immortal1 wrote:I'll tell you what I was thinking, we are what? 8 months into this thing? how long could they feasibly continue on with the Order storyline without changing the series into something so dark that it alienates a sizeable number of fans who can't wait for PMonkey to make his next appearance?
I know there's a significant number of people who miss those "cutesie" videos, but the story really did evolve beyond that a long time ago, and I think it would only hurt it if they tried to regress to that. The story's grown up and the audience needs to look at it realistically. Those times that Bree continued behaving like a spoiled child that ignored what was going on seemed like highly unrealistic behavior to most everyone, and was what began her decline in popularity. Many of us hate her now.
It started with how callous she was about her parents being kidnapped. All she could do was play
I Spy, pretend her stuffed toys were alive, and say that life on the road was "boorrriiing" - as though it was Daniel's job to entertain her while she kept all her precious secrets that might have helped them locate her parents or better their situation. Daniel's response to her behavior was, of course, realistic (he was pissed), and I think - or, rather, hope - that was the whole point.
The Creators may have been trying to use that to say "This isn't a time for Bree to be doing installments of Proving Science Wrong" to those people who said "We need more Owen!" or "Lucy better not mess with P. Monkey!" If so, they essentially had to make Bree so dislikable as to make any mention of the plush toys a cause for wanting to strangle the life out of her - even for the people who liked the toys before.
That's not to say that none of it could have been to appeal to those fans who actually wanted more of the cutesie stuff. I actually think Miles and the other guys producing this didn't realize early on how mature the tastes of a lot of the show's viewers were. I daresay the majority who bother to comment on the forum are in their late teens or older. Many of us are in college, working, married, or have children of our own.
But I think they caught on and, as time passed, were trying to offer that little bit of fanservice even as they tried to convince everyone who wasn't already onboard that the story needed to grow up, and so did viewer expectations.
Anyway, to try to answer your question, I can't tell you how long they could expect to reasonably continue this without losing some viewers who just want Bree to bake cookies and slice up fish with rocks, but I can tell you that a comedy film isn't going to attract people who refuse to watch anything but horror, supsense won't attract those who demand only comedy, action probably isn't going to do anything for the documentary-only people, and phony science experiments with an occasional lip-synching music video aren't going to do anything for people who want to 1) see what can be achieved in storytelling with this medium or 2) see all the foreshadowing actually amount to a mature story worthy of the attention it's been given and the foreshadowing the Creators have included.
Just as it's not possible to make something fall into every genre, it's not possible to make something appeal to the tastes of every group. Sure there's some movies that manage to strike a balance of appeal to younger and older audiences (like
Shrek), but if the choice is "Proving Science Wrooooong" or "We have Daniel," it won't happen here.
You have to decide (or, preferably, know from the beginning) what you want a story to be, what you want it to say, and what you have to do with it to get it there - and then do it. If they tried appealing to everyone, they'd alienate everyone. And I think they know that, but have been concerned about what you bring up, leading them to try too hard to please everyone a few times for fear of anyone complaining. It can't work. You really have to decide who your audience is and work with that.
Anyway, to be fair, for those who want only cutesie videos, there's plenty of that on YouTube already, and it would be a total waste of the opportunity the Creators have here (to explore what this medium can achieve with storytelling) if they caved to a few desires for generic, directionless entertainment that lacked a narrative or an apparent intention to say something more than "Look how high I can go on my trampoline as I try to prove gravity wrooooong."
immortal1 wrote:Afterall this topic is about losing viewers. I'm not sure why you have a problem with the term open ended resolution- it simply means as far as anyone knows the immediate threat is nullified. It's in no way a reset button. She lost her Dad and her whole history was a lie it would make no sense to see the happy go lucky Bree. In fact it would take a while for her to find her light again. I think it would be interesting to watch her on a journey to find her place in the world again. And when the Order resurfaces she would be a much stronger person for it.
immortal1 wrote:The way I laid the scenario out Bree would be mislead into thinking the Order was no longer after her so it would be pefectly logical for her to move on.
Well, since the notion that she and her friends will ever be left alone until their opponents are incarcerated or in the ground isn't something that can be entertained, the absolute only way I can see what you suggest working is if:
A. Lucy, the Deacons, her mom, and OpAphid all died, but other members of the Order from other countries were still around and wanted to come after her later, or
B. Lucy, the Deacons, her mom, and OpAphid all appeared to die, but actually survived.
Really, though, since this is the only conceivable way, why not just let it end after that (with an appropriate epilogue of a few weeks as Bree tries to make a decent life for herself)? Why ever have the Order show up again? LG15 is clearly not the be all, end all objective for any of the people producing this, and it would be foolish of them to try to carry it for years while its popularity inevitably diminished. Within the first two years of this thing is when they need to capitalize on it.
The actors have good things awaiting them if they don't wait too long (seriously, they could go sign for big contracts today just because of the selling power of their familiarity alone), and I believe the guys behind the camera do too. Maybe they won't jump straight into Hollywood directing (though I think they could make it), but at the very least they'll have companies wanting to work with them on how to market their own stuff. The idea behind LG15 could have never worked had these guys not distributed it right.
immortal1 wrote:As sure as you would walk away, I'm sure there is group of fans that would walk away if the light hearted Bree doesn't return.
Probably. But that's true of every tv show, movie, book, or whatever. It's just not for everyone. In this case, I like to think the Creators realize they'd be making the best of this by targeting the show toward the group that wants to see Bree develop into a well-adjusted individual with a positive future after reducing her enemies to dust in the wind - and then send the thing off with dignity.
Whatever may happen, I think it's more important - for both the integrity of LG15 and the careers of all the people involved - that the producers make the best of their opportunity by continuing with a cohesive narrative that has a point, all the while showing off the potential video blogging has as a genuine entertainment medium right alongside film and television. That seems so much better than worrying about emulating what hundreds of people already do on YouTube, except with underpaid actors and a non-profitable production.
immortal1 wrote:It's about balance and all I was merely trying to do is suggest one way it might be achieved.
In my mind, there's nothing inherently wrong with the suggestion other than the idea that LG15 should continue after Bree becomes well-adjusted and finds her place in the world. Really, what more could it say after that point that would warrant beating a dead horse? Stories that matter end after all.
What is that?