Something that's been annoying me lately...

Necronomicon

I'm not sure if i'm noticing it more, or if it's becoming more popular, but there is a storytelling device which has been bugging me lately. You know the one; the episode starts with a dramatic scene, and you have no idea what's going on. The scene ends with a giant cliff-hanger, and then cuts to '12 hours earlier' and you realise that it was the final scene of the episode.

It really annoys me because when anything happens during the episode, you know exactly where it's leading. Not only that, but it invariably leads to a cop-out ending where the cliff-hanger was a red herring.

I started watching Alias recently and it seems to be used ad naseum. More recently, Episode 11 in Season 3 of Chuck it was used to show the final scene

where you're led to believe that Chuck assassinates someone when the screen goes black and you hear a gunshot. Turns out it isn't Chuck, but rather Casey that pulls the trigger.

Am I alone in hating this storytelling device?

Conor108

Home and Away have used it a few times. Thats all I can think of.

Miguel_Sanchez

I think the problem isn't in the device itself but rather its overuse. At this stage you can almost guess that whatever seems to have just happened won't have happened at all.

Spaced used it quite well in the episode Gone though - with the shootout on the street.

FreudianSlippers

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

I think the problem isn't in the device itself but rather its overuse. At this stage you can almost guess that whatever seems to have just happened won't have happened at all.

Spaced used it quite well in the episode Gone though - with the shootout on the street.

I totally agree. The Good Guys uses it every episode as their format and it quite works for that show.

Dman001

CSI is the biggest culprit for doing it. Cant say I really like the format either.

KeithM89_old

Haha, OP you would hate Human Target then - it happens on a majority of episodes

Wolflikeme

Necronomicon wrote: »

I'm not sure if i'm noticing it more, or if it's becoming more popular, but there is a storytelling device which has been bugging me lately. You know the one; the episode starts with a dramatic scene, and you have no idea what's going on. The scene ends with a giant cliff-hanger, and then cuts to '12 hours earlier' and you realise that it was the final scene of the episode.

It really annoys me because when anything happens during the episode, you know exactly where it's leading. Not only that, but it invariably leads to a cop-out ending where the cliff-hanger was a red herring.

I started watching Alias recently and it seems to be used ad naseum. More recently, Episode 11 in Season 3 of Chuck it was used to show the final scene

where you're led to believe that Chuck assassinates someone when the screen goes black and you hear a gunshot. Turns out it isn't Chuck, but rather Casey that pulls the trigger.

Am I alone in hating this storytelling device?

Actually remember watching that episode a few weeks back and thinking 'ah for fcuks sake'! I

I just don't like that feeling watching a tv show. It should feel like you're enjoying finding out what's going to happen instead of finding out how they arrived at the place they were at the start, like it's already happened and you have to wait it out almost.

Our man in Havana

Damages was the worst for doing that. Especially in season 3.

pickarooney

I can't stand when it's overused. Any more than once a season for a show is milking it.

Our man in Havana

How about every single episode?

Basq

I don't know.. I don't mind this story-telling technique!

'Alias' used in at least 3 - 4 episodes a season for it's run, but I always enjoyed it!

Richard Dower

The OC used it a few times, lots of shows have used that plot device...sometimes it works.

ixoy

'Alias' was the first show that I really noticed it being used a lot - it got a bit tiresome by the end.
Now I'm no longer much of a fan of it unless it's compelling ("Firefly", for example did a good job with one episode).

humanji

I think "In medias res" is what you're on about OP. When done right, it can work brilliantly. But yeah, the over use of it can get really irratating.

I think it's used mostly because the first 1 or 2 minutes of a show has to hook the viewer into wanting to see what happens. You usually find that in shows where it's used, the next 10 minutes are fairly boring. If they hadn't put the exciting bit at the start, people with short attention spans would change channel.

Richard Dower

^ yup...it's a hook/device to keep viewers watching to the end of an ep.

Tristram

It was very well done in Damages!

paddytheboy

It really does depend on how much it's used. Overuse just makes it less interesting.

pickarooney

Richard Dower wrote: »

^ yup...it's a hook/device to keep viewers watching to the end of an ep.

That maybe explain my problem with it. I have no need for silly tricks to get me to watch a whole episode of something.

Our man in Havana

Tristram wrote: »

It was very well done in Damages!

I would disagree there. Sorry.