All right. Switching gears to fiction-writing, after some tedious administrivia this afternoon, carried forward from yesterday's ridiculous 3-hour meeting & debrief.
What is your LEAST favourite sci-fi trope? Bonus points if it's something that gets done to death on #StarTrek!
@MLClark Mind control.
Such a lazy concept! And also one of our oldest.
Mesmerism and notions of possession were around long before the Cold War anxieties that prompted decades of experimentation.
I suspect we're just not that good at understanding cult behaviour / groupthink, so we spin wild theories around mental possession instead.
@MLClark Exactly!
It's especially annoying when it's used to cram a character into a behavior that doesn't comport with the narrative arc that's been established for them.
"...hold up, they'd never do that."
"..."
"..."
"...they would if they were being MIND CONTROLLED!"
🙄
UGH. Yes.
I didn't watch Jessica Jones for this reason - can't stand this trope, even when I understand that it's being used in part as an analogy for abusive relationships - and also checked out of Dollhouse at E1.
There *are* shows that have characters acting differently depending on the context, and I admire the hell out of them for the work they do on building narrative continuity.
The rest is often lazy writing / bored actors tired of their role.
What're you watching these days?
@MLClark I feel like I have something of a cycle of stuff on background. Right now it's Lillyhammer. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I hear that. I put on a lot of mystery-oriented shows in the background (tone varies, as does the range from episodic to series-arc), because there's just something solid about the beat structure for that kind of storytelling.
Hopefully everything in your media cycle these days is delivering compelling storylines without cheap gimmicks to throw you out of the work!
@MLClark @kel
These days I watch very little of anything.
I enjoy: Three specific quizzes: Mastermind, Only Connect and University Challenge.
A few programs about antiques and collectibles.
Nature and science documentaries, particularly those in which The Open University is involved (most of Attenborough's or Cox's work, for instance).
That's it. The TV is switched off for 22 to 23 hours a day, every day.
That sounds like bliss, Stuey!