The Decline in TV Show Writing

When it comes to entertainment, I am a show person over movies and have been for most of my life. That isn't to say I hate movies but that something in my brain makes movies feel like a semi torturous experience to sit for two hours watching when it could have been broken down into multiple shorter episodes to be consumed over time. What my brain doesn't seem to account for is the knowledge that I will binge watch an entire show in one sitting which means a couple hour film is much more simple to watch than a seven series show where each episode is an hour that takes weeks to watch. When it comes down to it, I think the real reason I prefer a series over a film is because of the detail they are able to add.

When it comes to films we have only two hours to complete the full high and low of a situation including character development as well as the build and dissipation of tension. Where as with shows they have a chance to take more time drawing out the plot which yes can arguably be done with film sequels but again a movie has to be taken as its own watchable experience with pre existing knowledge. A show allows the watcher to connect deeper with the characters they see interact with their world because there is no rush. The first hour can be as simple as following the character around their average life which lets us as the audience resonate with the people we see on our screen more emotionally which is what makes the events that happen after effect us so much more. In a film the first hour is made for establishing the normal, breaking that normal, questioning and devising a way to go back and enacting that first plan to solve all the problems. I am not saying all films suck because they aren't able to go in depth the way shows do, in fact I believe it isn't always necessary, I simply prefer a slow burn in all senses.

The reason I start with this is because as someone who's favourite medium is shows I am disappointed with how lacklustre the writing of shows now are. Does this come after the final of Stranger Things? Yes! It does, but Stranger Things isn't the only show that has built an incredible show and huge fan base only to fumble the ball at the end. The general perception of a shows seasons, for me, is as follows:

Season One- The show is just getting started, the budget is seemingly low and the world building hasn't been thought about in depth. Despite the new beginnings there is something special about the show that draws people in.

Season Two- This is the series for small tests. An audience was built after the first series that allowed for the second but the larger place holder has still not been found so the creators are able to experiment slightly. This is either received well or creates a minor dip.

Season Three- The best series of a show. The budget is bigger, the core concept established, characters built upon and an interactive fandom is made where others can share their thoughts and feelings in a welcoming community.

Season Four- After the high of the last season this one feels as if it drops slightly but it could be because season three seemed so great. This one usually builds up to some big final discovery or plan that will be enacted in the next series as well as some character issues with one another.

Season Five- The time for tying up loose ends. Characters resolve their issues and join together to 'battle' whatever was disrupting their old lives. Everything is resolved and life regains a new normality that is similar to life at the start of season one with changes that account for character growth.

Now of course this isn't going to apply for every show however it is a somewhat accurate timeline of how each season seems to be portrayed. The most important part of which is the ending. When you have had a show that has been in rotation for years and has built an audience who loves the characters and story and have grown deeply attached to the themes a show has pushed it is critical to stick to those even in the ending when things change to create this new normal. When you don't, the audience feels cheated because the whole reason they grew obsessed with a show is because of how it started so going against it completely tarnishes everything they stand for. I feel it has been done time and time again where shows completely forget the core of what made a show enjoyable in the first place and yes that includes Stranger Things but also Umbrella Academy.

I could write a whole blog post in itself on how bad the Stranger Things final was and why but I will do my best to focus on three main elements: the characters, the core values and the lore. Starting with the lore, so many elements that were introduced way back in season one episode one where completely forgotten about. Key point number one being the fucking demogorgon and demobats! They were not only monsters introduced from the first episode but they were creatures that were built upon and evolved each series to increasingly show how difficult it was to survive in the upside down and create fear of this big boss they were to defeat. And yet in the final battle, the crux of all their pain and torment, not a damn monster to be seen. It makes no sense. Not just that but mere episodes before they were chasing and fighting demogorgons so it wasn't as if the final season got rid of them all together which would also have been strange but at least consistent. Instead we see them one episode and then complete nothingness in the next.

