So going off of my post last week in which a lot of you told me to just write what I love, I decided to revisit a post that I scrapped because it was just too rambly and all over the place. I am reworking it a bit and hopefully get a good rant in! Although not book related, this post mostly has to do with a TV show well known in the book community, and that is The 100. There aren't any detailed spoilers in this post but some plot points may be revealed so if you want to go into season five completely blind, you have been warned.
I cannot stand it when tv shows get lazy. Meaning that plot lines are ignored, there are extreme continuity errors, and things that have been built up all season are completely thrown out. Nothing checked all of those boxes more than Season 5 of The 100 series.
I'll try to keep things as neutral and spoiler free as possible, but in a nutshell, a huge battle that was teased all season, was completely, (literally and figuratively) blown up. The war barely even happened, and instead, in the last 15 minutes of the season finale, a whole new plot came along that involved the characters racing against time to save the entire human race. Again. By the end of the season, we were introduced to yet another time jump, only this one is a lot longer than the first.
I feel like The 100 writers have just gotten very lazy. They keep building up these huge issues throughout seasons and then they don't even end up happening! Season 4 was when this first started becoming a problem, but Season 5 was just an absolute mess. There is nothing worse for a tv lover, in my opinion, to have to sit through hours of buildup with no end result. And the ending we do get, is just a cheesy, way too fast moving scene that ignores the core of the story. Seriously, all of this "destroying the earth and racing to get back to space" is so damn repetitive.
I don't really know why tv writers decide to scrap plot points towards the end of the season. I guess the technical term is lazy writing, however I think that the poorly made action scenes are also just a cheap way to get more viewers. Let's be honest here, despite my frustration with the series, I will always watch those action scenes because I just need to make sure my faves don't get hurt. But I am tired of writers and their commitment to just rushing through things to make way for a new season to come. I seriously think that The 100 needs to plan a lot better for Season 6, as I'm not sure how deep my frustration can go before I stop watching.
Have you ever watched a tv show that contained lazy writing? What did you think of The 100 finale?
Emily @ Paperback Princess
This is why I don't watch TV shows! The writers just ruin everything, and I just can't keep watching it- it makes me so mad!
ReplyDeleteLol I love a good tv show, but the ones that end up like this annoy me to no end!
DeleteI gave up on The 100 early on because I was so bored with it, haha, but I've definitely seen lazy writing in TV shows. Towards the end of The Vampire Diaries there are a lot fo loose ends with don't add up, and that's frustrating. Sometimes I think, at least in that case, the writers just overcomplicate things and dig their own grave.
ReplyDeleteGlad you posted this! :)
They do dig their own grave! I feel like you know exactly when a tv show is reaching its downfall, because suddenly the plot gets really out of hand! Glad you didn’t waste your time with The 100, honestly, you’re not missing much.
DeleteI think sometimes TV writers are under pressure to include/drop things from the network.
ReplyDeleteBut I totally agree sometimes the writing is just goddamn lazy.
I always get annoyed in superhero shows - like, I know that the disguises are bad in the comics, but if we're claiming no-one recognises Supergirl when she takes off her glasses and dresses up a bit, can we stop having people magically guessing the secret identities of people with far more complex disguises?!
It's like, oh, *him* - in his full battle-gear with his face completely covered - you get, but she just takes her goddamn glasses off and no-one realises?! Argh! Lol ;)
I totally get it! There’s a lot of choices tv writers make that do not make any sense to us! I feel like logic is a huge issue here lol.
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ReplyDeleteHonestly, I feel like lazy-writing is something a looot of shows fall pray to when they keep the seasons coming. I gave up The 100 during its 3rd season, because I was getting tired of the characters & the writing - it just didn't feel as well-written and unique as previously, even though the production got better. I think, aside from the plot, part of the problem with tv shows that run for so long are the characters (and, on a smaller scale, their relationships). I often feel like the creators put all their ideas about the characters' personality and backstories into the first couple of seasons, and then start to add unnecessary drama etc. to keep the story going. It's SO ANNOYING. These days, I feel, most shows end when viewers start losing interest because the quality went down, they no longer end naturally as the story is finished. This is why I'll always prefer books - it's rare when an author tries to milk the same cow that, quite frankly, has no more milk to give, but with tv shows, it is rather frequent. Anyhow, great post, and I'm sorry The 100 has disappointed you. :(
ReplyDeleteVeronika @ The Regal Critiques
You bring up some great points here, Veronika! It’s almost as if tv show writers need to quit when they’re ahead, meaning not milk tons of seasons that are crappy and rather end the series on a high note. But, we all know in this industry that money is the most important thing and so quality is often sacrificed over quantity. Ugh, it’s just so hard to find genuine tv nowadays, I often worry that the same will happen years down the road to new tv shows that I’m loving right now.
DeleteThe only TV show I have been watching is The Walking Dead. I think the show has gone downhill in the last two seasons and the writers are off track with their writing. Definitely lazy writing! The show used to be great but now it's on its last legs and they keep on going to milk whatever they can from it.
ReplyDeleteDinh@Arlene's Book Club
That’s terrible! I haven’t watched The Walking Dead but I know it’s been on for a pretty long time so I can imagine it’s going through the same things as The 100.
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