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Glee catch-up
Dec. 6th, 2010 09:49 am( Spoilers for Glee through S02E09. We caught up this weekend. )
This also got me thinking about the difference between shows that are written to be watched all at once, vs. those intended to be watched in "real time". Consider Heroes versus Dawson's Creek. Each episode of Heroes leads directly into the next, often involving a cliffhanger. Watching five episodes in a room seems like a smooth, continuous experience. Dawson's Creek was written more to "simulate" a high school experience, so each episode takes place over a couple of days, and it's implied that a week or two takes place between each one. If characters are dating for three episodes, it's treated as if they were dating for about a month, and that things are happening "off camera" / "while we're away". Watching a show that's intended for DVD on a week-by-week basis can be painful because it doesn't seem to move enough. (I had this problem with the last season of Star Trek: DS9.) Watching a show intended for weekly breaks in large chunks can cause similar problems, because you get mood whiplash. Well, if you care about the characters, that is.
This also got me thinking about the difference between shows that are written to be watched all at once, vs. those intended to be watched in "real time". Consider Heroes versus Dawson's Creek. Each episode of Heroes leads directly into the next, often involving a cliffhanger. Watching five episodes in a room seems like a smooth, continuous experience. Dawson's Creek was written more to "simulate" a high school experience, so each episode takes place over a couple of days, and it's implied that a week or two takes place between each one. If characters are dating for three episodes, it's treated as if they were dating for about a month, and that things are happening "off camera" / "while we're away". Watching a show that's intended for DVD on a week-by-week basis can be painful because it doesn't seem to move enough. (I had this problem with the last season of Star Trek: DS9.) Watching a show intended for weekly breaks in large chunks can cause similar problems, because you get mood whiplash. Well, if you care about the characters, that is.
