Comment Thread
- by The Mysterious 'H'
- (unregistered id: 43F7869F5C)
Well, different people have different issues. Let me first say that I loved most of Season 3 but the first half was heavy on flashbacks. That's my main problem on a season-wide scale and it sounds like others had that problem too.
Another thing some people have had issues with is Sgt. Hatred becoming a recurring character. I admit I didn't care for him at first but he's grown on me.
Other than a few minor things in specific episodes, those were the issues I noticed.
Another thing some people have had issues with is Sgt. Hatred becoming a recurring character. I admit I didn't care for him at first but he's grown on me.
Other than a few minor things in specific episodes, those were the issues I noticed.
- by Mike
- (unregistered id: 30BF86C461)
- by The Mysterious 'H'
- (unregistered id: 43F7869F5C)
The same reason the Star Wars prequels weren't as well received- it takes away a lot of the dramatic tension. You know that by the end of Invisible Hand of Fate, Billy will lose an eye and hand and Phantom Limb will have those kill-y limbs. It doesn't move the story forward, but rather just fills in details.
Don't get me wrong- flashbacks can be great in moderation. The stuff in Dr. Quymn was nice, as was all the other stuff in the past after that. I don't consider it a flashback if nobody in the 'present' scene was there though.
They realized that the first half was flash-back heavy though. There was a joke about it in Tears of a Sea Cow so I feel like they have to have seen some response coming.
Don't get me wrong- flashbacks can be great in moderation. The stuff in Dr. Quymn was nice, as was all the other stuff in the past after that. I don't consider it a flashback if nobody in the 'present' scene was there though.
They realized that the first half was flash-back heavy though. There was a joke about it in Tears of a Sea Cow so I feel like they have to have seen some response coming.
- by Mike
- (unregistered id: 30BF86C461)
the Star Wars prequels weren't well received because they had shoddily written stories, poor acting and excessive dependence on CG, not because you knew Anakin would become Darth Vader.
I get that the destination is half the fun, but a good story is about the journey. The end isn't relevant a lot of the time, especially with a rolling story like VB. Finding out how characters got to where we know them is interesting (at least it is to me). It fills in the gaps of things people wanted to know. There's mystery in the past when all we have is what we have witnessed, it's the stuff we want to learn about.
I don't know, I just feel like a lot of people got hung up on "too many flashbacks" or "too much backstory" without really elaborating on that more. Isn't crafting this intricate world a good thing? Isn't that why we love this show?
I get that the destination is half the fun, but a good story is about the journey. The end isn't relevant a lot of the time, especially with a rolling story like VB. Finding out how characters got to where we know them is interesting (at least it is to me). It fills in the gaps of things people wanted to know. There's mystery in the past when all we have is what we have witnessed, it's the stuff we want to learn about.
I don't know, I just feel like a lot of people got hung up on "too many flashbacks" or "too much backstory" without really elaborating on that more. Isn't crafting this intricate world a good thing? Isn't that why we love this show?
- by The Mysterious 'H'
- (unregistered id: 43F7869F5C)
Point taken. Still, the flashback episode is an overused trope that was played mostly straight in both episodes and it's a bit of a turn-off. It's not so much an adventure as it's a story, and there was a lot of episodes set in the compound in that first half as well. Things picked up after Dr. Quymn but the first half was seemed to be less action-oriented than the show had been in previous seasons.
- by Jory
- (unregistered id: 9F1235068D)
To respond as best I can to this whole thread:
I really just think the show lost a lot of its vibe due to changes in the show's structure. I still love the show and the increasing depth and contrivance of its plot, setting, and characters, but a lot of what had made the show great seems to have settled to the bottom during season 3 and has only been recovered in bits and pieces during season 4. Almost every episode seemed to be over-written and sloppily edited compared to the first two seasons, and when the entire 22 minutes of the show was packed to the gills while still seeming underdeveloped and unfocused it was sadly pretty rare that the pacing of the show accommodated well-delivered comedy of the sort I'd loved from the show in the past. This is an exaggeration, but it almost felt like making a funny and entertaining show was priority two and priority one was just getting stories that complicated and ambitious out the door in the first place! That said, it still was a funny and entertaining season, it just didn't feel as effortless* and effective as the first two did.
If some people don't know what I mean then I don't blame them-- I'm not saying I think 3 was necessarily bad, just that it definitely was less my cup of tea than the others.
And Mike, I agree that being flashback-centric wasn't the problem at all. It felt a bit silly when the show was flashbacks episode after episode, but it didn't really harm the show in any way. Invisible Hand of Fate was great!
*Which is not in any way meant to imply that the show is or ever was "effortless"-- a glance at J&D's respective blogs and commentaries reveals how much they and the entire crew kill themselves over each 'sode, and it shows. Venture is unlike anything else on TV even at its lowest points.
I really just think the show lost a lot of its vibe due to changes in the show's structure. I still love the show and the increasing depth and contrivance of its plot, setting, and characters, but a lot of what had made the show great seems to have settled to the bottom during season 3 and has only been recovered in bits and pieces during season 4. Almost every episode seemed to be over-written and sloppily edited compared to the first two seasons, and when the entire 22 minutes of the show was packed to the gills while still seeming underdeveloped and unfocused it was sadly pretty rare that the pacing of the show accommodated well-delivered comedy of the sort I'd loved from the show in the past. This is an exaggeration, but it almost felt like making a funny and entertaining show was priority two and priority one was just getting stories that complicated and ambitious out the door in the first place! That said, it still was a funny and entertaining season, it just didn't feel as effortless* and effective as the first two did.
If some people don't know what I mean then I don't blame them-- I'm not saying I think 3 was necessarily bad, just that it definitely was less my cup of tea than the others.
And Mike, I agree that being flashback-centric wasn't the problem at all. It felt a bit silly when the show was flashbacks episode after episode, but it didn't really harm the show in any way. Invisible Hand of Fate was great!
*Which is not in any way meant to imply that the show is or ever was "effortless"-- a glance at J&D's respective blogs and commentaries reveals how much they and the entire crew kill themselves over each 'sode, and it shows. Venture is unlike anything else on TV even at its lowest points.
- by Mike
- (unregistered id: DA1A2954DF)
At the risk of this conversation getting too skinny (I need to work out some way to make this not happen) while I sympathize with season three not being a favorite, I disagree with the quality thing. Season three is really the first without any really weak episodes. There's no 'State Dinner' or 'Love-Bheits' and I would say the last five episodes are one fo the strongest strings of episodes. Granted season three lacks its own 'Victor Echo November' but the overall quality of it is pretty astounding. And it's even reflected in the rankings on this site (which I realize are in no way official or even accurate in any capacity) season three has the highest average score.
I dunno, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree!
I dunno, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree!
- by The Mysterious 'H'
- (unregistered id: C47FFD0A29)
Yeah, I think it's personal opinion. I think that Dr. Quymn onward was great, but I love State Dinner and Love Bheits and don't consider them weak episodes by any means. Season 2, for me, was the most consistantly good season. My favorite episode isn't in Season 2 but I don't see any of the eps there as weak.
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What was your favorite episode of season six?
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"Hostile Makeover" 3%
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"Maybe No Go" 5%
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"Faking Miracles" 2%
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"Rapacity In Blue" 9%
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"Tanks For Nuthin'" 8%
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