12-10-2014, 04:49 AM
What I'm referencing is the flip side to the episodic part of television and it isn't a different issue (at least to me--but then again I do have brain damage so take that as you will! 
). What this is ultimately about (and what gets my goat) is how TPTB see the structure of their show. The episodic nature of the 20 minute format and its reset value is what defined the early season episodes--although an argument can be made that the early seasons aren't 'pure' reset sitcom as there is an overarching story arc--the progression of Lenny--which hovered in the background in some episodes, devoid in others and front and centre in a few. In effect the episodic format dictated the value of relationship plotting in that, yes, it was a part of the overall season arc but it wasn't crucial to the show's success or working mechanics. As a 20 minute sit com vehicle it was successful in what it did and there were moments of believable character 'growth' that subtly shaped the episodes but did not deviate from the consistency of plot development and structure. 'Serious characterization' didn't spoil the broth as it were and I was quite satisfied with the recipe they came up with.
My complaint is that TPTB have decided to alter the formula by making the relationship arcs paramount and that the 20 minute sit com structure they set up (with plot providing character growth) can't accommodate it particularly since the relationship structures are so terribly 'old school'. Thus the need to cram in the 'important parts' (as they define them) which distorts the 20 minute sit com format they set up in the early seasons. Jokes and plots are not as complex as they used to be because they have to write in all of the characters into nearly every episode. Again this is a problem with the new writing style not being compatible with the initial structure. This is why we all have the feeling that BBT is two separate television shows spliced together (with AFF as the sinew)--because it is. TPTB can't change the set structure of 20 minutes within its own micro-universe to make room for broad-sweeping character 'growth' so its only option is to fill in what they can in terms of showing their vision of the show or in other words plot no longer forms character, it's an external off-camera Power that tells us how the character thinks when we the audience are devoid of the visual on-screen facts as it were.
Ricardo, I think you're right that we seem to assign logic/order to what we see on the telly and agree completely with your observation that there is a balance between 'not everything resolving itself in 20 minutes' (Panty Pinata or the Lenny arc) and having a 20 minute reset where there are no consequences (Sheldon's career in the Arctic. This one in particular *had* to be dropped and forgotten because as so many ff writers have picked up on, this would have seriously altered/destroyed the friendships and comedic dynamic of the show). For me, what's happened is that the choices TPTB have made in terms of what gets reset and what 'goes on' are kinda whacked. Especially in terms of the Shamy, which had to pick up the pace so as to be on the level of 'serious relationship' as Lenny and Howardette, we have Sheldon's insults and Amy's...whatever the hell she's doing resetting over and over while at the same time their relationship deepens as they go on into future episodes. This further compounds the problem of inserting the relationship into the sitcom format as TPTB want to create the illusion of sentiment that supersedes the nasty one-off jokes that we see episode after episode. They seek to reorganize/reshape/alter the structure of the show (which to my mind is the logical structure format of the 20 minute sitcom we had in the early years) in order to make the relationships plausible (because as we all know 'poorly designed relationship' isn't a Shamy only problem). We see the devastating results in terms of episode quality and more importantly characterization.
So, am I saying that the characters were designed for the sitcom format? They might have been written for it but as I can attest to with the more dramatic pieces I've read on ffnet they are as adaptable, credible and poignant in more dramatic pieces as characters written solely for literary purposes. Therefore the problem lies solely with the altered vision of TPTB and the writers' inability to translate it into something that's funny. The *writers* are the ones who functioned best in the 20 minute sitcom format and Lorre and Molero are too up in their own arses to see that what's coming out is second rate.
Ah crap, did I ever babble.
That's what happens when you guys come up with such interesting topics to ponder. 
). What this is ultimately about (and what gets my goat) is how TPTB see the structure of their show. The episodic nature of the 20 minute format and its reset value is what defined the early season episodes--although an argument can be made that the early seasons aren't 'pure' reset sitcom as there is an overarching story arc--the progression of Lenny--which hovered in the background in some episodes, devoid in others and front and centre in a few. In effect the episodic format dictated the value of relationship plotting in that, yes, it was a part of the overall season arc but it wasn't crucial to the show's success or working mechanics. As a 20 minute sit com vehicle it was successful in what it did and there were moments of believable character 'growth' that subtly shaped the episodes but did not deviate from the consistency of plot development and structure. 'Serious characterization' didn't spoil the broth as it were and I was quite satisfied with the recipe they came up with. My complaint is that TPTB have decided to alter the formula by making the relationship arcs paramount and that the 20 minute sit com structure they set up (with plot providing character growth) can't accommodate it particularly since the relationship structures are so terribly 'old school'. Thus the need to cram in the 'important parts' (as they define them) which distorts the 20 minute sit com format they set up in the early seasons. Jokes and plots are not as complex as they used to be because they have to write in all of the characters into nearly every episode. Again this is a problem with the new writing style not being compatible with the initial structure. This is why we all have the feeling that BBT is two separate television shows spliced together (with AFF as the sinew)--because it is. TPTB can't change the set structure of 20 minutes within its own micro-universe to make room for broad-sweeping character 'growth' so its only option is to fill in what they can in terms of showing their vision of the show or in other words plot no longer forms character, it's an external off-camera Power that tells us how the character thinks when we the audience are devoid of the visual on-screen facts as it were.
Ricardo, I think you're right that we seem to assign logic/order to what we see on the telly and agree completely with your observation that there is a balance between 'not everything resolving itself in 20 minutes' (Panty Pinata or the Lenny arc) and having a 20 minute reset where there are no consequences (Sheldon's career in the Arctic. This one in particular *had* to be dropped and forgotten because as so many ff writers have picked up on, this would have seriously altered/destroyed the friendships and comedic dynamic of the show). For me, what's happened is that the choices TPTB have made in terms of what gets reset and what 'goes on' are kinda whacked. Especially in terms of the Shamy, which had to pick up the pace so as to be on the level of 'serious relationship' as Lenny and Howardette, we have Sheldon's insults and Amy's...whatever the hell she's doing resetting over and over while at the same time their relationship deepens as they go on into future episodes. This further compounds the problem of inserting the relationship into the sitcom format as TPTB want to create the illusion of sentiment that supersedes the nasty one-off jokes that we see episode after episode. They seek to reorganize/reshape/alter the structure of the show (which to my mind is the logical structure format of the 20 minute sitcom we had in the early years) in order to make the relationships plausible (because as we all know 'poorly designed relationship' isn't a Shamy only problem). We see the devastating results in terms of episode quality and more importantly characterization.
So, am I saying that the characters were designed for the sitcom format? They might have been written for it but as I can attest to with the more dramatic pieces I've read on ffnet they are as adaptable, credible and poignant in more dramatic pieces as characters written solely for literary purposes. Therefore the problem lies solely with the altered vision of TPTB and the writers' inability to translate it into something that's funny. The *writers* are the ones who functioned best in the 20 minute sitcom format and Lorre and Molero are too up in their own arses to see that what's coming out is second rate.
Ah crap, did I ever babble.
That's what happens when you guys come up with such interesting topics to ponder.
Let's go exploring!