It was as if the writers could not wait for this damn battle to just be over with which is insane because you have spent the whole show building to this only for it to literally last ten minutes. The damn flash forward was longer than the final battle which doesn't make sense on any narrative level. They even had a moment to ensure people knew the difference between Henry Creel and The Mindflayer to show that they were separate entities that forged together to create this super being. They made a point to make everyone know Henry was choosing this (which in itself raises questions but sure) and that the Mindflayer existed long before him they simply teamed together when he was banished the The Abyss. So why on Earth did the Mindflayer die along with Henry. This was literal seconds before when they mentioned they are separate beings and yet if you kill one you kill them both. In which case why did all the other children, including Will, not also die?! If it is true that you kill Henry and everything else in the hivemind dies than all the children that were still connected should have been killed and so should have Will who has spent the whole show but especially season five being connected to it and exploiting it.

The children were even pulled out and immediately had the Mindflayer essence fly out of them which again raises so many questions regarding why it was ever there if they Flyer died, why it was released to easily when Will had to be tortured to be released and if the Flyer is alive as shown by the substance being released why did it not fight back. It truly would have been so much better if Henry was killed and everyone thinks its over only for the reveal to be that Henry was a puppet and now it was time for the real master to fight back, an enemy they have never faced head on in battle before and whose only semblances of power they have seen is in season three when the Mindflayer possessed Billy and a bunch of rats and humans to create a new amalgamation. A battle in which Eleven lost her fucking powers! Your telling me a slight possession and gross amalgamation of meat gave a better battle than the actual in the flesh Mindflayer on their home turf. No logic. The writers clearly did not care about the actual battle and just wanted to skip to the end.

Next was the characters and their development or more specifically their lack of. I do want to give a little bit of positivity here before continuing to completely pull apart the characters, not everything sucked. For example, Nancy Wheeler. A woman after my own damn heart she was and always has been a bad bitch. Season One showed her impeccable aim with a gun which although questionable for her first time has continued to be a classic Nancy trait. From the start through to the end she has been a character who is ready to fight without hesitation doing whatever it takes to keep her friends and family safe. But she also knows how great she is. She has never attempted to dumb down her intelligence or felt the need to highlight other feminine features of herself to compensate for being able to handle a gun and that is something I have always loved for her. She started a strong willed bad ass character and she ended a strong bad ass character.

Her brother on the other hand needs some help. Mike was supposed to be the leading character of the show and although he was a main character he could just have easily have disappeared and no one would have noticed. In season one Mike was a impulsive but dedicated character, if he set his mind on something it was unlikely to ever change despite any repercussions it might have and yet the love he shared for his friends ran so deep he was willing to literally jump off a cliff for them to be saved. And this deep rooted attachment for the people he cares about was something I was expecting to see through out the show but it isn't. In season four Will even mentions how Mike is the heart of the friend group and he leads them all into battle during their campaigns which supposedly reflects their real life scenarios.

And I can understand to a certain extent an argument that can be made where as you grow up you value your relationship with your girlfriend more, as Mike and Eleven do, and it is touched upon minorly how it is unhealthy to be so dependant on one another. And yet after that talk where they motivate Mike to be the leader and the glue of the friendship nothing changes. He still values El above all else and is boxed into this side character love interest for El to kiss before battle. You know who the real glue is? DUSTIN! Hell even looking back on season one it was him who was playing peace maker and trying to get Mike and Lucas to be friends again by seeing both sides of the argument. Dustin is the one who regularly has break throughs which are crucial for the development of the plot and allow for devising a plan to defeat whatever monster they are fighting that season.

And it would have added even more to such an interesting character knowing he was the lead and the people others rely on for a plan of action knowing that after Eddie's death he was not the same. It would have added another layer of complexity as he realises Eddie being dead is sad but there are also many other friends who are alive and wanting not just a leader but wanting to help him if they just give him a chance. But no. Dustin is the bard because Gaten Matarazzo can sing real well.

And then there is the core concept of the show. Season after season the lesson being shown is that if you band together, with strength and friendship you can take down any tyrannical person with power. So of course the show ends with.... Eleven killing herself. SHUT THE FUCK UP!!

