tv thoughts - hope

[orangerful]

So andy_wolverton and Beckie have been obsessed with Breaking Bad for the past month. They keep talking about, marathoning seasons and then discussing story arcs. But I just can't seem to bring myself to pick up where I left off in Season 2. Karen asked me why that was - why they were raving and I seemed so reluctant and I think I figured out the two things that my shows require:

Likeable characters and, most of all, hope.

Shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men etc. are well-written, character driven stories but I watch them and I get depressed by the sheer hopelessness of those worlds. And that lack of hope is magnified by the scarcity of likeable characters I can identify with. If there is no one for me to root for, it's hard for me to stay engaged. It's why my interest in Once Upon a Time started to waver. I think this also why I had to walk away from Walking Dead...the whole premise of the series is that the zombie apocolypse has no cure and they must all learn to live with the threat...and if i hadn't read the comcis and knew how utterly sad the story was going to get, I might be able to convince myself there was hope but...no, there is no hope. I think that is almost the mantra of the show - oh did you think that was hope? *shoots hope in the face*

My favorite shows of all time - Buffy, Angel, Firefly - Joss is all about the hope. Doctor Who - oh heck yes! It's all about a rogue alien's faith in humanity and what we can do. Avatar? "I believe that Aang can save the world". Battlestar Galactica, though overly-serious and insanely depressing at times, always had that hint of hope and the ending itself was about everything coming together. Yeah, it was a bit cheesy but I appreciate the moral of the story. Even Game of Thrones, a dark fantasy world overrun by war, has hope, represented by young Arya's tenacity to survive and Dhanerys' baby dragons, to name a few.

But...BUT - Why do I like American Horror Story? Perhaps it's because of the upfrontness about lack of hope? They are all DOOMED from the start, right? Or maybe, in a twisted way, horror can only exist if there is hope. Without hope, would it cease to have any power because you would just give up and killing someone who has already given up as nowhere near as terrifying as someome who still believes they will make it out alive.

(BTW if you have not seen, there are some teasers up for the new season. No spoilers, just creepy as hell!!!!!!!!)

So, in conclusion, yes, there are LOTS of amazing TV shows, but I can't spend my time on the ones that don't give me hope.

And also it needs to be October so I can watch the new season of AHS.

Comments

[colls]

Oh, I so understand what you mean. Angst for the sake of angst just doesn't push my buttons. I like stories to have happy endings (or at least the possibility of one)

I've heard such good things about Breaking Bad, too -- now I'm wondering if I should bother.

And it's so hard to care about a story/show/book/whatever if you don't like any of the characters.

[rrebelespresso.livejournal.com]

I like you.
Also, you just totally summed up why I can't watch those types of shows either.

*geekhug*

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

I like you too! :D

*geekhugsback*

[andy-wolverton.livejournal.com]

It's complex.... You actually do have characters to root for, at least part of the time. For example, Walt is trying to do the right thing: provide for his family after he's gone; he's just going about it in a VERY inappropriate way. You want him to do the right thing and often he does, but often he doesn't. Many of the secondary characters are either trying to do the right thing or are searching for something beyond themselves because their lives aren't working. Without getting too philosophical and theological, that part is fascinating to me. And one of the major questions of the show is "Can you change the path you're on once you start down that path?" There are a lot of grays in Breaking Bad, lots of shading. And believe it or not, lots of humor (most of it dark!).

[orangerful.livejournal.com]

oh I am sure there is, I don't disagree with that. But for me to be able to watch a show, to feel compelled to keep watching, I need a higher level of hope, I like my faith in humanity confirmed instead of questioned. Reality makes me question enough so I seek out shows that give me a glimpse of hope. But I don't deny that the writing and characters are solid. They are just not for me because stories like that wear me out and make me depressed.

Plus, I learned the answer to that question years ago. I mean, if Darth Vader can change, why not Walt? ;-)