Interesting Josh Friedman (TSCC Showrunner) Interview.

[beccatoria]

http://io9.com/5347563/the-questions-you-shouldnt-answer-and-the-answers-you-cant-let-go-of

It's pretty short and a nice read. It goes into the balance of specificity and answers with larger, unanswered, half-suggested, mysterious motifs. And the importance of giant messy mysteries but how if you're not careful, that's pretty much indistinguishable from laziness.

It kind of sums up why I miss this show terribly but also am...okay with where they left it, if it had to end.

Creating a beautiful unanswered question can be a complete work of art - just ask Schrödinger and his cat.

Just know that some day somebody will open that box and, dead or alive, there better be a fucking awesome kitty in there.

Also, I kind of want to write this bit on a postcard and send it to Ron Moore:

Bad writing is a demon that takes all forms and often finds a warm and inviting host with writers who confuse the arbitrary with the mysterious.

Comments

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Confusing the arbitrary with the mysterious... yes, not just Ron Moore.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely it applies to a lot of writers. Russel T Davies and whoever writes Heroes to name two off the top of my head. It's just RDM is, um, an easy current target and perhaps gets more of my ire than is strictly proportionally fair because he fell from such dizzying heights. ;)

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Yes, I was thinking particularly of the Heroes lot. And Lost too, though I gave up on that after the first season, so it might have gotten better.

X-Files, after that show got all lost and twisted up in the mess that became its mythology.

RTD, god, talk about ego. I hear he thought he was doing epic story-arcs throughout Doctor Who. Which, sorry, no, repeatedly mentioning 'Bad Wolf' or 'Saxon', or 'The Medusa Cascade' in random episodes does not equate to arc building.

And actually it was at rick that only worked really well for Bad Wolf, but repeating the same trick got, well, not lame, but he should have come up with a new trick for that pony.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

I never watched Lost, though I heard it got better in later seasons again. I completely agree that TXF collapsed under the weight of its own tangled mythology but I'm not sure it was an example of mistaking arbitrary with mysterious. If anything they tried to be too specific while also being vague but they didn't really try to pull the arbitrary/mysterious card, I don't think. They pulled the arbitrary card, but even PRETENDING it was mysterious was a bit beyond them by the end, I think. Their problem was constantly conflicting specific information, I think.

RTD's ego is just insane, though. And yeah he TOTALLY falls into this category. And after Bad Wolf none of them were even GOOD payoffs, you know? I haven't read it but a friend read his book - "The Writer's Tale" - and apparently his ego in that is unbelievable and essentially he reduces the opinion of anyone who doesn't like his writing by calling them "ming mongs" who don't get it. ::eyeroll::

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

I watched most of the first season of Lost, but my basic problem was I didn't like any of the characters.

It was a real shame what happened to TXF, for the first half of its run, the mythology stories were the best, but then towards the end, it was monster of the week episodes that made it worth watching. I was surprised nobody ever sat down and wrote a two-parter that *fixed* the ongoing mythology storylines. And yes, still bitter that the finale and movies didn't fix it.

And yes, I quite agree, the payoffs in the finales after bad Wolf were all pretty lame. Particularly the season with Martha and the DoctorJesusTinkerbelle. I mean... yeah, its a classic example of a writer/showrunner whose ego gets out of control and has nobody around with enough power and influence who can tell him when his ideas stink.

... in fact every Who season finale since that first season has been pretty lame. Though I suppose the second season with the daleks vs Cybermen finale was fun.

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Oh you know I posted earlier in the week about him guest-blogging for io9 and then completely forgot to go back and read his entries!!

I wasn't a huge fan of TSCC all along (though I thought the finale was great) but I'm very much a fan of him and his writing (on blogs and such) and I'll look forward to whatever he'll produce next.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

I wasn't totally sold on it from the beginning - I liked the first season but I wasn't in love with it. But the second season really just continue to get better and better, and as you say, the finale was really excellent. At least it got to end on a high note? :(

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

It's the reason why Buffy is still The show for me. Because no matter how many times I see it, there always another mysterious layer to uncover.

And that scene he referenced with John and Cameron was just about about my favorite scene of the show because there was just so much going on there.

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

I really ought to watch Buffy from start to finish one day. I've still only seen probably 20% of that show though I'm aware of most of the story through fannish osmosis...

And YES, that scene between John and Cameron was crazy awesome, especially considering neither of them are favourite characters of mine.

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

You've never seen Buffy!

Ack!

There are better plotted shows. They are better written shows. But there is no show with more believable characters, no show with as many layers to uncover, no show where every character is so fully three dimensional and recognizable.

It remains the show of my heart.

[chaila.livejournal.com]

I've started reading old entries on his blog recently and being sad yet again that I wasn't following this show while it was airing, after Tara had linked to a couple things. And I love him a surprising amount. He's yet to say anything that makes me want to throw anything, which is...weird. I just adore what he says about the "corners" in your world, that they should be bustling even if you never make it over there to see--it just seems like the way a brilliant creator of worlds should think!

It kind of sums up why I miss this show terribly but also am...okay with where they left it, if it had to end.

Yeah, I get this. As I think you know, I suspect that (a large?) part of the reason I fell quite this head over heels for apparently anyone involved with this show (my Lena Headey crush, let me show you it someday) is because it's done and it cannot now be fucked up. But I still want MOAR SHOW. :(

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

We should totally make Lena Headey and Mary McDonnell fight it out one day for our affections. :p

But yeah, there's this massive feeling that...it can't be messed up and they DIDN'T fail, but at the same time...MOAR. WHY CAN'T WE HAVE MOAR. *snuffles* And right when they finally get Ellison and Sarah together too!

...I need more SCC icons.

[nightxade.livejournal.com]

*bittersweet <3*

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I loved his reading of that scene between Cameron and John in bed, and that he left it deliberatey open for the viewer to interpret.