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Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Matthew Patterson on 10/21/2001; 5:34 PM I suppose it was really inevitable. On September 8th, 2000, the ABC network reran the series finale of their hit show, Boy Meets World. For whatever reason, I had missed the original broadcast back in May, and this was the first time Id been able to see the farewell episode of what was once one of my favorite television shows. As it turns out, I shouldnt have bothered. Really, I shouldnt have been surprised. Ive seen the decline of the show in years past. Ive seen the writers sink to lower and lower depths of camp in an attempt to draw in new viewers in their intended target audience. The problem was, the original intended audience was sixth graders. This was all fine and good, but the problem with sixth graders is, they grow up. The show's original audience is now in college, just like their beloved Cory and Topanga. Problem is, the show only grew with them part of the way. Examples? Too numerous to count. The early episodes stuck to simple, family-based comedy. It was a solid enough show, and did well enough in the ratings to where ABC didn't cancel it. (In fact, it's been the one constant in the TGIF lineup since around 1992.) As the show progressed and the characters grew up, the new situations they were thrust into gave the writers a chance to do some real dramatic, character-building stories. Cory and Topanga's relationship slowly deepened, Shawn's troubled family life was explored and angsted over, even the idiot older brother Eric appeared to be getting some development as he reached college age and tried to decide if that was what he really wanted out of life. Most of the best, most dramatic episodes occurred during this period. My personal favorite is the one where Shawn encountered a group that called itself "The Centre," which offered love and kindness to any who would ask, greeting all with deep hugs and supposedly does not judge anyone. But as the half hour progressed, we learned that the group's founder, Mr. Mack, wasn't all that he seemed to be, and that his Centre was, in fact, no better than a cult. Because Shawn, at this point, believed that nobody in his life had truly cared about him or believed in him, he proved to be easy prey for this insidious group. The climax came when the group's beloved teacher, Jonathan Turner, was gravely injured in a motorcycle accident. At his bedside, Shawn realized that the only thing the Centre really offered was control over him and that as long as he was with them, he was powerless to act on his own. Through an emotional soliloquy that eventually included shouting at God Himself, Shawn finally figured out that he was never alone, for his friends were always with him. How could one fail to be affected by that? Even now, several years and several dozen viewings after I originally saw it, I am still moved by the wonderful performances and excellent writing. I think at that point, the show hit its emotional high point, and has never been the same since. To be fair, though, later episodes have had their good points. There's one that happened in the cast's senior year in high school, when Cory and Topanga have temporarily broken up because Topanga thinks that she can't trust Cory any more. They eventually reconcile, but what affected me the most was an argument the two had over the Van Gogh painting, "Starry Night." That episode actually changed the way I look at this painting. Of course, there were still lighter moments. Once, after reading Black Like Me, Cory got the idea to write an article for the school newspaper entitled "Chick Like Me," in which he would dress up in drag and report about the difference in the treatment of women and men. (As Dave Barry likes to say, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.) Cory can't pull it off, so Shawn "volunteers" to be the subject of the article, pulling off a good female performance and eventually even getting a date with a guy from their school. The date showcased an important issue in teenage relationships that, at the time, really hadn't been touched on in shows aimed at that particular age group. This episode proved that it was possible to be serious and have fun in the same half hour. Later seasons threw this concept out the window. In fact, they threw it out the window, stomped on it, buried it, and built a bank vault on top of it. After the characters went to college, the show went to hell. Cory and Topanga married, but their relationship didn't change one bit. Shawn and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Angela never resolved their relationship to any satisfactory degree. Eric lost all the characterization he'd gained from his search for a meaningful future and returned to the bumbling idiot he started out as. In a desperate attempt to maintain continuity, Mr. Feeny became a professor at the college where, naturally, all the rest of the cast went. Two new characters were added, both Eric's age: Jack, Shawn's previously unmentioned half-brother, and Rachel, a young woman who literally came in off the street to Jack and Eric's apartment needing a place to stay after a fight with her boyfriend. Jack and Rachel eventually wound up together, but this was done without any real drama. This brings us to the finale. Topanga got a job offer in New York City and she and Cory have to decide whether or not to move there. Through a series of flashbacks to earlier episodes, they recall all the events that have brought them to where they are. This was almost physically painful to me, because the clips from earlier episodes were just so much better than those from later ones. Eventually, every character is showcased in flashbacks, and it's time for them to leave. The final scene takes place in the sixth-grade classroom where it all began. Cory, Topanga, and Shawn take their old seats and tell Mr. Feeny how much he meant to them. They individually say emotion-packed goodbyes and then flee the room. In the end, Feeny says, "I love you all. Class dismissed," and the show is over. I will admit, the last scene did hit me hard. But... what happened to the characters? Absolutely nothing! Cory and Topanga were off together, like they always were, and Shawn was with them. Eric tagged along with them in that slightly puppy-like manner the writers had perfected for him over the past few seasons. Jack and Rachel join the Peace Corps together, returning to the void of mid-series additions from whence they came. In the end, nothing has changed from the first episode of the show! Cory and Topanga and Shawn still move through life together, and Eric is with them, welcome or not. The only real change was in Mr. Feeny, because finally, the writers ran out of excuses to keep him with the rest of the cast. (I really did feel sorry for him, because in the end, he lost seemingly everything that he cared about.) I really shouldn't have watched that final episode. It was like a parody of the show I had grown up with and learned to love. They had a chance to do so much with it. What if Cory and Topanga had moved to, say, Utah? What if Shawn couldn't have come with them, or had chosen not to? What if Eric had decided, for good, that his brother's path was not his, and sought his own destiny? What if Jack and Rachel had never existed? (Sorry, but I never really liked them.) This show had the chance to become so much more than it was when the characters hit college. But the writers missed their chance, decided to take the boring path of slapstick humor and character stagnation, and thus a good TV show died, mourned by many, haunted by the memories of what was and the glimmerings of what could have been. (Yes, I know it's just a TV show and I really should relax. But for a long time, it was one of my favorites, and I never miss a chance to editorialize on something.)
