tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4612847230813086166..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: My conspiracy theoryBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52030450528354453692016-11-18T16:22:29.975-08:002016-11-18T16:22:29.975-08:00Aaron
So we're both right, because it's ob...Aaron<br />So we're both right, because it's obviously a question of taste. Although I have to say that no other television couple has ever captured my imagination the way Sam and Diane did. They are an example of the trope that millions and millions of people loved, and can even watch it over and over, knowing exactly what is going to happen in every detail. I cannot see the difference in that, however, and reading a good book repeatedly or enjoying a poem many times. Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28654392906591394132016-11-18T12:01:35.525-08:002016-11-18T12:01:35.525-08:00Sean, breakups and reconciliations aren't what...Sean, breakups and reconciliations aren't what the trope is about. That trope is more about two people who have an obvious attraction to each other (and the writers who use the trope go to great lengths to show that they are attracted to each other), and yet they create contrived situations (a misunderstood note, a misunderstood overheard conversation. a misunderstood situation) to keep the two characters from ever getting to the point where they cut through the bullshit and just say "hey, I'm really into you". It's not about romantic difficulties; a romantic difficulty would be "wow, I really like her, but she really drinks a lot", or "I really like him, but he's really attached to his mother". People who are mutually attracted to each other tend to tell each other, unless there's a compelling reason not to, like being married to other people. <br /><br />I get that this trope is popular, or else it wouldn't be a trope. I'm not trying to argue you out of your love of it, and I'm not disparaging you if you enjoy it. I think it's one of the laziest tropes that a writer can pursue, and when a writer jumps on board that particular lazy train, I get off at the next stop. If you're someone who likes it, then you're the lucky one, because there are endless examples of it on TV that you can indulge in.<br /><br />It's best not to make assumptions about people based on interpretations of what they write. I'm sure I've experienced as many romantic downturns as anyone, but not a single one of those downturns has ever made me appreciate yet another go-round of Sam and Diane, Ross and Rachel, Dr Fleischman and Maggie O'Connell, Maddie Hayes and David Addison, etc.Aaron Sheckleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-92212838164239115132016-11-18T09:30:17.810-08:002016-11-18T09:30:17.810-08:00Aaron,
I like your point about criminal conspira...Aaron, <br /><br />I like your point about criminal conspiracies, they certainly do happen. Although in my experience theyve always been the "three stooges" variety than the vast, complex and highly competent kind which is the one getting repeated. <br /><br />But, on your other point that people who like each other simply get together and that's how it works--well I have to argue that's not the case and from direct personal experience no less. I'm happy for you that you haven't experienced romantic troubles in your life, but I certainly have included break ups and reconciliations some minor and some major. <br /><br />SeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2526386356322856912016-11-18T06:23:05.042-08:002016-11-18T06:23:05.042-08:00Well Diane, I imagine that's how something bec...Well Diane, I imagine that's how something becomes a trope; people enjoy it in spite of knowing what its outcome will be, so more and more writers use the trope, so more and more people watch it, repeat ad nauseam. What you find to be a delicious dance, I find to be a tedious trudge to an inevitable conclusion. It's been done to death. If I find myself watching a show where two characters are supposed to like each other and the writers just begin throwing one situation after another at them to prevent them from just saying "hey, you know, I like you, let's give this a try", then I'm going to lose interest really fast. The only way I'd stick with that show would be if they resolved it in a few episodes. That trope just requires too much suspension of disbelief for me. Obviously others do like it, or it wouldn't become a trope.Aaron Sheckleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22944181850427589592016-11-17T22:14:41.081-08:002016-11-17T22:14:41.081-08:00Aaron