Never have I been so disappointed in my whole damn life, and that's really saying something. I can understand why they would have El killing herself as a thought, especially when Eight was in the picture again. But from the moment we met Eight as a character she was pushy and manipulative, forcing El along this path of violence when she was at her most vulnerable. And yes I will be the first to admit that the first appearance of Eight back in season two did feel like a drastic mood swing and it didn't line up quite right but looking back I understand the intention. El in a twisted way was 'lucky' that as soon as she escaped she found the right people to interact with. People who showed her love and friendship. However similar to many stories of breaking out from a toxic environment, not everyone is met with hugs and kisses and showered in rainbows. Eight is that side of the representation. A person who had the strength to break out but still had to continuously fight for survival in any way they can and maybe got in with the wrong crowd but a crowd that were just like her doing whatever it took to keep on living.

So it made more sense she would be fuelled with anger and want to inflict it back because look at the life she has had, while El escaped and began to find a family so now all she wants is to truly be let free. Not revenge. Which is exactly why the separated. Having realised yes they went through the same thing but they were living for different outcomes. So when Eight returned it made sense for her character to think the only option is death. It is a dark revelation but one I can understand from her character and ultimately having her dye in a sick and twisted way feels like exactly what she would have wanted. Eleven on the other hand would never have wanted to die even if it was the only solution especially surrounded by her loved ones. It makes sense for her to falter but I feel they could have just as easily brought up Hopper and how he was also willing to die (killing Henry) just so that everyone else could be safe. It was the exact same notion and they could have had a much more emotional heart to heart were they both admit they don't know what to do other than live before making the vow to live for one another. Insert some line about dyeing is easying but living is harder, El saying she needs to be her own person and Hopper admitting he is projecting his dead daughter onto her too much. It could have been great.

And then that same notion of being able to fight against oppression will have been upheld, they could have made up some bullshit about henry being dead meaning El no longer has powers and then escaping when distracted idk. My point is wither the writers or the people over at Netflix were too damn cowardly to keep that as the motif because of the world we live in right now knowing how much of a strong impact it would have for us all. Because we can fight against the government so long as we work together, but that was clearly too much of a dangerous message to put against the President huh?

A similar thing happened with Umbrella Academy- they built up this core concept of community only for it to ultimately mean fuck all in the end. Putting aside the insane amount of incest that "doesn't count" because they were adopted (they're literally all built from the same alien dust) they build upon this dysfunctional found family aspect of community and how they may not be perfect and they may fight all the time but they are still family and if they are even in a dangerous situation they will be there for one another. So why on earth do they all die at the end?! It is as if all writers give up at the end and just decide that if they all die then the audience will be happy knowing they have seen their endings and don't have to theorise that happens next. Don't they realise fan fiction writers LIVE on open endings! What's more having them all die to reset the timeline where none of what they have done exists is so crazy to me. Not because I don't understand why but because I don't see why they all had to die. I truly think it could have been so much better if they find a way to transfer all the alien essence or whatever it is called to Five and have him time jump/ teleport somewhere no one can get hurt and have him explode to reset the time lines.

It all started with him, more so because of him, and he is the oldest of them all so it makes so much more sense for him to be the one who ends it. And there could be an emotional goodbye conflicting feelings and Ben who is new Ben shows a sign of old Ben because wow this guy is sacrificing himself for me. Then in the flash forward where everyone is okay and still has all their memories (because in my ending Five dying resets the mistakes not the current timeline) everyone is gathered at a funeral for Five. Set a few months in the future when the chaos has cleared up and people are beginning to try and be normal again. We see Ben acting more goofy and silly like how season one Ben was, Alison is with her daughter and husband, Lila and Diego are with their children maybe whispers of a divorce if you wanna take that route maybe whispers of going on holiday alone to try and work on things and then it ends with Victor laying out a marshmallow and peanut butter sandwich the same way we were told he did when Five went missing the first time. Not necessarily as a way of saying he's out there but as a way of saying Victor is keeping out hope/ hoping wherever or whatever he is now he sees he is thankful. That way it is left semi open for all the fans who want it to be such.

In summary I think writers are loosing their ability to successfully end a show. And this isn't my way of saying all shows that don't end happily are bad, I love a good bitter sweet show ending so long as it is done write. Further more I love a show that ends in a surprising way that leaves me thinking damn they did that. But the more I sit on an ending the more that damn turns into 'why the fuck did they do that' rather than a 'wow that was so interesting'. So to any writers out there reading this please remember the foundation you set when it all began, and if you can't do that then put me on the board to do it for you!