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Chie Theresa Fujioka on 9/10/2000; 3:37 PM i always wondered what happened to the geeky little kid and i like eric because he is so weird. i never liked the others. of course i didnt watch it avidly... now xfiles is another thing. I wish carter wouldnt change it into "the textbook alien" stuff. The comic interludes were what made it so good. like the monster of the week stuff. i always hated the aien junk. oh well. that show is really disentigrating. maybe i should write an essay on that, hmm
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Mark Morgan on 10/8/2000; 9:29 AM [N]ow xfiles is another thing. I wish carter wouldnt change it into "the textbook alien" stuff. The comic interludes were what made it so good. like the monster of the week stuff. Chie: ask, and you shall recieve. I've read in a couple of places that the alien story arc is going to be less prominent this season of The X-Files. Thank the gods, as they really made it stupid. I spent an entire year waiting for the darn invasion. Where's my invasion? The conspiracy is broken! Invade, you alien morons! Grrr... Although there is talk of continuing yet another season without David Duchovny. Are these people insane? I was never the biggest Sliders fan in the world, but that show completely tanked after they tried to replace Jerry O'Connell. Don't these television people learn? Ever?
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Chie Theresa Fujioka on 10/9/2000; 1:56 PM yeh, except i get the feeling that X-files, like the simpsons has died and is being clung to by tendils of lingering fans. I barely watch it anymore, remembering the one which was written by gillian. She made it practically an eastern religion music video which was pointless and confusing. The cancer episodes made it a drama which was contradictorily resolved. The conspiracy junk was crap that never ended. All I loved it for was the funny plots: the fake teeth vampire, the haunted house etc etc, and the curiously intriguing psychological things, like the day which happened over and over until everything was right, or when mulder switched bodies and danced around in underwear. I liked the unpredictable scifi, like the hallucenagenic man eating fungi. That was what made x-files great. It was wonderful how the episodes would be used to develop the character of scully and mulder by showing how each responded to the same situation, etc. Now, they are going to change it?? I love the show, but can it survive without mulder?? will the whole show be devoted to finding him or something? What will I watch now? Seinfield reruns are great, but i've seen them. Simpsons was really good, as was x-files but now what have become of them? I'm beginning to fear being constricted to Japanese Satelite if nothing better is on. (Btw. Im one of the unfortunates with no cable... and even though we have satelite, my parents only bought one channel/... Japanese. Of course I could watch a free station... horseracing, theres 2, free speech, good samaritan, or advertisements for echo star??) *sigh* what has become of tv these days? You think this happened with radio too with the invention of the tv? maybe... well as i feel consigned to the computers i sign off-- highwire
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Brian Carnell on 10/9/2000; 2:14 PM At 03:04 PM 10/8/00 +0000, Mark Morgan wrote: >Although there is talk of continuing yet another season without David Duchovny. Are these people insane? I was never the biggest Sliders fan in the world, but that show completely tanked after they tried to replace Jerry O'Connell. Don't these television people learn? Ever? I was a *huge* Sliders fan and watched even the episodes without O'Connell. Sliders is a good example of how not to handle the replacement. If they decide to go a season without Duchovny they should kill off his character -- actually I can see that being a good plot hook for another season. Just don't do like Sliders which tried to basically replicate the same team season after season even though they kept replacing the actors.
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Mark Morgan on 10/9/2000; 2:15 PM Who knows what the heck they are planning for X-Files. From what I've been able to gather, Scully will finally play the believer (about time, if I'd seen everything she'd seen I'd change my view, too). Robert Patrick (Terminator 2's liquid villian) will presumably take over the skeptic role, and Duchovny will have some time to try and make as good a movie as Kalifornia. Will they spend the whole season looking for him? I really doubt it. Money. It's not as bad as the forces that convince me that Star Trek Must Die but the truth be told that I can't see any creative or story reason to keep the show on the air any longer. Carter needs to make the Muppet Show decision--cancel it before it goes any further downhill. Henson pulled the muppets off the air at the height of their popularity, and there is not a single episode of that show that isn't great. X-Files deserves a similar fate. It should have been done last season, maybe even the season before. Every season from now on is just pushing the accelerator to the floor to hit the wall that much faster.