But to give up that delicious "will the...Aaron<br />But to give up that delicious "will they or won't they" dance seems like a big price to pay to avoid that path to one of only two unsatisfying resolutions (which I don't concede, BTW). Obviously, you don't want just laughs from a sitcom, you want that story line with an irresistible build-up to something, with lots of laughs along the way. And what better build up than that never ending story of falling in love with the wrong person. In a sitcom, of course, you can have it end however you want.Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-92065524118299015892016-11-17T18:33:30.663-08:002016-11-17T18:33:30.663-08:00Bring back Time Tunnel!!Bring back Time Tunnel!!Alan Gollomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06182300402128985496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45770420522605149592016-11-17T15:51:37.285-08:002016-11-17T15:51:37.285-08:00Diane, you were correct. I do dislike the concept...Diane, you were correct. I do dislike the concept completely, because no matter how clever the concept is written, it will still force the writers down a path that really only has two resolutions; keep coming up with more and more ridiculous situations that keep the two characters from being together (which totally goes against human nature), or else put them together and find out that the characteristics that the writers gave to the characters in order to keep them doing the "will we or won't we" dance are no longer funny if you make them a couple. Sam Malone’s character is a perfect example of this. His womanizing and roving eye were integral parts of his character, and various bouts of jealous behavior on Diane’s part (and Sam’s) were played for laughs due specifically to Sam’s womanizing. Now, put Sam and Diane together as a couple, and now a fundamental characteristic of Sam is no longer viable for humor. Now he’s not a funny rogue with a wandering eye, he’s a rotten bastard who cheats on his wife/girlfriend. I agree that a well written, well acted “will they or won’t they’ trope will last longer and be interesting longer than a poorly written/acted one, but a writer is still going to eventually be stuck with choosing a path. If Sam had been allowed to marry Diane, the writers would have had to amputate some of the funniest parts of his personality; he can’t be the charming ladies’ man when he has a wife who works in the same bar as he does.<br /><br />I think the “will they or won’t they” trope is only viable in a limited series or a film, where they payoff (either they get together or break up) comes as the denouement. It may work as a short term arc, but trying to sustain that trope over a few seasons using more and more contrived and ridiculous situations to keep the characters apart fills me with absolute boredom. The Sam and Diane dance was played out by the time Shelly Long left the show; would you have wanted another season of that, or worse yet, a season where they got married and started having kids? <br /><br />Sean: As far as real life goes, I’ve seen more actual real life conspiracies (I was a criminal investigator) that I’ve ever seen couples who that have an undeniable attraction to each other and yet refuse to act on it (unless the people involved were encumbered by some real life obstacle like marriage to someone else). People who like each other and are available tend to get together, even if they’re a terrible combination; it’s simple human nature. Cheers made it work better than almost anyone, but it’s still an overused, unsatisfactory trope.<br /><br />As far as the vast conspiracy theory based shows go, my experience has shown me that in criminal conspiracies, the more people involved, the more likely it is that someone is going to roll over on it. You don’t need to go any further than Edward Snowden to see that the bigger and more convoluted a conspiracy is, the greater the chance that a low level member of the conspiracy like Snowden or Chelsea Manning will blow the lid off it. The more people in on a secret, the more likely that someone’s gonna tell.Aaron Sheckleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19676295158881433852016-11-17T14:30:52.869-08:002016-11-17T14:30:52.869-08:00Why is America such a great lover of conspiracy th...Why is America such a great lover of conspiracy theories - Kennedy, moon landings, 9/11, the Illuminati - when it has the most open government in the world?<br />Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7223326540253786202016-11-17T10:25:09.674-08:002016-11-17T10:25:09.674-08:00It's a good question... Makes me wonder if we&...It's a good question... Makes me wonder if we'll look back at this era of TV in the same way we look back at 50s b-movies and their radiation paranoia. People really seem to have lost trust in the idea of a government that might not be corrupt... as if you'd be naive to suggest that maybe, just maybe, everyone's doing their best. Even the ones you don't agree with.<br /><br />Sean: I do think they would have struggled to come up with a storyline for Sam and Diane in season six. They'd already pretty much been through everything.Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70592148874770141402016-11-17T07:06:50.393-08:002016-11-17T07:06:50.393-08:00Aaron S.
