Flashbacks
Most TV shows and movies today are terrible. One of the main reasons they are is that they don’t allow the natural buildup of any characters or story arcs. A lot of classic shows had a rough season or two, but became great shows. And even those were tittering on the verge of cancellation back then. These days, the main symptom of lazy and bad writing is flashbacks. Flashbacks are more prevalent today than they were at any point in Hollywood. I don’t exactly know why they do this. All I know is that they’re terrible.
Flashbacks used to be good. For example, one of my favorite shows, Supernatural, used to occasionally use flashbacks. When used well, flashbacks give you more information about a character you love or shine more light on a plot. Supernatural used it to great effect to give info on the Yellow-Eyed Demon and what his plan was. When it’s done that like, you find those bits engrossing. However, flashbacks these days are used more like they’re used in Supernatural S8.
In this current and hopefully last season, Sam has a girlfriend while Dean’s in purgatory. You never care about Sam’s girlfriend because you never get to know her. Instead of introducing her and having her be on episodes in the present time, there are flashbacks with those pair in them. You never care about them and wish they wouldn’t even show them. Revolution also does the same thing. Instead of showing how Miles and Monroe formed the militia, the chaos that happened when the power went out, why those buddies now hate each other, we only get tiny flashbacks of that information. That information is vital as it builds characterization, defines motives and goals, and makes us care about them as we see them at their lowest.
Flashbacks never progress the story. In fact, they halt it. Most shows these days are based on having some kind of ongoing plot or mystery, but the flashbacks don’t go into that. They show you things that should be done in the present. The characterization they show you in a flashback means absolutely nothing. Since it’s a flashback, you’re never worried about the character’s safety. There’s very little tension as you already know what’s going to happen. It has nothing to do with what’s going on recently because it already happened. Instead of seeing a character’s journey of how they got from point A to B, you see a memory.
I wish Hollywood would stop with the flashbacks until later when you knew and cared about the characters. Instead of letting them evolve naturally, they rush everything and pigeonhole them. It’s a shame really. Because while a few of those shows are good, they’ll never be great. Marc Johnson
