HOLY FRAK.

[rogueslayer452]

CAPRICA. HOLY FRAK YOU GUYS, CAPRICA.

FRAK YOU SYFY, YOU STUPID MOTHERFRAKKERS. *shakes fist*

Seriously, I will make heavily detailed reviews shortly. All I have to say is had Syfy not been fucking assholes for mistreating the show or at least shown some interest and support of it from the beginning, we could have had at least one more season to really fully explain everything leading up to the inevitable. At least. Because shit got real really fast and it's amazing. Hell, it had been since day one. Those motherfrakkers who don't see that, screw them.

Why is it that the majority of my shows that I love are the ones that are prematurely canceled before their time? Or that nobody sees the value of until it's too late? :(

Comments

[silverusagi]

Why is it that the majority of my shows that I love are the ones that are prematurely canceled before their time?

Serious question, which is worse? Shows cancelled prematurely, or shows that go on too long and methodically destroy characters that you loved?

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Now that is truly something to ponder about, isn't it? While I hate my shows being canceled prematurely knowing the wonderful places they could have gone, it preserves the quality of the characters and the story. For example with Firefly, I truly adored that show and the characters involved, despite it being canned too early. Each episode was filled with richness of the story and you could tell the amount of hard work and utter joy everyone had making it, which sometimes cannot be said for other shows. And the shows that go on forever (Smallville, for example, having gotten so ridiculous even the fans are wanting it to die, and to a lesser extent now Supernatural is heading down that very path of "why didn't it stop here?" only because of rating purposes)

I think there could be a middle ground, and some have had that kind of achievement. For example, Battlestar Galactica. The creators knew that they wanted to end the show after four seasons, and that gave the series a proper beginning, middle and conclusive ending to the entire story and the characters, and rarely do shows get that proper full-circle feeling.

I feel like creators need to have a specific game plan handy, knowing where they ideally want their works to end and a backup in case things don't go as planned. But nothing exceeding reasonable expectations. In an ideal world, of course.

[silverusagi]

Well, shit. I don't even know what I did, but somehow I hit the back button and lost my reply. Cliff Notes version:

Firelfy=awesome. Though at least one full season would have been nice.

How much control does the creator have, versus the network? Because I keep hearing about Kripke's five year plan, but obviously that got thrown out.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Awww, I'm sorry. :( I hate losing comments too.

I feel things get messed up once the network starts taking full control and dictating the creative direction of a show. Joss Whedon experienced it twice from the FOX network with his shows, and it demonstrates how much a network doesn't really care as long as they get the control. As he once placed it nicely, creative minds always get slapped down in the end. An unfortunate case with this business, I'm afraid.

Kripke had stated in the past that he wanted five seasons, and he wanted the show to end on his terms because he didn't want the show to go on endlessly like other shows did. It doesn't seem like that promise is being held based on how this season has been going. I somehow get the feeling he had been pressured into having more seasons by the network, and nagging fans, for ratings so he gave into such a proposal but wanted nothing to do with it thus stepping down as showrunner. Then again, this is from my own observation. We won't know the true story from behind the scenes on why his five year plan didn't go through. Some say it's because of the actor's contracts, but they could have done a televised movie or something of the like. I don't know.

[silverusagi]

because he didn't want the show to go on endlessly like other shows did

HA. It's a shame that he stepped down, though. It would have been better to end the show than to hand over the reins, I think. Or for him stay for one more year and see to it himself. I know it's about the money, but I just don't know how I could watch someone destroy my characters. OTOH, he could think everything is IC and peachy keen. I do wonder, though, about creators in general. If anything goes on long enough, it starts to suck. Do the creators actually think the story is going in exciting new directions, or do they just not care anymore? Either way, it's sad when you have characters doing things that S1 or book 1 characters just would not do.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

but I just don't know how I could watch someone destroy my characters.

