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Author Topic: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc  (Read 955 times)

Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« on: November 21, 2010, 07:38:59 pm »

I am the only one who is getting sick and tired of this?

I've been getting it lots, lately. Whenever I watch a TV show or read a book or watch a movie, I know what's going to happen pretty much from the very start. Everything's so repetitive and dull.

I mean, I watched all of Eureka over the past few weeks and I called every plot "twist" before it happened. :|

"He's going to fail at marriage, he's going to get out of jail, he's going to die, he's not going to die, she's going to be pregnant, he's a temporary character so of course he's going to die, they're going to fall in love" etc etc.

It pissed my girlfriend off endlessly. Our conversations would usually go, "I know who's going to die." "Shut up, I don't want to know." "But you always say that I'm lying when I tell you I know who's going to die, just let me tell you and you'll know if I'm right." "NO SHUT UP FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

I've been doing it for a lot of shows, and the only things that regularly surprise me are things that are pants on head retarded (hi Twilight, Sword of Truth etc) or have non-generic plot twists (Song of Ice and Fire and... I think that's about it).

Is anyone else this way? Do you also feel alone in a world of people who can blissfully watch a movie without being bored a quarter of the way through because you already know everything that's going to happen? Do you also wish that people would be more original when they're writing something instead of sticking to tired formulae that grew old 3000 years ago?

If yes, how do you deal with it? =(
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Re: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2010, 07:41:17 pm »

Protip: genre savvy will save you from horrible plotlines that will inevitably occur in your life.

Vector

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Re: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2010, 07:45:15 pm »

I'm like this, but I mostly get around it by a. not watching much and b. only watching/reading/whatever things that I'll enjoy regardless of the plot.  If the author is sufficiently skilled, I find that my plot-dar turns off in favor of letting my mind pay attention to other things.

Or, to be more specific:

Post-modernism is your friend.
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Re: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2010, 08:04:56 pm »

I'm like this, but I mostly get around it by a. not watching much and b. only watching/reading/whatever things that I'll enjoy regardless of the plot.  If the author is sufficiently skilled, I find that my plot-dar turns off in favor of letting my mind pay attention to other things.

Or, to be more specific:

Post-modernism is your friend.

Yes, this.

Also, the further away from the mainstream you go the less likely you are to find a bunch of formulas, or at least formulas you're so familiar with that you will always see them coming. Reading genres that you normally don't helps too.

Personally, the unoriginal stuff is okay. I won't watch it, but it doesn't really take anything away from the innovative stuff.
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Re: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2010, 08:11:03 pm »

This phenomenon is known as TVTropes Will Ruin Your Life. Enjoy your new perspective.
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Re: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2010, 01:50:04 am »

I am the only one who is getting sick and tired of this?
You are?
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Re: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2010, 02:04:38 am »

I've been like this since before TVTropes. Let's just say, I regret the day I ever thought it a good idea to watch a movie like Mafia! for a group date. My date and her friends enjoyed it, I called out every joke moments before impact to miles away, and I even resorted to riffing some jokes and thinking up better jokes that apparently were too esoteric for my simple-minded date and her friends (they were at least improvements on already bad jokes to make them so bad they were good). It turned out I was more annoying than the movie because I was the only one sick of it 1/8th of the way in.

In a sense, that far back is where I get my criticism of the Seltzer/Freidberg "movies" from. The only thing that would revive my respect for Leslie Nielsen, would be if he actually does a serious role in a movie completely out of the blue, and does it well. But since Airplane and the Naked Gun series and Hot Shots 1 (part deux sucked), it's just sad.

I think this is a reason I enjoy anime so much. Different media source, different direction/style. Some anime still continues to surprise me. Monster just rocked with all the twists placed throughout; and despite some call-outs, there were times I was either proven wrong, or was proven right, but because I recalled something beforehand several episodes back. Hell, Gurren Lagaan revived my Saturday Morning childhood feeling I used to have for certain shows, just by sheer awesomeness alone.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

At least some shows, despite a predictability here and there, are still sorta fun to watch; like Doctor Who, some episodes of Stargate (SG-1 to Universe), Warehouse 13, and Fringe. Lost, despite some unpredictabilities, was actually rather easy to keep track of. Some old shows I used to watch also had some interesting watching, despite un/predictable portions. Lexx and Farscape were like this a whole lot. I mean sure, eventually Kai will take down His Shadow (as prophesied), but the methods used were not. Sure, the title ship destroys planets, but you didn't expect it to eat them as a source of food. Farscape had some surprise episodes too. I liked how the episode "I, Alien" went down. That was unexpected by far. And that was just first season. As for games, Starcon was always a total surprise every corner you come across in the game, and shifts genres subtly, but swiftly in due time.

Despite the spoiling TVTropes delivers sometimes; it does grant me interest in shows or media I didn't previously appreciate, that is until I read up on more detailed aspects (See- That One Boss, for seeking a crazy-hard battle, or remembering how kickass I was for beating such a boss before taking advantage of the internet and FAQs and etc.). That site can either ruin, or save your life (from boredom).

I think the Age of Monotony is soon ending. You know how some things skip a generation, this was a somewhat dull decade of creativity, what with 9/11 kicking it off and all, and politicians (or Family Guy) taking advantage of it, despite how long ago it was. I think the Reference-o-Matic 3000 is finally losing the peoples' interest, and creativity will rise up again. I mean, I'm starting to see some good stuff appear again. The Indie Age is a good sign of (semi-)original material rising up out of the ashes. Have faith.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2010, 03:41:54 am by Itnetlolor »
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Re: Knowing What's Going To Happen In TV Shows, Books, Movies Etc
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2010, 08:00:23 am »

My friends tend to stare at me slackjawed when I fail to see obvious plot twists coming.  And yet...I enjoy movies more than they do for exactly that reason.  Hell, I can enjoy M. Night Shyamalan movies, and that's not easy.

I...I don't know if I do it on purpose or not.  :/
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