HOME | DD

Beb156 — Meme #10 (read description)

Published: 2021-03-05 23:04:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 2324; Favourites: 10; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description Another unpopular opinion with which I will not make a lot of friends.

Let it be very clear, I'm not attacking those who have a negative opinion about a series they didn't watched in its entirety (as long as they watched more than one episode, have solid arguments for not liking it or assume it's just their tastes, I can possibly understand) nor those who watched an entire series they don't like to explain why (those, at least, they made the effort and I respect them for that) and even less those who already have a positive opinion about a series before having watched it in its entirety (I mean, even the series is bad... Good for them if they liked it so much !).

What I'm attacking here, is those (and I see a lot of it in the Internet) who blames you for having a negative (or even mixed) opinion about a series they like 'cause you didn't watched in its entirety, whatever your reasons (either you just watched the first episodes and it disgusted you or did not convince you enough to see the rest, you lost interest at the middle out of weariness or it has simply jumped the shark and that discouraged you from carrying on).

Why ?

Well, there was a time where I could have claimed the same thing. When I was a childish thickhead who didn't want people say bad things about what I liked and prefer to plug my ears rather to understand their reasons.
So, as a more mature thickhead who still don't like hearing bad things about stuff I like, I'm well placed to see how shallow and naive this argument is.
That and the fact there's actually series I completely gave up to watch, either because they've jumped the shark for me, because the few I saw about the rest discouraged me from continuing or because the first episodes I've watched are so bad they already gave me a bad opinion of the said series. So it would be hypocritical to reproach the same thing to other, even it's about series I truly appreciate. Besides, there's also series I appreciate but understand that not everyone are into this.

Because, you see, those who blame you to have a negative opinion about a series before having watched it in its entirety, in fact, they don't care.
They don't care that you did watch the series in its entirety or not. They only care that you think positively about a series they like.
And the funniest, they are the same who defend freedom of speech and ask for their opinion to be respected.

How ?

Well, firstly, you'll have a more positive opinion about the series you only watched a few episodes, they won't said anything for some reason (or else, they're just neurotic haters who think the exact opposite and can't handle either with different opinions from theirs but that's not the point).

Secondly, and that the funniest part, even if you make the effort to watch the series in its entirety, if you still have a negative opinion, no matter your reasons, they'll respond "Don't like it ? Don't watch it !". What you want to respond in your turn : "MAKE UP YOUR MIND !!!".
Once again, I had this mentally not so long ago. And here, I'm explaining how much of a moron I was !

Thirdly, let's say they're right, let's say we have to watch a series in its entirety before having an opinion. No problem... if it's a finished series with only ten or twenty episodes to watch. But what about the unfinished series ? Which has a season or two in development ? Which is in more than 100 episodes ? And which is heading to last another decade or to reach the 500 episodes ?
'Cause yes, by telling I shouldn't have a bad opinion about a series unless I watched it entirely, you imply that I shouldn't have an opinion about it before the series is finished (or cancelled in the worst case). Even if I have a favorable opinion on it, it would unacceptable as long as the series has not released its final episode.
So, if I shouldn't a opinion about a series I don't like just because I didn't watch all the episodes that are not all released yet, why would you have a more favorable opinion about this series ? Since you hadn't see all the episodes either ? I'm just asking.

You also imply that no matter the series has ten years old (which is a lot, anyway) or the episodes last one hour, I should at least spend 80 or 100 hours of my life, either 8 hours and a bit per season (in a case of a season of 26 episodes of 20 minutes) or 10 hours per season (in a case of a season of 10 episodes of one hour each), in order to have an "unbiased" opinion about a series I didn't even want to watch.
So, I'll excuse me, but I am not well paid enough to devote my time for a series I don't like. Scratch that ! I'm not paid at all ! Reviewer is not my job, nor my vocation, just a hobby at best and not the one I enjoy the most.
While I agree that anyone can be a reviewer (without being professional, even being a bad one), may I remind you that we're still humans. We have a life. We have a job (or at least, we're trying to get one). We have projects. We have obligations. Anything else to devote our time, our energy (and sometimes our money) rather to series we don't like, especially if they suck so bad than forcing ourselves to have a favorable opinion on it needs mental gymnastics (not to speak of mental torture). 
And if we have to spend 10 hours of our lives, we might as well do it with series we actually and genuinely enjoy, which give us pleasure and good entertainment. 'Cause if it just to bring us annoyance and displeasure all along, to get worked up waiting for a sign of improvement and get why the series' success, even for one of ten bad episodes (and yet, I'm nice), it's not worth it. It's a blow to come out bitter and cynical.
Also, we also have a mental health. And must of us stick to it.
By the way, this is why I still have respect and admiration for reviewer who make the effort to watch a series they absolutely despise, even being unbiased, and still don't loose their head.
However, I won't say the same for those who do this to get views, to show off or for the sake of bashing a popular series they're nothing concrete to reproach with them but that's not the point.

Fourthly Let's say that we shouldn't have an opinion about a series we didn't watch in its entirety. So far, that sounds fair.
...
But what about the episodes we DID watch in their entirety and on which we base our preconception about the series ? We can still have an opinion on them, don't we ?
Especially when it's question of the FIRST episodes of the series. The ones supposed to convince the average public i.e. US to see the rest.
"Yeh, you only watched the weakest part ! You should have continued in season 3, 4 or 5, it get better !" you said ? Well excuse us to watch a series in the order of the episodes starting with the first, as well as we read a book in the order of the chapter. Especially if the series in question is mainly acclaimed for its plot and its character development. Also, thanks to confirm that what we saw so far is bad.

