Nostalgia for pre-Ground Zero pop culture is a subject that comes up a lot on this blog. Pining for the awesome 80s and rad 90s is such a defining feature of Generation Y that this cohort is almost solely responsible for the glut of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles retro action figures and G.I. Joe pre-faded tee shirts. Ys based their identity on the entertainment product they consumed in their formative years. And they've been unable to grow past it.
I am Generation Y and I have to say that the 80ies are better than everything that came afterwards (at least until today). People back then were much more optimistic and entertainment was awesome. If the present is bleack and the future looks even worse, I can definitely understand why people are nostalgic. The entertainment companies and toy companies are just exploiting this feeling. I mostly avoided this trap until now, but I have several friends who consume every retro product they see.
In general, selling people the same stuff with minor variations (or improvements) is key to our system. Otherwise, we would consume a lot less.
Now I have to go to the toy store to buy the same He-man toys that I had as a kid...
What a great observation by Mr. Dr. Luke (hopefully a real doctor). Even though I enjoyed those shows ans a kid too, the issue I always had and still have with episodic storytelling is precisely the fact that nothing changes. Then again I have mental issues so perhaps that’s why I saw things differently. Who knows.
Agreed though. Let past things remain inspiring. Enjoy them but don’t try to revive them, or the warm fuzzys you got from them as a kid. If you want transcendence, go to church.
Starblazers (Battleship Yamato) did episodic right in that there were real consequences from episode to episode rather than a reset-to-zero at the end of 30 minutes.
A lot of live action TV is self-limiting in this regard, as the actors are paid to come back week after week, unless the writers are smart enough to push some growth in here and there. Even so, you know that in most cases, the lead and one or two co-leads are plot armored to be back again next episode.
I am Generation Y and I have to say that the 80ies are better than everything that came afterwards (at least until today). People back then were much more optimistic and entertainment was awesome. If the present is bleack and the future looks even worse, I can definitely understand why people are nostalgic. The entertainment companies and toy companies are just exploiting this feeling. I mostly avoided this trap until now, but I have several friends who consume every retro product they see.
In general, selling people the same stuff with minor variations (or improvements) is key to our system. Otherwise, we would consume a lot less.
Now I have to go to the toy store to buy the same He-man toys that I had as a kid...
There's a reason why every Conservative candidate's pitch is an implicit promise to return to 1988.
What a great observation by Mr. Dr. Luke (hopefully a real doctor). Even though I enjoyed those shows ans a kid too, the issue I always had and still have with episodic storytelling is precisely the fact that nothing changes. Then again I have mental issues so perhaps that’s why I saw things differently. Who knows.
Agreed though. Let past things remain inspiring. Enjoy them but don’t try to revive them, or the warm fuzzys you got from them as a kid. If you want transcendence, go to church.
Hear, hear.
Another lingering influence of episodic storytelling is contemporary authors' aversion to close character arcs.
Starblazers (Battleship Yamato) did episodic right in that there were real consequences from episode to episode rather than a reset-to-zero at the end of 30 minutes.
A lot of live action TV is self-limiting in this regard, as the actors are paid to come back week after week, unless the writers are smart enough to push some growth in here and there. Even so, you know that in most cases, the lead and one or two co-leads are plot armored to be back again next episode.