fast forward through it, or turn it off and never watch it again.  There was a pilot for some show I have since forgotten about 6 months ago, on Fox I think, that I was interested in seeing, but the first three minutes straight showed a violent rape and murder and I deleted it because it was just too much.  I didn't want to see another show focused on violent crimes against women.  Poof, gone.  If people who feel that way about sex and violence just stop watching, that stuff will decrease.

But, it has only increased recently as writers and networks try to titillate with ever increasing drama and mayhem and sex, so people seem to like it.  It won't go away as long as people watch it.

[cpcathy]

I guess it's my unpopular opinion that I don't mind sex on TV. It's violence I think needs to be curbed.

[ganesh]

I don't either. Or swearing. It's patently absurd that you can literally show people's head's beaten into a pulp, but a naked person has to be cast in shadows.

[cpcathy]

And I don't mind swearing either. I'm actually perfectly fine with FX and Comedy Central saying the word "shit."  My ears are not that delicate.

[HunterHunted]

On Thursday, December 01, 2016 at 8:27 AM, vibeology said:

There are times where the sex is actually key to the narrative (I can think of a few scene in Masters of Sex, for example, where what happens in the sex scene is a key part of the story) but those are few and far between. Most of the time its just there because its titillating and in those cases I'd rather not have it.

I'm like you. If sex, violence, and expletives serve a storytelling purpose, I have no problems. Spartacus is one of the shows where it took me a while to figure out that almost all (and there was a lot) of the sex and violence had specific storytelling purposes. It's hard to get a handle on that because all of the sex and violence is filmed in the most lurid fashion, but most of the sex and violence is used to highlight how little the Romans think of the commoners and slaves. The scene I always remember is when Spartacus' owner wants to have sex with his wife so he orders a slave woman to prepare the owner and his wife (masturbate the owner and wife so that neither had to bother with foreplay). The show starts off with some titillation, but seeing scenes like the one above kills the sexiness from those scenes. It just ends up gross.

If sex and violence is only there to be titillating and pointlessly provocative, I have no interest in it. It's one of the reasons I really grew to hate Sons of Anarchy by the end because there really wasn't any narrative purpose behind the sex and violence and Sutter just kept piling the scenes on the longer the show aired.

[MissAlmond]

OK, so here it goes.  I have no intention of shelling out another dime to subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, CBS All-Access, etc etc etc.  Any prime cable channel, or anything else beyond my Basic Cable Extended package in order to watch anybody's TV show/series unless they involve somebody near and dear to my heart or they pay me.  So far, none of this has happened.  And no, I don't care how many awards they've won or how many overexcited critics praise these shows.  Nor am I cutting the cord  in order to just "stream" or, whatever, in order to see them either.  Usually my public library eventually purchases the DVD's, but if not, c'est la vie!

[allyw]

While I do believe some sex scenes are a little too gratuitous at times (looking at you HBO) overall I have no problem with them. Sex is a natural part of most people's life so if I can watch characters do other mundane shit or beat each other to a bloody pulp, I can watch them have sex as well.

Edited December 5, 2016 by allyw

[aradia22]

Quote

Unpopular Opinion: I still enjoy The Simpsons.

I'm not arguing with you but this just prompted me to say that UO is that I've never liked The Simpsons and have no desire to get into the show. I'm 25. When I was younger, it was something that came on TV when I was not interested. I've watched a handful of South Park episodes but one of the only animated shows for an older audience (that is, not Saturday morning cartoons) that I've been drawn into was Daria. And especially now I've lost my taste for procedurals and shows with a distinct pattern or where the characters don't really change and progress. I feel like newer sitcoms... Blackish, Fresh Off the Boat, Superstore (not that I keep up with them all the time) are a little better about allowing the characters to change. There's an essentialism to the King of Queens, Everybody Loves Raymond, Married With Children show that The Simpsons mimics that I'm not really in the place to appreciate now not having any affection for the property. (That is, I don't think I can really catch up on it now because I don't have any interest in it now or nostalgia for how it used to be.)

As for the question of manipulative sad shows, I think yes, all stories are manipulative in that they want you (usually) to feel a certain way. But I think you have to be careful with shorthand and certain tricks. That's where things start to feel manipulative. If you were to take out the maybe 5 minutes of that big tear-inducing moment and show it to someone who hadn't seen the episode and without any context and it could elicit an emotional response, I would find it slightly suspect. A big thing for me is manipulative strings. Heck, I might tear up to those violins without any images to associate with it. Manipulative use of baby animals or children is another good one. It's not that you can never use these things but you have to earn your moments, not just play on natural inclinations or sympathies. 

[proserpina65]

I'm not particularly fond of watching gratuitous sex and violence - this despite being a big fan of Game of Thrones (yeah, go figure).  That doesn't mean I think it shouldn't be on tv for others to watch if they want to; it just means I'm likely to change the channel most of the time.

[NutMeg]

Weirdly enough, I'm fine with violence when it serves the plot (cf. Boardwalk Empire), which is much more often the case on TV than in movies. I'm also fine with nudity and fun/consensual sex. And I'm still puzzled about why kids as young as 13 can see movies where someone's head is sawn off but not where a nipple s visible. It's like upside-down logic to me. 

[Raja]

On 11/30/2016 at 6:58 PM, ennui said:

Is that unpopular? I think directors have forgotten how to indicate passion without sweat and nudity. When Burt Lancaster kissed Deborah Kerr and the waves crashed, was there any doubt? 

I think at the time under the production code on From Here To Eternity there wasn't but because of what is now available there would be doubt. However there was supposed to be actual doubt about Lorene/Donna Reed being a prostitute and not just a dance hall tease. That all changed by the time a miniseries was made in the late 70s and William Devane and Natalie Wood had to be shown on TV doing the deed and Kim Bassinger was named as a sex worker and not a dancer/hostess

[ByTor]

On 11/23/2016 at 2:25 PM, Blandings said:

I'm still the only person I know who hated Six Feet Under. I never liked Sex and the City either. The only show on that network I really liked was Oz. 