You're right, of course, but when it ...Aaron S.<br />You're right, of course, but when it works well, it's the best sitcom television there is. The first sentence in your original comment made it sound as if you disliked the concept completely, so I was puzzled. <br /><br />I agree with Ken Levine, you, and others about the overdone conspiracy issue, however.Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2854748830453857632016-11-17T06:14:48.727-08:002016-11-17T06:14:48.727-08:00Aaron,
I would say that the Sam and Diane relatio...Aaron,<br /><br />I would say that the Sam and Diane relationship never ran out of steam. The episode where Diane leaves is still heartbreaking and that's the end of their time together on the show. Diane was certifiably insane below her pseudo intellectual veneer which kept her otherwise ludicrous decisions in romance from seeming contrived--they flow naturally from the character. Put her under pressure or in a romantic relationship and watch her crazy light shine.<br /><br />Plus the difference between the romantic "will they won't they" conflict and the vast conspiracy conflict is one is actually found in real life while the other is not (well I guess there was the plot against Caesar and the occasional non-competitive market cartel but other than that conspiracies can be found only under tinfoil hats). So viewers are usually much more willing to watch characters interact in that way and will not find it as grindingly repetitive or contrived. <br /><br />Just my two bits. What do you think Aaron?<br /><br />SeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73873024159407687972016-11-17T02:10:47.394-08:002016-11-17T02:10:47.394-08:00All I know is that if Hal Holbrook is in something...All I know is that if Hal Holbrook is in something as the Hero's Friend/Boss, he will ALWAYS end up betraying the Hero to the Bad Guys while crying "I'm so sorry, So-and-so-- but they've got my WIFE!!"<br /><br />Cheers, thanks a lot,<br /><br />StormStormnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22144301939422615452016-11-16T20:11:07.358-08:002016-11-16T20:11:07.358-08:00So is it a trope that is just catnip for showrunne...So is it a trope that is just catnip for showrunners or is this something demanded by the experts at the corporate level?Samuelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06255700565947978423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56661537114350697552016-11-16T17:59:39.779-08:002016-11-16T17:59:39.779-08:00Diane, I know that. I also know that in the case ...Diane, I know that. I also know that in the case of Sam and Diane it was done well, but even when done well it runs out of steam, just like it did on Cheers. You can't maintain it forever, no matter how well it's written, because eventually the reasons you come up with for keeping them apart become more and more contrived. Cheers made it work better than most because of a combination of excellent writing and excellent actors (Danson and Long sold the trope a lot better than most actors). The flip side of that is something like Ross and Rachel, which was annoying almost from the beginning and got moreso as the show went on. It's a situation you can't maintain, and the resolution almost always kills the relationship; they get married and the writers are stumped on how to keep them funny, or they break up and you lose the tension that made them funny in the first place. It's a writer's trap; funny at first, but a dead end eventually.Aaron Sheckleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85335791972535221062016-11-16T15:56:39.279-08:002016-11-16T15:56:39.279-08:00Aaron S.
The "will they, won't they"...Aaron S.<br />The "will they, won't they" trope is annoying to you? The esteemed author of this blog did a couple of them very well, indeed. They were two of the best and most beloved sitcoms of all time: CHEERS and FRASIER. Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23743068512040671002016-11-16T15:32:50.153-08:002016-11-16T15:32:50.153-08:00I am so very tired of this sort of thing. The show...I am so very tired of this sort of thing. The show gets cancelled after the first season (or before) and one never finds out the secret. I have given up on shows like this.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89347823714959518232016-11-16T14:26:01.684-08:002016-11-16T14:26:01.684-08:00Amen. I've gotten to the point where, if it tu...Amen. I've gotten to the point where, if it turns out there's a deep conspiracy going on behind the scenes established in an early episode, like, say, the pilot, I don't even watch the second episode.<br /><br />And there's also the over-complicating of shows. I'm still watching <i>How to Get Away with Murder</i>, but I'm no longer really tracking the uberplot, as it's become <b><i>WAY</i></b> too complicated to follow, and expects me to remember every detail about characters killed off back in season one. One can take serialized plotting too far. I begin to yearn for the self-contained episodes of <i>Perry Mason</i>. When <i>Game of Thrones</i> is less complicated than your plot, lighten up a bit, please.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4521763557953835802016-11-16T14:09:45.253-08:002016-11-16T14:09:45.253-08:00Marty C., third time's a charm.Marty C., third time's a charm.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60537013570931652382016-11-16T14:01:57.915-08:002016-11-16T14:01:57.915-08:00Very Off Topic: In case you hadn't heard, on N...Very Off Topic: In case you hadn't heard, on Nov. 22, Vin Scully will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I'm never a big fan of most entertainers getting awards like that, but I'll gladly make an exception for Vin Scully.<br /><br />Lorne Michaels is also getting one. I have nothing bad to say about Lorne Michaels, but, c'mon, really? <br /><br />Full article at https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/16/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom<br /><br />On Topic: The "conspiracy theory" concept has been done to -- and well past -- death. It was fun while it lasted. Sort of. Sometimes. The big twist always needs a good payoff and flow from the existing logic of the story. It's the kind of ending that one doesn't expect but upon seeing it -- well, it just HAD to be that way. Too often this did not happen. Ahem, LOST.<br /><br />And the conspiracies are boring. It's always some rich, power-mad Bond-villain proto-military wannabes, with maybe some aliens thrown in, and the intrepid whomevers that always get just-this-close to revealing the truth. Ugh. There's a conspiracy to bore the crap out of me, led by a shadowy group called "Second Tier Cable".<br /><br />It's not the secret conspiracies that are interesting these days, it's the brazen crazy-ass evil that people do to each other right out in the open. That is always a more compelling narrative.Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68963998111455824952016-11-16T14:01:48.158-08:002016-11-16T14:01:48.158-08:00You are so right on this one,Ken.
