tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post2974756937915589179..comments2023-07-12T07:29:30.186-07:00Comments on Renaissance Gamer: Serialization VisualizationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12893187028295709792noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post-88525044719459835892013-01-27T20:47:47.501-08:002013-01-27T20:47:47.501-08:00I wish I could post a diagram here, but I actually...I wish I could post a diagram here, but I actually think that Buffy in particular needs a different style of diagram which looks a bit more like a series of nested circles all connected by a node on one side (if that makes sense). I think Farscape and Angel both used variations on that style. This as opposed to the initial diagram in your post, which I think most closely relates to Lost and BSG.<br /><br />This is essentially the diagram I am thinking of:<br />https://wiki.colby.edu/download/attachments/206274634/circles.png?version=1&modificationDate=1315955365633<br /><br />However, The circles could end up outside eachother a bit more and end up looking like somewhat of a chain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post-45999546604713552792011-05-08T02:40:46.995-07:002011-05-08T02:40:46.995-07:00I think that was our biggest disappointment with B...I think that was our biggest disappointment with BSG, too. While stories appeared to emerge from character organically in the first couple of series, plot started to bludgeon everyone into places where they seemed ill at home.<br /><br />I enjoyed the complex relationship with Head Six and Baltar in the first two series but that, too, just retconned its past into "oh it was all for the greater good" when the Final Five mythology turned BSG into a series about destiny and fate, as series are want to do after Lost started plucking those chords so successfully. I always assumed Baltar would go through redemption near the end, little did I expect it to happen so suddenly. It would have been more impressive had they killed him off during the Hub episode, in a moment that almost had me sitting up and paying attention again.<br /><br />Just touching Farscape again, Farscape always seems to be driven by the ragtag crew and their strained relationships. Often the cliffhangers and big moments are all about the people - despite the big picture. In the third series, and I cannot get into this without spoiling the damn thing, they use a typical SF plot device to do something you've seen before, but then push it and push it until the personal implications are enormous. This was not TNG.<br /><br />I used to see SF like I saw my video games. Fun and exciting but, generally, don't give your emotions a work out. Farscape was the show that changed that for me. They would never be able to hit that high again, but the third series is etched into memory for bringing out the tears.Harbour Masterhttp://www.electrondance.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post-82905087895871034332011-05-08T02:16:56.555-07:002011-05-08T02:16:56.555-07:00Although to clarify - I always prefer character to...Although to clarify - I always prefer character to plot. Not sure it's possible for anyone to do otherwise. Consistency in character is directly related to consistency in plot quite often, though.<br /><br />Take BSG, for example. Chief Tyrol was one of my favorite characters, and his scenes at the end of S2, when he's having a crisis of Cylonness, were some of the best. And they're retroactively made cheap or irrelevant by the Final Five revelation. Or the way Baltar, initially such a fascinating character, got jerked around by the plot to fill its needs.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12893187028295709792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post-53776759859671668832011-05-08T01:40:28.835-07:002011-05-08T01:40:28.835-07:00Rowan I guess I'm with you - I prefer consiste...Rowan I guess I'm with you - I prefer consistency to rambling plot, even though that rambling plot is fun for awhile.<br /><br />That said, I'd say the on-the-fly plot of Farscape was one of the better SF attempts out there, more in with the Whedon school of series design. Threads from the first series pan out into very big things and, even if it is a little crushed, the post-show-cancellation finale movie does bring things to a conclusion. Character is also king in Farscape - it's much more important than plot. I'll be singing my praises of that series, too, until the day I die.Harbour Masterhttp://www.electrondance.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post-22867046978555148282011-05-07T19:19:34.330-07:002011-05-07T19:19:34.330-07:00oh I won't let you stop me. I adore Battlestar...oh I won't let you stop me. I adore Battlestar Galactica, and I always will. But I love your thoughts and appreciate the challenge. <br /><br />ps- I like the visualization. It helps. Did you ever find a place to write weekly on Game of Thrones?TargaryenFanboynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post-53613820152291209962011-05-07T19:07:53.970-07:002011-05-07T19:07:53.970-07:00Hey, if it works for you, don't me stop you. I...Hey, if it works for you, don't me stop you. It really, really didn't work for me, but that's pretty apparent by now, I'm sure.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12893187028295709792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10455901.post-26520102260569672332011-05-07T19:05:49.729-07:002011-05-07T19:05:49.729-07:00I think the two biggest mystery shows of the last ...I think the two biggest mystery shows of the last decade have to be Lost and Battlestar. Their structure demands the plot and mystery to be central. But something happened as I kept watching BSG; I fell in love with the characters. They became central to the show. I'm not a TV critic and I've never heard of the term retcon (sp?) until reading your blog. I've never had a blog or anything, despite reading your blog and many others everyday. You challenge my thoughts on my favorite show ever, and I appreciate that.<br /><br />I loved the finale. It was messy, and so is life. But my heart ached for these fictional characters, and I cried like a baby as Roslin died. Maybe that makes me dumb and ignorant of its problems with serialization. On my re-watch I will dig deeper and consider your great points.<br /><br />so thanksTargaryenFanboynoreply@blogger.com