I hated Six Feet Under.  I think the acting was really good, but I thought the plots were stupid & I hated pretty much every single character...especially the horrible, shrill, asshole from hell Ruth.  I'm sure this is a very UO, but the only character I could stomach was Lisa.

Regarding holiday programming, I do not like It's a Wonderful Life, and I really really really despise A Christmas Story.  When I walk my dog, I roll my eyes at the windows that have leg lamps in them.

[vibeology]

56 minutes ago, ByTor said:

Regarding holiday programming, I do not like It's a Wonderful Life, and I really really really despise A Christmas Story.  When I walk my dog, I roll my eyes at the windows that have leg lamps in them.

My Christmas soulmate! Both movies are on my least favourite ever list. And I'm not talking least favourite holiday movies; I mean least favourite movies ever. Right down there with Mr. Wrong and Catwoman. I'm backwards from you though because I strongly dislike A Christmas Story and outright despise It's a Wonderful Life. Now that they've taken over TV, I spend way too much time rolling my eyes and grumbling about how awful they are.

[ganesh]

I don't like A Christmas Carol at all.

[bilgistic]

I, too, really don't get all the hype about A Christmas Story. Also, I can't stand that kid's face. Completely punchable.

[aradia22]

Quote

Weirdly enough, I'm fine with violence when it serves the plot (cf. Boardwalk Empire), which is much more often the case on TV than in movies. I'm also fine with nudity and fun/consensual sex. And I'm still puzzled about why kids as young as 13 can see movies where someone's head is sawn off but not where a nipple s visible. It's like upside-down logic to me. 

Maybe things are getting better. Maybe they aren't. I don't have a large enough sample size to make the call. But I feel like sexual violence, assault, and all manner of nonconsensual acts are still more common than people who just enjoy sex. And if you take out people from the latter group who aren't somehow deviants or evil (as seen by the writers of the work of fiction they're in) or somehow immoral (e.g. having an affair) that number drops even more. I get that bad things happen in the world. But maybe we don't need to make sure they're in our fictional world so much, especially when you gain little from including them. The PG version of this is every fictional property with a female character that needs to have sexism and misogyny also be part of that world.

I think real passion is a combination of strong writing and great acting. It's obviously more PG, but I think a lot of sitcoms get those romantic moments right a lot more than a show like How to Get Away With Murder or UnReal that shows a lot of sex and kissing without a lot of actual heat. Because they can get away with more, I feel like they're not trying as hard.

[ganesh]

I'm enjoying Westworld, but I don't think it's as nearly as clever as it thinks it is, nor do I find the discussion over when the logo changes to be particularly engaging. I'd rather just watch the show. 

[kiddo82]

4 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I think real passion is a combination of strong writing and great acting. It's obviously more PG, but I think a lot of sitcoms get those romantic moments right a lot more than a show like How to Get Away With Murder or UnReal that shows a lot of sex and kissing without a lot of actual heat. Because they can get away with more, I feel like they're not trying as hard.

I feel this way about violence as well.  I'm no prude but I also think that just because you can show something, doesn't mean you should show something.  The tactic of graphic sex and/or violence (particularly in favor of actually telling a story) loses it's punch after a spell and you hurt yourself in the long run.  And if that's the only well you keep going back to, maybe your show just wasn't very good in the first place.  Sometimes violence doesn't equal "dark."  Sometimes it's just lazy.  I say this all the time but if everything is dark/violent/sexy/etc., then nothing is.

 

As far as shows being manipulative, while I agree that the purpose of all art is to elicit an emotional response, sometimes that response seems more earned than others.  Sometimes you can just imagine the writers in the room coming up with that plot twist for the mere purpose of trying to make the audience feel something as opposed to letting the story speak for itself, especially if it seems to happen on a weekly basis.  I'm not saying I don't enjoy a good sob-fest, but like I said about sex/violence above, if that's your only way to tell your story, then you need to be more well rounded at what you do.  If for no other reason, it will serve you better in the long run.  I also think part of the problem is that everything is judged on a week to week basis (Best ever! Vs. Worst ever!) and it's very risky to go for the slow burn.  The final moments each week are what sticks with everyone and if they don't provide some bite what would we talk/tweet/post about?  (I'm partly being facetious and partly being serious.)  Traction on social media is insanely important and seemingly mundane moments that may bridge to something bigger aren't going to trend.  People are stupid busy these days and there is so much competiton for viewership that the second a show fails to grab a person he might leave.  For better or worse, "audience manipulation", or whatever you want to call it, is in part a byproduct of our current climate.

 

And here's the problem: it's all a crapshoot.  It's a gamble on the part of the producers/network that the viewers will stick around and trust the process of a "slow burn" payoff and it's a gamble by the viewers that the payoff will be worth their time.  I can romanticize it all I want but the fact is that while I remember the great payoffs (or at least the ones I think are great) there were way more that I found utterly disappointing or forgettable.  The instant gratification method does serve a purpose for both parties.  (Not that the two have to be mutually exclusive, mind you, but that seems to be the exception and not the rule). Personally, however, I think the risk of the time investment is worth it because the totality of something great tends to stick with me much longer than the shocking last five minutes of a given episode.  

Edited December 7, 2016 by kiddo82

[Chaos Theory]

A few Scream Queens UO 

i still like the show a lot.  That is a big one.  I still find it funny.  

I never liked Denise.  I find her the most overrated character on the show.  She had like one really funny scene the rest were ok but nowhere near as funny as they were meant to be while I find Chanel Oberman hilarious.