Orphan Black

[Tyrion Cheddar]

In lieu of having anything else to watch (as I wait for various other series to finish for the season so I can marathon view them, or to be released if they'll the all episodes released on one day type), I've been watching and struggling with Orphan Black season 3. Now I loved this series the first two seasons. It was clever, original, fresh, funny, and Tatiana Maslany is just so talented. The trouble is, they effectively resolved the series at the end of season 2. I actually didn't know there was going to be a season 3 (and now a season 4, apparently.) They first of all had to invent all kinds of improbably and incongruous characters and new plots to keep it going, since the tied it up nicely last season. In addition, it is now super serious and filled with all this artificial and excessive drama (lots of people shouting at each other to create an air of drama), and the lightness and humor and fun are gone. When Alison Hendrix performed in the community theater musical last season, that was the height of the series for me. I really wonder if Tatiana Maslany, who I noticed is a producer now, is doing this because she wants to or because she is contractually bound. She has appeared in a number of big Hollywood movies, and I would have thought she'd be focusing more on that. Who knows. Anyway, if any of the rest of ye are fans, do share your thoughts.

[Lokasenna]

It's on my to-watch list. A friend of mine, whose tastes are pretty similar to mine, has been nagging me to watch it for a while. It's a bit disappointing to hear that the quality tails off somewhat, but it won't be the first great show to have that happen to it.

[Tyrion Cheddar]

It's on my to-watch list. A friend of mine, whose tastes are pretty similar to mine, has been nagging me to watch it for a while. It's a bit disappointing to hear that the quality tails off somewhat, but it won't be the first great show to have that happen to it.

No, not hardly. I've noticed over the years that the truly great shows are the ones that are really only meant to last for two or three seasons--like Roy the replicant's famous line, the flame the burns twice as bright lasts half as long. It is probably because part of what makes them great is that, unlike most shows, which drift from episode to episode, season to season, seeking purely to stay on the air long enough to sell into syndication--the really well-written shows are proper stories which, like any story, have a definite beginning, middle and end. A three act play, if you well. So when a network then extends such a show beyond its natural life in order to milk more money out of it, the suckage begins. An example is Alias, a truly great show the first three seasons. It should have wrapped up then, but they extended it for another two. Lost, another JJ Abrams shows, again was great for three seasons, and should also have been allowed to resolve then, but was dragged out. Note that in both cases, JJ Abrams left after three seasons.

Great stories have resolution, plots and character and relationship develop, have a zenith and then wane towards an ending. It is one of the reasons television has never been the right medium for great storytelling and it is only now, in the age of Netflix and cable series, that we're getting a bevy of real gems.