The girlfriend/boyfriend thing
Tamar
which he says that Mulder's new "friend" won't exactly be a "girlfriend."
(God, he sure knows how to be a tease...)
I know Carter has been playing this pretty close to the chest, but has he
ever let slip whether Mulder's and Scully's new "relationships" are even
going to involve more than single episodes? Has he ever given an
indication that they will or won't involve recurring characters? Might
these just be passing interests introduced for the sake of character
development? I have a feeling this is the case -- heck, the Mulder/Scully
UST is a cash cow that no one in his right mind would slaughter...
I've seen postings that say the ep Szyzgy (sp?) will introduce Mulder's
new relationship. True?
Nick Pedicini
Is there something about computer literate people that makes them think
in straight lines when it comes to personal relationships? Even if CC
plans to get FM and DS together eventually, why does it have to be now?
There is this thing called dating.... Besides, the history of great
sexual tension on tv shows (Cheers, Moonlighting, Northern Exposure)
shows that main-character connection equals writery mediocrity from
then on. The show's only been on two and a half years. It's too young
to bore.
Nancy Lemieux
Pedicini ) wrote:
:
: Is there something about computer literate people that makes them think
: in straight lines when it comes to personal relationships? Even if CC
: plans to get FM and DS together eventually, why does it have to be now?
: There is this thing called dating.... Besides, the history of great
: sexual tension on tv shows (Cheers, Moonlighting, Northern Exposure)
: shows that main-character connection equals writery mediocrity from
: then on. The show's only been on two and a half years. It's too young
: to bore.
I never found Cheers to have mediocre writing after the resolution of
sexual tension (which I suppose you assume to be when Sam and Diane
started dating and eventually almost married). I guess it depends on
one's point of view. The main point of this series was always somewhat
ludicrous stories, with the romance as an important story arc, but never
the main drive of the show (case in point, I always considered Norm as my
favourite character, closely followed by Cliff and Woody). The series
survived this, and went on for many more years (yes, I'm not going to say
anything about Rebecca) of filming, until it seemed that the stars were
sick of doing this and wanted to move on. So what is your point there?
For the Moonlighting angle, I have already discussed it in detail in a
post I sent a few minutes ago, so I won't repeat myself, but may use
similar arguments for your third example...
Northern Exposure is quite similar to the Moonlighting saga. Ask old fans
who stopped watching (which includes myself) and many (if not most) of
them will answer that it was because they dragged the *will they, won't
they* storyline TOO LONG!
Another point that most people seem to skip over is the actual
relationship between the male and female leads in all of the above
mentioned series. In all three cases, the leads despised each other right
from the beginning, and this hate/passion was finally overshadowed by...
in plain words... lust, which while letting them couple and try a
relationship for a while, made them quite incompatible overall when the
passion was spent, which explains much of why the characters could never
be kept together for long periods of time, or why *good* couple episodes
couldn't be written.
Now, take other series... Mad About You (although as a FoLC, I try to not
use this example <g>), Heart to Heart, Roseanne, etc. You have couples
which are already married and/or have been dating for a long time, and yet
writers can find storylines to keep the series going for a long time.
Why? Because the characters like each other and are compatible. There's
only so many 'I hate you but I can't keep my hands off of you' fight
scenes before writers put up their hands in despair and viewers get bored.
And, as a small summary of my last post, my favourite show, Lois and Clark
( X-Files being a close second :), has blown the Moonlighting myth right
out of the water and proven all its critics wrong.
So, back to Mulder and Scully. What is their relationship? Well, they're
obviously close: best friends, as many would say. They deeply care for
each other and would put their lives at risk for the other without a
doubt. Well, how is this in any way similar to what I've described for
Cheers, Moonlighting and Northern Exposure?
It's often been said (and I've also observed this myself) that best
friends make the strongest, most stable and lasting couples. Why?
Because they *liked* each other *before* they became lovers. So even if
the passion, for whatever reason, was to be diminished, even for a while,
they would still be able to talk to each other, and I'm sure the love
would still be there. Now if a couple only got together for lust, what
happens if the flame (which should read as hormones <g>) dies down, even
for a while? You realize that the person you wake up next to is almost a
total stranger. You don't know much about them, don't necessarily like
the same things they do or agree with their point of view, and you can't
imagine yourself spending any more time with this person. So, either you
find a way to rekindle the flame and fool yourself for a while longer, or
else you get out as fast as you can.
Which of the above scenarios you think would more closely fit M&S?
Tell me frankly, what would really change about the X-Files if M&S
dated? There would still be intrigue, bizarre happenings, both their
lives might still be in danger, and they would still do anything to
help/save the other, perhaps even more so. Scully wouldn't suddenly
believe every theory Mulder came up with, and would still act as the
grounded skeptic to soften his theories. The only thing I foresee would
really change is that instead of only getting a suggestion of feeling, you
might see them share an intimate moment (touch, kiss, heartwarming speech,
etc). It would be poor writing that would have them just hop in bed
rather than get closer (at least for a while). I've never been one to
like or advocate quick-fix scenarios.
So, I'm sure you see by now what option I'm rooting for. :) Why not have
them date? Why not at least give us a hint that not only professionnal
partners/best-friend-like thoughts are crossing their mind? Why wait
until the series is close to an end to change their relationship, leaving
fans with a feeling of having been cheated of great WAFFs (Warm And Fuzzy
Feelings)?
Nancy (in Montreal, who's planning a double whammy next summer, and will
visit both Burbank and Vancouver)
Bayard
: smutty sensationalism. by the way, do you do anything else but watch tv?
do you do anything else besides read usenet?