In the meantime, I have learned that quite a few of my returning shows are going to be making use of time jumps in their premieres. What that means is that instead of picking up right where we left off in last spring's finales, we'll be revisiting them a while - often months - after those events occurred. Sometimes they catch us up with what has happened during that unseen time period in great detail, sometimes it's barely touched on.
Is this a case of storytelling laziness? Admittedly, time jumps are a neat and tidy way to move the action along without having to deal with complications of plotlines, character relationships, etc. But when a show leaves us with a cliffhanger, it'd be nice to come back right at that moment we were left with, fulfilling the inevitable "Holy crap! What happens next??" hole left.
SPOILERS!
Shows that are gratefully bringing us back right to that last moment are Grey's Anatomy (Does Richard live or die?), Castle (Will Beckett accept or decline Castle's marriage proposal?). Once Upon a Time (we're off to Neverland!) and Supernatural (The angels fell! How is Sam's health? Where is Cas? Is Crowley cured?).
Shows jumping ahead are Arrow (5 months have passed), Elementary (a summer has passed), Parenthood ( a few months), Revenge (5 months), Scandal (a few months), The Vampire Diaries (3 months) and The Walking Dead (a few months).
So how do you feel about your favorite shows jumping ahead? Leave me a comment below. And for premiere date information, check out the column to the left, which I update daily.
Sometimes the show uses the jump as a convenient way around a practical problem in the real world. Your female lead leaves the show, jump a year into the future and all of the characters have moved on (House). As a fan, this treatment often leaves me unsatisfied. However, I am fine with moving the story along, so if you can write those ties that clean up the loose ends of the story you have been laying out for years, go for the jump, otherwise you are shortchanging the audience in exchange for practicality. PS, the time jumps that add suspense and meaning to your story, like in the current season of Breaking Bad, are golden! Those should happen more often.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point, thanks!
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