S2 Overall vs. S2 Episodic

[midnight]

I thought we might get some interesting discussion going on in here, even though the season hasn't finished.

I have to say that overall season 2 sucks a lot. However, I really do think that there are some brilliant individual episodes.

Episodes 17, 18 and 19 have all been really great at actually getting down to business, but I can't help but be sad that the earlier parts of this season couldn't live up to the first one.

It was a bit too much too soon. Then it was too little too late. And all variations of those.

I thought Plan B and I Am God were so, so very good, I Am God was great, brilliant...etc...but really, if I was grading them against the whole season then I would have to rethink it because it just didn't work for me. They were at a great place for us, but at the same time a lot of that needed to come earlier.

I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer because I still ADORE the show. I just don't know if I liked the lead up to the way things are playing out.

One thing that stands out is the handling of Duncan and the baby and...I hated it. Worst part of the season! I really wish they didn't go there, because...soaps do what they do well. It's hard to come up with a way to be excited about a boring soap storyline relating to characters most of the audience doesn't care about.

A lot of the Veronica characterisation seemed off to me because she was so involved with Duncan, but the badness stuck around a bit too long after that.
Eps 17- redeemed that a lot though.

So...what are everyone's thoughts?
Are we just glorifying season 1 because it's a somewhat distant memory?
Are the mysteries of this season too difficult? Too complex? To uninvolving?
Have the characters changed? For better or worse?

[nyla]

I have to agree. overall S2 hasn't been fantastic it felt like in the middle the show kind of fell asleep. I get that not every episode has to revolve around the bus crash but there was a lot of filler that was obviously filler.

As I mentioned before considering the way this season has been put together I wouldn't mind seeing two or three archs per season next season (if there is a next season ). It might work better with the show and if it doesn't i'm sure season four maybe perfect (wishful thinking?).

Certain episodes this season have been just sheer brilliance I agree on the three you mentioned.

I only think that perhaps some of those filler episodes may have had a point that isn't apparent until the final episodes, lets hope so hey?

[midnight]

Yeah I agree!
I think that you're right, some of the filler might turn out to be important. But at the same time, there was a lot of filler last season, but more of it was fun filler. Looking back at this season's episodes I think there are only a few that I would watch a few more times, whereas episodes like The Wrath Of Con and An Echolls Family Christmas I could watch all day and never get tired of them. Even though they aren't major turning points for the show. [Although AEFC is way more important than we first thought]

I think that trialing the mini-mysteries this season would be good.
They did a similar thing with Alias season 4, where they redid the format, but then found that it didn't work as well and so by the end of the season they were back to their old tricks.
So I agree with you, ideally if they're going to change the format for S3 and we don't all love it they could go back to the extended mystery in season 4.

Maybe once the season is over and the DVDs are out we can all do a rewatch charting the best and worst episodes.

[nyla]

I think that's an awesome idea we'll all have a marathon (hopefull it comes out near Nov so we can have them for uni hols ) and we can watch a few eps a day and report our findings

I really haven't sat through and re-watched many episodes but I think without the long breaks perhaps I might have been more interested and may have made more links from the filler episodes.

[midnight]

Yes November would be a good time for me.
Although that's leaving it a bit late for season 3 newcomers.

I haven't rewatched any of the earliest ones. I've seen a lot of this season's episodes twice but since I watch them twice in the same week it doesn't help that much.
It seems crazy to think that it started all the way back in (Septmeber) October though!

[nyla]

I'm so swamped over with uni which is why I chose November but yeah I forgot the Season Three ideally should be out after the S2 DVD's are available. I'm thinking June/July holidays but well that's only a month or two away so I doubt that will be the case.

I know right?! it feels like all the other episodes up to this point are forgettable in fact i have forgotton some of it.

[midnight]

I just want it to have lots of extras. Commentaries! Everything!

Only two weeks until we know how truly forgettable those forgotten episodes were

[nyla]

We shall see. not long to go now hopefully not forever just until next October

[midnight]

By the way, word on the DVDs at the moment is August.
That doesn't work well for us, but...ummm...I'm sure we'll make time in our busy schedule?

I was just watching the deleted scenes from the first season and I had a thought:
The writers really had a battle this season because the viewers are smarter.
The Haaron stuff wasn't obvious, but when you go back and watch it is really clear that they were setting him up as someone who's not right and someone you need to watch.
Whereas in the second season we've already seen what they did with Haaron, and now we know that the people they make look too creepy too soon are either definitely suspects because of that, or they're definitely not suspects because of that. I mean, they either have to repeat what they did last season or come up with something different, but they can't make it obvious either way until the next episode because otherwise we're all going to know. And if someone knows what's going to happen it's a lot less fun. Especially on VM. It needs to dumbing down!

I am wondering if they will go for the left field thing of having a main character seriously involved. Not many shows have the cojones to. I know Duncan was the back up killer last season, but I don't think that would have been satisfying. I can't think of any characters out of the credits that it could be, but, you know, it'd be interesting for them to go there. Maybe they will in another season.

Regardless of what happens I will be very interested to see if they've repeated the 'bring this character in, make them look nuts, have them do it' formula or if they go for something completely different.

Eeeeeeep! So close!

[nyla]

bwahaha I think i'm free August

I agree with us knowing the format the writers have had to be very creative, which is what I gather all the filler eps were about to stop us thinking and over analysing too much. But yeah you are right it would've been tough doing the second season. Since one was such a breath of fresh air.

Dying to see the DVD's hopefull S2 explains more about the thought process.

[midnight]

OMG! They brought a credits character in, made them nuts and made them do it!

It was tough though, and I know that I couldn't have written it any better, so well done to all the writers and everyone else involved.

I think they did a good job at making it someone prominent but also someone who we didn't immediately suspect. A lot of people probably started suspecting him towards the end of the season, but I doubt many did at the start.