02-06-2015, 03:53 PM
Enjoyable post, Gripe. I like how you take things apart and look at them from a different angle.
Y'know, when I read that list of "Interests & Delights", it's such a special feeling. It's like the concepts themselves are glittery and exciting and so full of promise.
This is such a healthy, reasonable, and balanced approach, and I wish I could feel that way. I just don't feel like attempting to look for the good in these later seasons and extract the pretty-good parts from the rest.
When I made that thread about "Okay stuff in the later seasons", I soon discovered that I didn't have many personal examples to give, and I also realized that to me, "Later seasons" means 4 and beyond that lies the Forbidden Zone.
I dunno, I think my goodwill has been totally exhausted. At this stage I just have a gut-level negative reaction to anything involving the newer eps, and I just recoil automatically, like when you pull your hand away from something hot.
![[Image: 1tubtt.jpg]](http://i59.tinypic.com/1tubtt.jpg)
Space has sometimes mentioned being unable to enjoy the old eps because of the awareness of what lies ahead*. Conversely, I think I might be unwilling to enjoy the okayish parts of the later seasons because I know what's already happened, meaning the various major JTS moments of S5/S6 when the format underwent big changes. It all has a shadow hanging over it, now. It's like the "calm" scenes in a horror movie, which come before or after something jumps out at you. You know the scary things are still present, lurking, just beyond your view.
Basically, it's not worth it, to me. It's too distressing and I just don't care. I find the sweet and lovely-dovey H/B moments almost as objectionable as the blatantly unpleasant shouty ones; I object to the ship in its entirety, period, so it's not like "B. takes a chill pill" would tempt me to start watching again.
At this point I think this show and characters are just a springboard for lots of fanciful AU ideas, to me. I'm not a viewer in any conventional sense. Even with the early seasons, I sometimes think that I like the characters and the concept more than the execution. (It's often that way for me, with shows.)
I'm trying to examine *why* I just don't feel the willingness to look for the silver lining in these new eps, and this might be one reason: a lot of these eps and plots and storylines seem like a real slap in the face to Nostalgics, as opposed to just "Well, this isn't what I would do, but whatev." It's like they're specifically designed to hurt us and offend us and tear-down what we loved, like TPTB is saying "No, you're wrong, and you were wrong to prefer that other stuff."
I can think of PLENTY of storylines and plot-twists and ships which would not be my personal favorite, but which I wouldn't find actively offensive, either. It's not like I'm hearing about these eps and going "Well, that's not my personal preference, I find this to be a mildly annoying choice, but whatever." But there's a difference between a TV series that just sort of loses focus or fades away, versus one that's being intentionally destroyed by its creators. (seemingly). If the plots and the TRs sounded merely *boring*, that would be one thing, but they're not merely uninspired or a bit silly, they're upsetting. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I don't like the feeling of being deliberately manipulated and told what to think. I don't want to let TPTB jack me around and I'm not playing their game.
I've put a lot of mental effort into sort of brainwashing myself into believing that this isn't the same show or the same characters at all, it's just some kind of spin-off, some different iteration of the same franchise, in the same category as the unaired pilot.
I don't want to pop that bubble of "This isn't real." If it's not real, then are no new episodes. Either the show we knew is over, or it's not. It's too much hair-splitting and doublethink for me to deal with, otherwise.
Anyway, I'm very happy for the people who feel pleased and heartened by this ep. I'm just thinking out loud.
I know, I know, I'm Eeeyore.
![[Image: 350qow6.jpg]](http://i58.tinypic.com/350qow6.jpg)
*Correct me if I'm putting words in your mouth Space.
Y'know, when I read that list of "Interests & Delights", it's such a special feeling. It's like the concepts themselves are glittery and exciting and so full of promise.
Quote:The early seasons would only have had the first plots. If there were some program I could install that could edit out the latter plots automatically (or replace them with something soothing, like a lava lamp) then I genuinely think I’d be quite delighted with these later seasons.
This is such a healthy, reasonable, and balanced approach, and I wish I could feel that way. I just don't feel like attempting to look for the good in these later seasons and extract the pretty-good parts from the rest.
When I made that thread about "Okay stuff in the later seasons", I soon discovered that I didn't have many personal examples to give, and I also realized that to me, "Later seasons" means 4 and beyond that lies the Forbidden Zone.
I dunno, I think my goodwill has been totally exhausted. At this stage I just have a gut-level negative reaction to anything involving the newer eps, and I just recoil automatically, like when you pull your hand away from something hot.
Space has sometimes mentioned being unable to enjoy the old eps because of the awareness of what lies ahead*. Conversely, I think I might be unwilling to enjoy the okayish parts of the later seasons because I know what's already happened, meaning the various major JTS moments of S5/S6 when the format underwent big changes. It all has a shadow hanging over it, now. It's like the "calm" scenes in a horror movie, which come before or after something jumps out at you. You know the scary things are still present, lurking, just beyond your view.
Basically, it's not worth it, to me. It's too distressing and I just don't care. I find the sweet and lovely-dovey H/B moments almost as objectionable as the blatantly unpleasant shouty ones; I object to the ship in its entirety, period, so it's not like "B. takes a chill pill" would tempt me to start watching again.
At this point I think this show and characters are just a springboard for lots of fanciful AU ideas, to me. I'm not a viewer in any conventional sense. Even with the early seasons, I sometimes think that I like the characters and the concept more than the execution. (It's often that way for me, with shows.)
I'm trying to examine *why* I just don't feel the willingness to look for the silver lining in these new eps, and this might be one reason: a lot of these eps and plots and storylines seem like a real slap in the face to Nostalgics, as opposed to just "Well, this isn't what I would do, but whatev." It's like they're specifically designed to hurt us and offend us and tear-down what we loved, like TPTB is saying "No, you're wrong, and you were wrong to prefer that other stuff."
I can think of PLENTY of storylines and plot-twists and ships which would not be my personal favorite, but which I wouldn't find actively offensive, either. It's not like I'm hearing about these eps and going "Well, that's not my personal preference, I find this to be a mildly annoying choice, but whatever." But there's a difference between a TV series that just sort of loses focus or fades away, versus one that's being intentionally destroyed by its creators. (seemingly). If the plots and the TRs sounded merely *boring*, that would be one thing, but they're not merely uninspired or a bit silly, they're upsetting. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I don't like the feeling of being deliberately manipulated and told what to think. I don't want to let TPTB jack me around and I'm not playing their game.
I've put a lot of mental effort into sort of brainwashing myself into believing that this isn't the same show or the same characters at all, it's just some kind of spin-off, some different iteration of the same franchise, in the same category as the unaired pilot.
I don't want to pop that bubble of "This isn't real." If it's not real, then are no new episodes. Either the show we knew is over, or it's not. It's too much hair-splitting and doublethink for me to deal with, otherwise.
Anyway, I'm very happy for the people who feel pleased and heartened by this ep. I'm just thinking out loud.
I know, I know, I'm Eeeyore.
*Correct me if I'm putting words in your mouth Space.