Me neither, even for money. It's like these characters and this story was his baby, imagine watching your baby getting corrupted by someone else just for the shits and giggles and the big fat paycheck. It would be downright blasphemy and I couldn't stomach it.

I do wonder, though, about creators in general. If anything goes on long enough, it starts to suck. Do the creators actually think the story is going in exciting new directions, or do they just not care anymore?

That's an interesting question to pose, and I would love to bend the ear of any creator whose work overstayed its welcome on television and hear what they have to say about it. Because I can only think of two things: a.) money or b.) not really giving a damn anymore, be it their disinterest or pressures of the business and TPTB in particular. There are certain creators that know that when things get bad and admit to it, then there are others that just simply think everything is a-okay (ex. Tim Kring thinking that Heroes was the bestest thing ever, while everyone else, the actors included, thought that was bullshit). So yeah, I'm not entirely sure how one could sit back and watch their own ideas getting trampled all over just for the money.

Either way, it's sad when you have characters doing things that S1 or book 1 characters just would not do.

Or seeing them not having any kind of development whatsoever in a convincing manner, and their behavior is completely unjustified. :/

[silverusagi]

I keep thinking of Joss and the Buffy comics. Have you kept up with anything about those? It's truly sad. A lot of people don't consider them canon because they're comics and not TV, but Joss says they're canon. And it's like...really? This is actually how you think the characters end up? He can't be getting that much money from comics, and I can't see him personally writing them if he doesn't care, which just leaves the "he thinks it's good" option.

For books, I always think of Anne Rice. Her first three vampire books are really good (if you like her genre), but then they just go downhill and finally end in a practically crack crossover with her witch books (which, okay are taking place in the same universe, but the characters did NOT need to meet and have weirdness).

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Heh, I've only heard details about the comics. I love Joss I honestly do but yeah, I also agree with others that it really isn't canonical. I do think comics are interesting and fascinating in general, another medium that has free reign of things that couldn't be done on television. Perhaps it's its own canon? idk

[silverusagi]

I can't avoid the comics. Post about them were all over my flist. Even when I stopped reading the posts, it was impossible not to know what was happening.

another medium that has free reign of things that couldn't be done on television

This is the problem. Joss has gone crazy because he can do all of these things, but instead of picking one or two cool things, he wants to do *all of them*. It's like cracky crack. If I saw any of that in a fanfic, I would be clicking the back button so fast, but because it's Joss, it merits reading and discussion. Though by this point, most of fandom has given up, I think.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

It pretty much just is crack, from what I've been hearing. I mean, what happened in the last issue? I just, what? D: *tears forever and clings to television canon*

Well, I love Fray though. ;)

[silverusagi]

I gave up when Dawn became a centaur, and it only went downhill from there. Angel is evil and he and Buffy are having sex in space and creating new worlds? IDEK.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'Serious question, which is worse? Shows cancelled prematurely, or shows that go on too long and methodically destroy characters that you loved?'
Great question. As much as I hate when shows are canceled before their time, I also hate when shows enter the Zombie seasons. I think it's even for the same reason, that is wasted potential; shows that get canceled too soon never reach their potential and shows that go on too long end up destroying the potential they had had.

[silverusagi]

Zombie seasons is a good word for it. But you know, with Supernatural, I acutally think they have good themes going this season. It's just all the retconning and little things. It's like everyone forgot that these are established characters in an established world. And almost every episode is like this, with things that are just off. It's not like they've run out of ideas (civil war in Heaven FTW, monsters roaming the earth FTW), but they're just executing them horribly.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

'It's just all the retconning and little things. It's like everyone forgot that these are established characters in an established world.'
So very true. A lot of this season really has felt like a bad AU fanfic to me.

'It's not like they've run out of ideas (civil war in Heaven FTW, monsters roaming the earth FTW), but they're just executing them horribly.'
Agreed. I really hope they get their act together for the second half of the season, because if they screw up the Heaven War irritated will not even begin to cover it.