What do you guys think of the "10 HOURS EARLIER"'s (etc.)?

[FallenAngelII]

I really liked "Tabula Rasa". It didn't have much that annoyed me besides a few minor points and the pacing was pretty good (as opposed to, say, "Adrift").

However, I was really annoyed by how they treated the viewers like idiots and insisted on splashing "X hours earlier" and "Present" over the screen every single time the timelines switched.

I mean, it was pretty obvious every single time they switched timelines:
* Flashy transitional effect
* Switch of filters and lighting (dark and bluer/greener)
* The scenes switched from people without amnesia walking about to mostly Rodney with amnesia panicking

Yet they showed these little reminders of which timeline we were in repeatedly. It was shown so many times I didn't even notice it when they stopped doing it towards the end because I've begun to ignore the bottom half of the screen every single time there was a switch.

IMO, the first little note ("14 hours earlier") at the beginning would've sufficed.

So what did you guys think?

[Agent_Dark]

if only it was 10 hours earlier so i wouldn't have had to read this thread

[Xaeden]

I liked the X hours part simply because I liked knowing exactly when in the past they were as it allowed me to know exactly how quickly it was effecting them. Which in turn let us know how serious the situation was and how they had badly they needed to hurry up with a cure (the first person died between 8 hours previous and the present). Of course I would've known that they were a little further along in the past everytime they kept flashing back, but the details are nice and it added a bit more flavor to things due to what I said in my previous sentence. Had they put the same time on the screen at any point (i.e. One time they jump back to "8 hours previously" and then two scenes from then they jump back again and put up "8 hour previously" again) I'd see your point. But as it was, the three X hour mentions were just nice ways to give us an idea of how quickly things went sour. Otherwise there'd be people here arguing that it took many more hours for some of those things to happen then they did.

As for telling us it was the present, they only did it the first two times after the opening scene where we weren't told anything. Not a huge deal. Seeing "present" appear on screen one more time than I thought was necessarily didn't even phase me. But, it fit as 5 sceens in row did this - First there was 14 hours, then present, then 10 hours, then present, then finally 8 hours and it would've been odd to have it disappear on the second present and then reappear for the 8 hours previously sceen. We would've been wondering if it might've popped up at any other time throughout the episode. This way we knew when they were done with it and could move on.

[Avenger]

The "X hours earlier" stuff was there to keep things from getting too confusing for everyone who watches the show. Just because the OP was able to easily follow what was going on doesn't mean everyone did. Also, as mentioned before, the different times allowed us to get a sense of how fast the infection was affecting people. Frankly, that alone, is more than enough reason to tell us what the time frame was.

[Overture]

Yeah, I agree. The exact time helped to get a reference for how far the thing had likely progressed, and since X amount of time might mean a certain number of dead etc, it really helped as a device for building tension, in my opinion.

[SaberBlade]

Personally, I find it annoying when any TV show starts by showing you the event, then goes back so many hours to show you the cause.

While there are times that it's needed, if they are going to just go back once rather than constantly shift forward and back then it's not needed. I also find it a sort of cheap way to start an episode of because theyve got nothing more exciting to show. It usually turns out that the main event before the time change takes place about 20 minutes in, maybe 25, so you know that there is always going to be a lot more happening afterwards so it sort of kills the point.

[Overture]

THe other thing I do like about this device is that it gives another chance to exploit the "I didn't see that coming" device. That is to say, it's all very well to have plot twists etc but they're so cliche, whereas this way you start with something and the situation they're in is revealed to be not the obvious one, just in a different way.

If you see what I mean, and I'm sure that you do.

I guess it's a cheap way of adding a plot twist or two where there aren't any, but hey, that's classic story-telling for you (see also - greeks), and if you're the sort of person who has watched a lot of this sort of device, you're going to find it a bit old.

Familiarity breeds contempt, and there is only so much originality in the world.

[Mattathias2.0]

I liked it. It gave us a way to approximate how fast things went.

[Jumper_One]

it didn't bother me at all. I already recognised which scenes took place in the past or present from how they had been shot. the X hours part was only there to show us the progression of Antlantis' infection and how much time had passed since the last flashback. I guess that was the easiest way to do just that

[Mitchell82]

The "X hours earlier" stuff was there to keep things from getting too confusing for everyone who watches the show. Just because the OP was able to easily follow what was going on doesn't mean everyone did. Also, as mentioned before, the different times allowed us to get a sense of how fast the infection was affecting people. Frankly, that alone, is more than enough reason to tell us what the time frame was.

Exactly. I had no issue with it at all.

[PG15]

We needed a few of those to make sure the audience got that we were going to switch from past to present a few times in this episode, and once they got it, there was no need of them anymore, and they were gone.

It was like Pavlov's dog trick; the food is the subtitles, the bell was the flashes.

[nekoi]

Being careful never hurt anyone.

It was an obvious choice for them to place those timeframe titles, as they were mixing two different times at once... they often do the same thing with other shows like HEROES.

It's smart, really... it helps the audience keep track of what's going on and in what timeframe it all happened.

[FallenAngelII]

I know why they used it. And as I said in the OP, I wouldn't have minded if they only used it the first time.

But how dim are the American viewers, really, for them to have to do it repeatedly? I have yet to lose so much faith in humanity as to think that they'd be dimwitted enough not to realize it after the first time.

[rarocks24]

I know why they used it. And as I said in the OP, I wouldn't have minded if they only used it the first time.

But how dim are the American viewers, really, for them to have to do it repeatedly? I have yet to lose so much faith in humanity as to think that they'd be dimwitted enough not to realize it after the first time.

we nedz th3 timez0rz b3cuz3 w3re so d1m. t0 sh0w pazg 0f t1m3 & ****.



Honestly, who cares really? So the subtitles are there showing how many hours....big deal. Instead of focusing on the major issues you're focusing on trivial issues?

[Xaeden]

Honestly, who cares really? So the subtitles are there showing how many hours....big deal. Instead of focusing on the major issues you're focusing on trivial issues?

He obviously just needs to fill his quota of two complaint threads per episode no matter how deep he has to dig to find a topic.

I wonder what the two for tonight's episode will be. No don't tell me, let me guess...Telya's stupid for not bringing marines with her everywhere she goes and is unfit to have ever been the leader of her people and...hmm...Something about Keller perhaps. *nods* Keller will be involved in his rants, no doubt about it.