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Circles of powerPrimetime is a busy eight hours of television. The Internet is full of reports of its game-playing sins. Charges, in no particular order: bad Tolkien; bad characters; bad conversation; bad speed. Depending on the critic, the solid work of the cast, VFX, and set design bought it a favor, but the opposition is surprisingly similar.
But the words “prime time” and “time” contain one of the strangest truths about modern television. A ring it is in its infancy, and the creators do not know its shape. What comes next can totally pay for it. Now, the big problem is whether someone will notice or not.
If a movie burns through its first twenty minutes without interest, it is unlikely to improve. Film critic Roger Ebert coined “Brotman’s Law” to state: “If nothing has happened by the end of the first reel, nothing will happen.” Not so with TV, which works in cycles with forced punctuation. It responds to its audience in real time as we eat it.
After all, there are worse first seasons than good ones in television history, even if you don’t include stillbirths. An animal. People jump Seinfeld‘s together Parks and Rec. The first episodes of Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation they are logs. Without claims of integrity, Breaking Bad it had its ups and downs. Anyone remember Jesse Pinkman’s brother? Who is it?
Of course, A ring he makes the kind of mistakes that are hard to ignore. The details are many (see the play-by-play), but the main reason is his love of JJ Abrams’ “mystery box”. In the mystery box format, the scenes are tie verses, vehicles of raw data. Who is the comet man? What do the runes of Cirth mean? What is Sauron hiding? This form of storytelling derives its strength from open-ended questions and the promise of great revelations.
But television programs are not tied. It’s the scene-to-scene electricity of the character and the immediate drama that inspires the audience with stories, not puzzles. With its focus on the end, A ring skimps on both. The result is a season that spends its first half misleading and filling and hides the good stuff in the background. A good promise, we believe, will suffice. Isn’t it. Dump scenes don’t unlock power later, they’re more interesting. They are thrown away.
Take it the ring’ The first two minutes, where it should work hard to hold our attention. Elf bullies crush Galadriel’s toy boat, she runs to her brother, and gives him some very important words to remember in the third act of the episode. Everyone in this show is ageless given inhuman grace, but change a few details (an origami boat tricycle, say) and they’d fit into a biopic about coming of age in the Bronx.
Kindly, his brother’s advice is useless. Unkindly, deeply. The vintage Middle-Earth case of this watch may be worth a billion dollars, but the gears are cheap.
Amazon has proudly announced that they have a five-year plan, but anything with too much fat on its bones can’t survive. This is Peak TV, where oxygen is scarce and competition is fierce. Week after week, shows hit inboxes and queues – shows are absent the ring’ ambitious, but have better ideas of what they want to be. The rest of fantasy TV is too busy being political lovers à la game of Thronesbut it tracks clearly with the demographics of the market. Sandman nails the dream-logic of Gaiman perfectly in the first attempt. Niche riding like An important role it hits its mark and nails what its audience wants.
Studios are aggressive about pruning their content, too. Seinfeld or The Next Generation it probably wouldn’t get a second season in this climate. It makes sense. In times of scarcity, he provides rations. Most of the time, you measure your time.
Still, maybe we shouldn’t give in to that instinct entirely.
Circles of power it’s not like the Tolkien I read growing up. If it resembles anything at all, it’s 1994 science fiction Babylon 5. They share an emotional side, a bombshell love, and a great breadth. They also suffer from an excess of those traits. At worst, they straddle the line between opera and melodrama for entertainment.
There is a cosmic irony in that. Rings of Power is the most expensive fantasy show of all time. Babylon 5 is on a quest to find the most affordable (or cheap looking) science fiction show. Released in 1994 first under Prime Time Entertainment Network and later under TNT, Babylon 5 it was one of the first shows to do ongoing stories, multiple times. Creator Michael J. Straczynski called it a “television novel” and had written almost all of its 110 episodes.
Studio executives refused. In a world without a channel, TiVo, or DVR, you either catch a show and repeat it or miss it entirely. Because of that, who would volunteer to put together a science fiction novel? To begin with, Babylon 5bad acting, dialogue, props and sets show their lack of faith.
If television programs are not fiction, they are not exactly novels. Babylon 5‘s introduction is like an introduction or preface—a kind of concession that editors tend to cut. Several hooded figures whisper, “The Shadow is coming” in the background as the boring stuff unfolds in the foreground. Straczynski is so committed to the five-year plan that he keeps the audience in the dark and feeds the crumbs. It sounds familiar.
But then it turns a corner. Straczynski completely replaced his protagonist. His characters and their arcs are more cohesive and structured. It cuts out the filler and most of the imagery. He writes in “trap doors” for his characters when their actors leave. Overall, he maintains a five-year plan, but tightens his short game. The hokey sets and dialogue remain, but you embrace their drama and camp instead of running away from it.
Babylon 5 greater than the sum of its parts and the triumph of reform. Until today, there has never been anything like this. If the first hundred of the season had been aired alongside it, I doubt anyone would have given it a second thought. Also: In times of scarcity, he gives rations. Most of the time, you measure the time.
Perhaps nowhere else Babylon 5. There was not enough of one. Among other things, it requires thoughtful presenters who can diagnose and use their flawed nature. He’s given Quibi-like levels of hubris and myopia in some of these streaming outfits, which can be quite long. Instead of creating success, big companies want to buy it. It’s hard to recommend patience and faith to viewers when a business abuses those qualities.
It is difficult, but not impossible. I would say that the world is more interesting when greatness comes from unexpected places. I’m sure Gandalf would agree.
Sean Weeks is a student of classics and mythology who has wandered a little off the road. If you want to join him on his odyssey, you can visit him at www.weeksauthor.com.
For all the latest TV news, reviews, listings and features, follow along @Coca_TV.
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