Hey all.... Late last night, at approximately 1Am after arriving home from my girlfriend's house, thoughts just started to flow out of me, and i wrote them down. in an informal essay, exploring the emerging theme of 'characterisation' as i've called it, of which BSG played a major part in. Seeing as it was 1Am in the morning, and i had been doing 16 hour days recently at uni (due to a 2 week long course i'm doing), i was rather tired, and there may be grammatical errors and maybe some words missing in sentences. These thoughts just flowed out of me, and i only got about 1/4 of them because i type too slow. I haven't read over it, because i feel proud of it, and dont want to shatter those feelings when i realise it's a pile of crap that i dribbled.
Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, Lost, Heroes, Alias, and BSG should get something out of this 'essay' i've done.
Disclaimer type stuff: The thougts in here are my own, and i do not mean to offend ppl with them. I am not saying that one show is better than another, but merely stating my opinion, so please do not get offended. I enjoy all shows that i mention in this piece..
oh, and by the way, i am an environmental science student, so i have no idea how a 'tv' essay is meant to be done, so i just wrote....
Here it is, excuse the length
An emerging theme in television media.
Notes: This is just a document outlining my thoughts on a theme I have noticed emerging in the television shows I have viewed. It is my opinions, and shows I have not seen, are naturally, not mentioned. These shows I have not seen may refute certain arguments which I make, and so be it, I don’t know what I don’t know, ya know?
There is an ever increasing trend in the television media, which has evolved over the last several years, which seems to be contributing somewhat to the quality of television shows on air, my enjoyment of these shows, and critical acclaim given to these shows. That theme can be summarised in one word: Characterisation.
The evolution of this trend will be discussed in the paragraphs below, in the shows I have seen. This argument may be refuted upon further evidence, or may be strengthened in many respects, but the purpose of this discussion is just to draw out a number of themes which may be elaborated on further on.
At the time of my youth, I obediently followed a number of television shows as they came and went across the television, gaining and losing interest in them as they went, however, as my memory serves me correctly, there has only been one show which made a lasting impression on me during this time: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a show which turned many people off watching it because of its name, and like many shows which will be mentioned, trying to explain the critical aspects which made the show an excellent viewing experience would usually turn them off. Explaining that the show was about ‘one girl in all the world, chosen to fight the forces of darkness’ is not appealing to the average Joe Bloggs. In it’s seventh and final season, I remember reading a review of the entire show which pointed out something to me, which had been in the back of my mind throughout the entire show in my late youth, the excellence of the show was because of its evolution of its characters: it broke the mould in terms of viewing experience.
The classic mould for an adventure/action series was a series of episodes within a season which were self contained and had everything neatly wrapped up by the end. Plot arcs existed, usually over a season or two, but that was it. The way Buffy the Vampire Slayer broke the mould was the fact that it had both self contained episodes, as well as story-arc episodes which contributed to the overall story of the season, but it also had inter-seasonal story arcs, and most importantly, character story-arcs. Although I have not seen Babylon 5 (A show I have seen many ‘amateur’ reviews of on the internet stating that it had the best running, 5 season long story arc, and I do not know whether it started before BtVS or after), BtVS may have well been the first show to include this complexity within it. For the first time (in my experience), characters were shown as human beings, capable of growing and evolving and adapting, contrary to the contemporary mould of characters which had been painted in series before. For example, in Stargate, Star-Trek, MacGuyver, just to name a few, the characters are reset at the end of each episode. Even now, 10 years after the beginning of Stargate, Teal’c, Samantha and Daniel remain the same people; their experiences have not affected them at a personal level. Samantha Carter still remains the ‘techno-babble’ solution to all of the SGC’s problems, and can solve anything at a moments notice; Teal’c still remains the relatively quiet but often wise warrior; and although Daniel has ascended to a higher plane of existence a number of times, he still remains the same person. To elaborate on what I mean, the Daniel Jackson of Season 10, if faced with a personal choice, would still chose the same option as the Daniel Jackson of season 2.
In this case, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was different from similar shows in the ‘adventure’ category as the characters evolved. This can be seen to the extreme by taking a look at the character of Willow Rosenberg. A six year long story arc saw her change her sexuality, learn witchcraft, lose loved ones, and develop as a person. Willow of season 1 was a shy and nervous teenager, while the Willow of season 7, had developed into a personally confident young woman, while still keeping the elements which made her Willow; Willow of season 7 would not necessarily make the same choices as that of Willow of season 1, since she has been changed by her environment and experiences. This evolution of a person, which occurs in real life, can also be evidently seen in Wesley Wyndham Price as he moved from BtVS season 3 through to Angel season 5. He evolved from a ‘stuck-up’ man burying himself in books, to a rough renegade prepared to do whatever it took in order to accomplish his goals.
Another quality which contributed to Buffy the Vampire Slayers’ quality was that, from my viewing experience, it was the first show which featured an ensemble cast. There was a central main character, but the supporting characters were built up and explored so much that in some cases, we, the viewer, would care about the supporting characters more than the main character, Buffy, herself. The show Alias comes to mind when trying to demonstrate what is meant by the above statement. Alias was a very smart show, capable of drawing us in and making us care about Sydney Bristow, however other characters were not explored in the depths that Sydney Bristow was. Think of the increased success Alias may have been if the characters of Jack Bristow, Irena Derevco (sp?), Marshall, and Dixon, to name a few, had been developed as much as Sydney like what was done with BtVS.
Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a complex and deep show, it did not receive the success it was worthy of. The name, for starters, set the majority of the populace off of viewing the show, however, I believe, that the factors which made this show successful would be discovered by later shows.
.... continued in first reply
Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel, Lost, Heroes, Alias, and BSG should get something out of this 'essay' i've done.
Disclaimer type stuff: The thougts in here are my own, and i do not mean to offend ppl with them. I am not saying that one show is better than another, but merely stating my opinion, so please do not get offended. I enjoy all shows that i mention in this piece..
oh, and by the way, i am an environmental science student, so i have no idea how a 'tv' essay is meant to be done, so i just wrote....
Here it is, excuse the length
An emerging theme in television media.
Notes: This is just a document outlining my thoughts on a theme I have noticed emerging in the television shows I have viewed. It is my opinions, and shows I have not seen, are naturally, not mentioned. These shows I have not seen may refute certain arguments which I make, and so be it, I don’t know what I don’t know, ya know?
There is an ever increasing trend in the television media, which has evolved over the last several years, which seems to be contributing somewhat to the quality of television shows on air, my enjoyment of these shows, and critical acclaim given to these shows. That theme can be summarised in one word: Characterisation.
The evolution of this trend will be discussed in the paragraphs below, in the shows I have seen. This argument may be refuted upon further evidence, or may be strengthened in many respects, but the purpose of this discussion is just to draw out a number of themes which may be elaborated on further on.
At the time of my youth, I obediently followed a number of television shows as they came and went across the television, gaining and losing interest in them as they went, however, as my memory serves me correctly, there has only been one show which made a lasting impression on me during this time: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a show which turned many people off watching it because of its name, and like many shows which will be mentioned, trying to explain the critical aspects which made the show an excellent viewing experience would usually turn them off. Explaining that the show was about ‘one girl in all the world, chosen to fight the forces of darkness’ is not appealing to the average Joe Bloggs. In it’s seventh and final season, I remember reading a review of the entire show which pointed out something to me, which had been in the back of my mind throughout the entire show in my late youth, the excellence of the show was because of its evolution of its characters: it broke the mould in terms of viewing experience.
The classic mould for an adventure/action series was a series of episodes within a season which were self contained and had everything neatly wrapped up by the end. Plot arcs existed, usually over a season or two, but that was it. The way Buffy the Vampire Slayer broke the mould was the fact that it had both self contained episodes, as well as story-arc episodes which contributed to the overall story of the season, but it also had inter-seasonal story arcs, and most importantly, character story-arcs. Although I have not seen Babylon 5 (A show I have seen many ‘amateur’ reviews of on the internet stating that it had the best running, 5 season long story arc, and I do not know whether it started before BtVS or after), BtVS may have well been the first show to include this complexity within it. For the first time (in my experience), characters were shown as human beings, capable of growing and evolving and adapting, contrary to the contemporary mould of characters which had been painted in series before. For example, in Stargate, Star-Trek, MacGuyver, just to name a few, the characters are reset at the end of each episode. Even now, 10 years after the beginning of Stargate, Teal’c, Samantha and Daniel remain the same people; their experiences have not affected them at a personal level. Samantha Carter still remains the ‘techno-babble’ solution to all of the SGC’s problems, and can solve anything at a moments notice; Teal’c still remains the relatively quiet but often wise warrior; and although Daniel has ascended to a higher plane of existence a number of times, he still remains the same person. To elaborate on what I mean, the Daniel Jackson of Season 10, if faced with a personal choice, would still chose the same option as the Daniel Jackson of season 2.
In this case, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was different from similar shows in the ‘adventure’ category as the characters evolved. This can be seen to the extreme by taking a look at the character of Willow Rosenberg. A six year long story arc saw her change her sexuality, learn witchcraft, lose loved ones, and develop as a person. Willow of season 1 was a shy and nervous teenager, while the Willow of season 7, had developed into a personally confident young woman, while still keeping the elements which made her Willow; Willow of season 7 would not necessarily make the same choices as that of Willow of season 1, since she has been changed by her environment and experiences. This evolution of a person, which occurs in real life, can also be evidently seen in Wesley Wyndham Price as he moved from BtVS season 3 through to Angel season 5. He evolved from a ‘stuck-up’ man burying himself in books, to a rough renegade prepared to do whatever it took in order to accomplish his goals.
Another quality which contributed to Buffy the Vampire Slayers’ quality was that, from my viewing experience, it was the first show which featured an ensemble cast. There was a central main character, but the supporting characters were built up and explored so much that in some cases, we, the viewer, would care about the supporting characters more than the main character, Buffy, herself. The show Alias comes to mind when trying to demonstrate what is meant by the above statement. Alias was a very smart show, capable of drawing us in and making us care about Sydney Bristow, however other characters were not explored in the depths that Sydney Bristow was. Think of the increased success Alias may have been if the characters of Jack Bristow, Irena Derevco (sp?), Marshall, and Dixon, to name a few, had been developed as much as Sydney like what was done with BtVS.
Although Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a complex and deep show, it did not receive the success it was worthy of. The name, for starters, set the majority of the populace off of viewing the show, however, I believe, that the factors which made this show successful would be discovered by later shows.
.... continued in first reply
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