Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Series over Shows - An article mostly about Psych

Around two years ago, I tried watching a show called Monk. I hated it. I finished the first season and started the second one, just to quit like three episodes in. I just couldn't watch it. I'd find myself multitasking; gaming, reading, and just not paying attention to the show. Whole episodes would go by and I wouldn't remember shit because I just wasn't invested in what I was watching.

The problem with shows like Monk is exactly that, it's a show. And I'm the type of guy who prefers a series. What do I mean? Well, lets compare.
It's just an image, and I'm already bored.

In the simplest way possible. A show suffers from little to no character development. You walk out of episodes and seasons the exact same way you went in. Nothing changes with or between these characters. They always treat each other in the exact same manner. Which is totally crap, because everything people do changes their reality and the way they treat one another.

On the other hand TV series, requires at least an underlying story arc that motivates and carries the viewer from episode to episode. I say 'at least' because it can be underlying. It's not always the most important aspect, but it just needs to be there. There are many shows that I like that use this underlying system (Burn Notice, Castle, White Collar).

Then we have the shows that I really love. Where the story is everything. If you miss one single episode you shouldn't watch the next one, because you're going to be totally lost in the story. It's this type of show that gets the viewer invested in both the characters and what's happening to them (Dexter, Lost, True Blood, Weeds, Chuck, Californication).

That's why I just couldn't get into Monk. As far as I could see, it just wasn't developing any real story. It was just lame case, after lame case. It never grew into anything. I could pick any episode from any season and I could just jump into the story without needing any background whatsoever. And in some ways, I can see how that would be appealing to some people, but I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

I went through this long winded introduction so I could get into one particular show. In my final bit of late night summer boredom, I started watching Psych. And I must say, that at first I wasn't really into it. Much like Monk, it starts out in a case to case basis. The only difference is that Psych made me laugh. It's quirky and it constantly throws out the most obscure references you could imagine. And it made the lack of story bearable. It satisfied my boredom.
They may seem unlikeable, but they grow on you. I promise

I put up with two seasons. And suddenly, I received a pleasant surprise for season three: A story. Psych actually pulled off one of the nicest transformations I've seen on television. It evolved from show to series out of nowhere. It really does sneak up on you.

Once this story begins to unfold I actually realized that over three seasons I had grown to care about these characters. Without this story I would never have noticed because I always assumed that nothing would ever change between them, so why should one care about them.

Out of nowhere an episode comes along where you realize that something bigger is going on. This situation between these people is actually causing a reaction that's deeper than the usual episode. It breaks the superficial nature of the show and it alters the way they are around each other, impacting the way they conduct themselves in the next episodes. And that's what makes a good series. Instead of just isolated incidents, you get a chain of events.

I'm not saying it's perfect. It's actually far from it. It's slow and tedious. It's the slowest build I think I've ever seen on television. But it's actually very well handled. Psych has it's 'blah' episodes. But when it's good, it's really good. And in every season there's a good handful of episodes that really carry it along.

The Yin Yang trilogy is the perfect example of this. For three consecutive seasons (3-5), every finale had a related storyline. I don't think I've ever seen a story told from finale to finale. But they make it work. Through interesting storytelling and well placed humor they really build a short story arc over a three season span by just using three episodes. And I just find it amazing that they hooked me into it.

All in all, I'm not really considering this a review. More like a little rant.

If you really want me to review Psych you can request it. For now, I'll just recommend it to those who need something to watch to pass the time. Honestly, you could even skip seasons one and two if you really wanted to.

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