Yeah, Flatliners was crazy overwritten, now that I think about it. Too much telling versus not enough showing, which seems to be a problem this series in particular has a lot of.
Regarding Missy, she falls into the same trap that Doctor Who arc villains have been falling victim to ever since the series got revived; nothing ever happens with them until the finale happens. These little scenes with her are supposed to be building tension and intrigue over who she is, but since I know the formula I have no reason to buy into that at all. Nothing of significance will happen surrounding that character until the last two episodes of the series, and potentially the last few minutes of the one before that. Since this has been the case for years, I can happily discard the teaser scenes with Missy as a waste of time, a pointless little bit of "mystery box" writing that thinks that deliberately withholding information is the same thing as giving the audience a puzzle to be solved.
A decent mystery gives the audience something to help piece the puzzle together before the reveal happens on screen. But there's no content in any of Missy's scenes, just a lot of fragmented scenes that lack any context. What am I supposed to make of that, and if I can't make anything out of it, why the hell are they bothering to include it?
Regarding Missy, she falls into the same trap that Doctor Who arc villains have been falling victim to ever since the series got revived; nothing ever happens with them until the finale happens. These little scenes with her are supposed to be building tension and intrigue over who she is, but since I know the formula I have no reason to buy into that at all. Nothing of significance will happen surrounding that character until the last two episodes of the series, and potentially the last few minutes of the one before that. Since this has been the case for years, I can happily discard the teaser scenes with Missy as a waste of time, a pointless little bit of "mystery box" writing that thinks that deliberately withholding information is the same thing as giving the audience a puzzle to be solved.
A decent mystery gives the audience something to help piece the puzzle together before the reveal happens on screen. But there's no content in any of Missy's scenes, just a lot of fragmented scenes that lack any context. What am I supposed to make of that, and if I can't make anything out of it, why the hell are they bothering to include it?
"YOU take the hard look in the mirror. You are everything that is wrong with this world. The only thing important to you, is you." - ronedee
Want to see more of my writing? Check out my (safe for work!) site, Unprotected Sects!
Want to see more of my writing? Check out my (safe for work!) site, Unprotected Sects!