I've felt t...You are so right on this one,Ken.<br /><br />I've felt this way for a long time regarding shows having to have massive conspiracies as part of the plot.I yawn now when such intrigues are introduced into a series.<br /><br />Lost was a chief offender for me. They so densely packed their plots with this malarkey that it became a joke.I gave up on the show & it was just as well as their finale stunk on ice. powershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11462146268479327244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24179040567462057962016-11-16T13:34:58.218-08:002016-11-16T13:34:58.218-08:00Goodness... somebody else remembers "Voyager...Goodness... somebody else remembers "Voyagers!"<br /><br />Keep writing Ken. This is your blog. You have the knowledge to write on anything you want, the right to say whatever you want. I posted a comment sometime earlier that this blog is something of a virtual "Cheers", where everybody knows your avatar. This is a good, comfortable place for people to check in and up with each other.<br /><br />Regardless of circumstances personal or professional, regardless of news headlines, people will always need to check in and up with each other. That will never change. Nobody can take that away.John Hammesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91528658677932728172016-11-16T13:08:25.586-08:002016-11-16T13:08:25.586-08:00As has been noted, a conspiracy is a gimmick of se...As has been noted, a conspiracy is a gimmick of setting up a season-long or multi-season story while doing self contained episodes. When a conspiracy gets introduced at the end of the pilot of a drama I know not to stick with the series. Two remakes where that happened are Bionic Woman and Hawaii Five-0.<br /><br />There is also a cultural aspect to the conspiracies, specifically never knowing whether a character is good or evil. In the early days of TV, in series like Dragnet, we knew who the good guys were and there was no ambiguity: they were obedient to authority. IN the '70s, in series like MASH, we knew who the good guys were and they set themselves outside of authority as that shift happened in pop culture. The '80s brought a return to identification of good with authority and the current era started with The X-Files where the identification of morality with authority became unclear. In a series like 24 the stories are driven by questions of morality and loyalty to authority but that keeps me from getting into the series.Tom Wolpernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48985048929355987112016-11-16T12:54:06.648-08:002016-11-16T12:54:06.648-08:00Here is a Friday query that relates to yesterdays ...Here is a Friday query that relates to yesterdays Stephen Fry post. Stephen Fry and Joel McHale are the stars of the new network "comedy" The Great Indoors. I love both actors and their excellent work but this show is pure drivel. I see every obvious joke coming a mile away. They look like they are phoning it in. Is this a case of cashing in on their past glory or what?blinkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04284135060900752329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57880556553047890992016-11-16T11:51:16.164-08:002016-11-16T11:51:16.164-08:00Is it just me going crazy, or does the Timeless ti...Is it just me going crazy, or does the Timeless time traveling contraption look a lot like a giant CBS logo?!? Hmmm...Steve Lanzi (formerly known as qdpsteve)https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=19336675&postID=4612847230813086166&bpli=1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57611472085581013142016-11-16T11:21:02.020-08:002016-11-16T11:21:02.020-08:00Whenever it starts to happen my wife and I turn to...Whenever it starts to happen my wife and I turn to each other and say "Red John".FFShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12957594809079628577noreply@blogger.com