We don't talk about a movie or a book which is sufficient in itself and therefore we have indeed to watch/read in its entirety before saying it's crap, we talk about a series which may be heading for several seasons as soon as it gets popular.
And no, even if in a series to be continued, episodes nor seasons are not like chapters of a book. They must have they're own narrative structure, as well as movies or books in a saga. Or else it will give the impression of episodes which are badly paced, which randomly end where they should have started (and not always with a cliffhanger) and start where they should have ended, like if the story was randomly and haphazardly sliced during the episode dividing. All while drowning in unnecessary exposition which only slows down the story, make the development go down the drain and leave you dissatisfied at the end. And also false suspenses (like an episode ends with a character on a knife-end, the following episode resumes where the previous one ended, make it last for two minute only to show the character fail).
But I digress.
All that to say that an episode is not necessarily like the chapter of a book, where you have to know the previous ones to get what's going on. Even in series with a plot to follow, you have episodes (mostly in the middle of the season) which are sufficient to themselves, which are their own development and their own conclusion.
And in the case of series with interchangeable episodes, repetitive plot and a long-lasting statu quo, you don't even have to watch them all or in the order to have an opinion. You watch one at random — two or three at best, you have practically watched all of them.
But in case of series with plot and development character to follow throughout the episodes and season, I have to insist, the first episodes must be the first to convince the audience.
And if  the first episodes are already full of problems — like plot which makes no sense and goes in every direction without going anywhere, annoying, dumb and unlikable characters we're supposed to sympathise with and root for, stakes reduced to unfunny jokes, heavy humour with unfunny jokes, inconsistency and continuity errors that hurt your suspension of disbelief, reprehensible morals and so on an so forth — I'm sorry, but I'm not supposed to wait until the 50th or the 100th to see any improvement so we can have a better opinion. It sounds like a fraud.

Besides, it may be personal but speaking form experience, I tend to be suspicious to the "You should wait until the 50th episode or the end of season 2 to see any improvement" thing. I take that as a carrot that makes the donkey move forward and blatantly ignore the red flag/warning sign. And not even a good fresh carrot. More like a carrot you have already eaten. Speaking of a fraud !
'Cause in the best case, like I've explained above, I'll have to handle with a mass of episodes with anything that makes me cringe and give a so much bad opinion about the series to see an improvement supposed to give me a better opinion of the series. An improvement which is either something that should be present since the beginning or is an artistic renunciation to something that made the series' concept and identity (like "Oh you don't like our show about a magical coming from a magical world, fighting monsters and causing mess in OUR world ? Well for the two last seasons we'll put all the action place in the magical world, do the exact opposite of the fighting monster thing and still causing mess all around cause our protagonists are morons").
Once again, that sounds like a fraud. Either that or it's nothing but damage control.
And I insist on it, if any improvement there is in a series, it should have been in earlier episodes, not latter, even less near the very end. Not after risking a stroke to the viewer who had to patiently handle with a bunch of crap though more than 20 or 30 episodes.

Even in series I appreciate, do you know how annoying it is to follow for a mass of episodes the worst character ever (either 'cause he/she is unkind, uncaring, selfish, shallow, weak, daft, cowardly, hypocrite, vile, annoying like you wouldn't and mostly a mix of all that) in order to see him/her suddenly being the best of the best (like a model of kindness, compassion, strength, smartness, wisdom, bravery, sincerity, honour, selflessness or whatever, like 10 times better than characters I already like and root for) in ONE episode, after having stagnated during more than half of his/her appearance, usually a late one, and since, the series wants me to see that character that way... even if it's only last one episode and the rest reminds me the characters is nothing but the calamity I hated so much before ? When THIS (youtu.be/4ikGvLUbOuU ) is happening ? ("Character development" as they said... More like a farce to me!)
So imagine with a series I can't stand to watch, where the whole cast is composed of characters like that.

(EDIT 24/04/22) Besides, I've find out you have some so-called who don't make the effort to watch a show in its right order before making an opinion on it, they skip an entire season, even the first one, only to decide afterwards it was the worst. And that claims to be a reviewer.
I may have abandoned some shows along the way for some reasons, but at least, whenever I want to have an objective opinion about it and not just watch it to kill time (and yet, looking back at my blog, I consider myself as a POOR reviewer), I make the effort to watch the episodes and seasons in their order of diffusion, I don't cheat with it. Especially if the show have a continuity. Only to see how much it has evolved. Or at worst, to see if it's worth to watch the rest. Because if I don't prevent any show to improve throughout the seasons or episodes, I maintain that the first ones are the most important to convince. If the first season fails to convince me, no matter if it gets better at the three other ones or the 100th episode, I consider it as a false start. Especially if the said improvements are either things which should have been here from the beginning or a renoncement of the original concept.

Also, forcing people to have the same tastes and opinions as yours is counterproductive. End of the story.

Thanks for your understanding.
Related content
Comments: 4

4EverReserved [2024-05-02 07:28:29 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

DragonTamer2000 [2022-10-10 20:17:09 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

MGD [2021-03-06 14:20:10 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0

psb123 [2021-03-06 09:01:14 +0000 UTC]

👍: 1 ⏩: 0