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Mark Morgan on 10/9/2000; 5:06 PM (Aside: This board needs some way to see the rest of the thread while you input your post. Time to learn some javascript, I would imagine. Get it together just in time for Macrobyte to build an official flat board...) Sliders grows on me in reruns, but the cast changes were the least of my gripes. I had a lot of story problems with the shows. Every episode you could see the writer(s) struggling to throw the entire cast a bone, give everyone something to do. Worse, nearly every episode the characters become involved in some major change to the world. I can suspend my disbelief pretty well, but it got tiresome to see the cast overthrow one society after another. On the other hand, some episodes were fantastic. I loved, and still love, the episode where they slid into San Fransisco dinosaur preserve. It was on rerun recently, and it really holds up. The premise--dinosaurs exist--served as an excellent backdrop to the interactions between the characters. In one of the best written conversations of the entire run of the series, Wade and the professor are talking about the absent Quinn Mallory and Wade admits: "I love him, unconditionally." The whole episode is filled with perfect bits like that. The holographic ranger: "It doesn't matter where you run, I can follow." The professor almost bursts something laughing. A great scene!
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Brian Carnell on 10/10/2000; 8:40 PM "(Aside: This board needs some way to see the rest of the thread while you input your post. Time to learn some javascript, I would imagine. Get it together just in time for Macrobyte to build an official flat board...)" UBB just used a frame in which it loaded a copy of the thread. "Sliders grows on me in reruns, but the cast changes were the least of my gripes. I had a lot of story problems with the shows. Every episode you could see the writer(s) struggling to throw the entire cast a bone, give everyone something to do. Worse, nearly every episode the characters become involved in some major change to the world. I can suspend my disbelief pretty well, but it got tiresome to see the cast overthrow one society after another." Yes, yes, yes. This is the problem with ensemble casts and episodic television. This is one of the reasons I think the last two Trek shows suck so bad -- very superficial treatment of characters and surroundings. What *I* would have done with Sliders, which is why I'm probably not in television, is have had more multi-episode story arcs. One of the things I hated with Sliders is it became a sort of weekly creature feature except the creature was the new world, and since they rarely spend more than a single episode in a given alternate reality the worlds always came off feeling shallow (and conversely, led to shallow ideas being given consideration -- I *hate* the sex reversal world where Arturo runs for president -- stupid, stupid, stupid). Also something I don't understand is why sci-fi shows always have to have such convoluted subplots. The various twists and counter-twists involving the Cro-Mags, for example, were so bad I have to believe the folks who wrote them still go to sleep ashamed of themselves (besides which that has to be the stupidest orcs-in-space species every in sci fi. Come on, even Dr. Who has villains less lame than the Cro-Mags). Part of the problem, methinks, is that the suits who are in the background calling the shots have got it all wrong. They seem to think that a good scifi show is simple because you can always take a script and add a few blasters, explosions and freaky looking aliens to it, but in reality its a lot harder to pull off scifi precisely because its got blasters, explosions and freakly looking aliens (I mean look at Voyager -- the main character in Voyager is the freaking Holodeck IMO, since I can't watch a stinking show without hearing the phrase "the safety protocols have been disengaged.") Babylon 5 is an example of how to do classy scifi -- it's got the mother of all convoluted scifi plotlines, but it remembers we want to see people in space not special effects in space.
RE: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Seth Dillingham on 10/10/2000; 9:17 PM On Wednesday, October 11, 2000 at 1:46 AM, Brian Carnell (brian@carnell.com) wrote: >Babylon 5 is an example of how to do classy scifi -- it's got the mother >of all convoluted scifi plotlines, but it remembers we want to see people >in space not special effects in space. That's a very important point, and is a big part of my philosophy of life. Any endeavor which isn't focused on people is a wasted, negative effort. Maybe that was a little much for this type of message, sorry. Seth
Re: Of Life, Growing Up, and Far Too Much Television By: Mark Morgan on 10/10/2000; 9:31 PM I don't think that's too much for this kind of message. I think it goes to the heart of what people do and do not understand about science fiction, and the reason I adore well-done SF. Chris Carter doesn't understand science fiction, because he says that they don't do SF on The X-Files since the SF is a backdrop and wha't important is how it affects the characters. That's SF, dammit! LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness is not brilliant because of its world of humans who are neither male nor female; it is brilliant because the characters of Esteban and Genly Ai are some of the best written characters, ever. The SF conceits serve to illuminate the human condition. Otherwise we might as well all go home and listen to recorded organ music. Further, I agree that connectiions to people are the most important thing in any endeavor. I was a Buddhist for a while, and the kind of Buddhism I practiced was an engaged in the world Buddhism. I see very little value in going to the mountain and trying to understand the world. That doesn't work. And recently I discovered that you can spend four years thinking you can understand the world sitting in your room minding your own business, but when you get back to the world you left you haven't learned much of anything. At least, I didn't. Gotta connect with the human endeavor, otherwise, why be here at all?
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