02-22-2015, 02:57 AM
(02-21-2015, 03:32 PM)Louise Wrote: Great observation, Nutz. This description sounds very boring and it's chock-full of "telling, not showing." What strikes me the most is the use of past-tense. It sounds like a story that's *over.* There's a lack of any punchy verbs, any *action.*
This is the end of a story, not the beginning.
Ditto. My response would be "And? So? What happens next?"
"Leonard and Sheldon are roommates. Leonard has a fiancee named Penny. They have friends named Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice. So-and-so is married to so-and-so and they have a friend called so-and-so."
That's a Facebook page, not a storyline. There's no action, no "hook", no PLOT. It's like reading those long lists of "begats" in the Bible.
This blurb tells us absolutely nothing about the characters' goals, plans, conflicts, activities, motivations. Their *sole* characteristic is "having a girlfriend" or "having a wife." It's all passive voice. There's no indication of anything *happening.*
This implies that H, R, and B were all added to the cast at the same time and are of equal importance and prominence. It definitely makes R and H sound like minor characters. Bernadette's profession is mentioned, but it doesn't say "fellow scientists Koothrappali the astrophysicist and Wolowitz the engineer"??? That's outrageous. We are told *absolutely nothing* about Raj except that he's a "fellow scientist" and we're told *absolutely nothing* about Howard except that he has an "adorable wife"? What makes her adorable? Says who? So what? Why should we care?
No TV executive would give the green light to a show with this description. If I were a tough-minded businessperson looking to make money and pull-in the important segment of the viewership, there's no way I'd accept something so generic-sounding. If someone brought this idea to me, the TV Programming Boss-person, I'd rip them apart:
Who are these people and why should we care?
What is the theme?
What does a typical episode look like?
Who are Koothrappali and Wolowitz, because we're told absolutely nothing about them. Are they young? Old? Nice? Not-nice? Attractive or unnattractive? What is their function in the story?
Why is this blurb written in the past tense?
Why should I take your word for it that a particular character is "street-smart" or "adorable"?
What is the Relationship Agreement and why should the viewer be interested in that?"
What is the source of humor?
Bottom line, this is not a synopsis, it's a recitation of relationships, like we're reading the Cal-Tech staff e-mail directory or something.
Unless this is specifically being pitched as a show for and about geek culture, that's about as interesting as "Leonard and Sheldon enjoy going to the library, or sometimes they go to McDonalds, or sometimes they go to the movies." Nothing in this blurb mentions or celebrates geek-culture or identifies the guys as sci-fi fans, because TPTB want to distance themselves from geek culture while simultaneously using and exploiting it.
A good story can be summed up in very few words: Hunt the Shark. Find the Ring. Wake the Princess. Escape the Prison. This, on the other hand, is all wishy-washy adjectives and no verbs.
This show would never, ever have lasted if it had debuted in its current format. And I find it kind of offensive that characters who were there from Day 1 (H&R), now merit less focus than a character who was added later.
Nobody would be eager to watch the show after reading this blurb. As a piece of writing, this wouldn't pass muster in a high school English class.
ETA: Amy's full name and profession are mentioned. H & R's professions aren't specified at all, they're just "scientists", and their full names aren't mentioned. Even though they're often referred-to by their surnames in the show, that's still icky and really shows where the priorities are, now. So, we are definitely given more information about late-comers A and B than about two characters who were central to the cast from Day 1.
On a slightly different topic:
I don't watch either of these shows, so correct me if I'm wrong, but:
HIMYM had a strange ending that a lot of people disliked. TAAHM's ending was a big FU. Therefore, it seems reasonable to guess that BBT has likewise become some type of "Gotcha!" and Lorre is just toying with the audience, now. I think TPTB are just pushing people's buttons and pitting different factions of the fandom against each other, for the hell of it. I'd almost say that there's little point in trying to analyze what happens on BBT, now, because it defies analysis. TPTB are not operating with sincere intentions, now. There's no rhyme or reason to this stuff. A message of "Romance conquers all" might be sappy and disappointing, but I don't think they're even sincerely committed to that, anymore. The characters and the audience are puppets. I think Lorre *wants* to see the viewership frantically speculating and worrying about "What does this mean? What's happening?", et cetera. He's just pouring water on an ant-hill. Lorre has some type of resentment against the world at large and wants to hit people where it hurts.
This show does not care about the characters or the viewers any more than a toddler cares about ripping-up the paper dolls they are playing with. IMO it's not even a show with a *bad* message anymore; it's a cash-grab with a side order of capriciousness. You can't understand or rebut something that's inherently nonsensical. It's all a big "Bazinga! Joke's on you!" now.
I mean, why would Lorre even bother with mocking Sheen or baiting the Shennies or whatever? "The best revenge is living well." He's already had the last word, in the form of money and influence. He already has success. You'd think that would make a person feel more tolerant and generous, not more resentful. You'd think there would be room under the big tent for every type of fan. Non-canon shippers and other "dissidents" have no power to change this show, so why should Lorre even care? He's killing a fly with a hammer.
This has been my point Louise. Where is the conflict with these Ships? They are just going marry off these couples and then what? Where is the fun in that? This is why in fics, I want Sheldon and Penny involved with other characters as well. It's not as fun to me if these Ships on shows and fic get a free ride to the end. I'm just going to end with I really think Lorre is a bad guy.