There are thousands of videos, blog posts and threads about shows that dip in quality but rarely do we discuss series that actually rebound from a lull.
Here's the format.
Show/Cartoon/Anime:
Lull:
Rebound:
Did it stick?:
Show: Dexter
Lull: Season 5 (Julia Stiles, self-help cult) felt low stakes and slow after the gut punch ending of Season 4 (Trinity killer). Trailers for season 6 promised a return to darkness but the writing was God awful. Both Dexter and his enemies made sloppy mistakes, side characters had boring storylines that went nowhere and the twist was broadcasted from the beginning but treated like it was clever.
Rebound: Season 7. Show opened with some side stories that felt gripping, smaller enemies that felt threatening but the bigger storyline was the show slowly unraveling the truth about Dexter and what it meant to one of the other main characters on the show. Every time I thought "well if they know Dexter is a killer then they need to deal with the event of Season 2", boom, the next episode would deal with it. The only downside was the continuation of an awful storyline from Season 6 that had his adoptive sister Debra developing romantic feelings for him.
Did it stick?: No. Season 8 felt far too similar to Season 6 with it's lazy writing, easy to spot mistakes and awful storylines. The finale was the cherry on top- so terrible that it retroactively ruined parts of the show that I used to enjoy.
Show: Heroes
Lull: Season 2's slow-paced and uninteresting mystery struggled to keep audiences attention and was clearly marred by the writer's strike. Season 3, though initially more exciting, was far worse. Sylar switched allegiances so many times (and with little motivation) that I got tired of seeing him on screen. Character twists felt like a shlocky daytime soap opera and too many moments played for shock value did long term damage to the overall storyline.
Rebound: Season 1 head writer Bryan Fuller, who left the series to create Pushing Daisies and would later work on Hannibal, was brought back on board for the second half of Season 3. We saw a return to character-focused episodes, fascinating flashbacks and a fun storyline that had the heroes on the run.
Did it stick?: No. No it did not. Fuller left again. The following season brought in a Circus-themed storyline that didn't hold my attention and the series was eventually cancelled.
Series: LOST
Lull: the beginning of Season 3 had Jack, Kate and Sawyer locked up in cages while the A story shifted focus to a new cast of characters from the other half of the plane, including the duo that everyone loves the hate. The show dragged and felt as close to "filler" as anything I had ever felt in a show like this.
Rebound: Halfway through Season 3. I cannot remember the exact moment, it may have been Hugo and Sawyer repairing jeeps and sharing a beer. It doesn't sound exciting but I remember the character writing feeling deeply satisfying. These moments would eventually culminate into one of the most exciting season finales the show has ever had. The back half of season 3 is a joy.
Did it stick?: It depends on who you ask. The seasons that follow used secret flash towards that built up to a great twist episode reveal "we have to go back" and another season that primarily focused on time travel. These seasons brought us Desmond, Farady and Miles. I loved Season 4 & 5. The final season and the series finale? I have a lot of issues here. I've seen a large defense squad for how Lost ended but I think there are issues with character development and a sloppy closer that I can't get over. (None of my issues had to do with "not getting answers". We got plenty)
Anyway, I realize none of these fully stuck the landing but they all had rebound moments that people often forget.
Hopefully some of you will have better examples.
Here's the format.
Show/Cartoon/Anime:
Lull:
Rebound:
Did it stick?:
Show: Dexter
Lull: Season 5 (Julia Stiles, self-help cult) felt low stakes and slow after the gut punch ending of Season 4 (Trinity killer). Trailers for season 6 promised a return to darkness but the writing was God awful. Both Dexter and his enemies made sloppy mistakes, side characters had boring storylines that went nowhere and the twist was broadcasted from the beginning but treated like it was clever.
Rebound: Season 7. Show opened with some side stories that felt gripping, smaller enemies that felt threatening but the bigger storyline was the show slowly unraveling the truth about Dexter and what it meant to one of the other main characters on the show. Every time I thought "well if they know Dexter is a killer then they need to deal with the event of Season 2", boom, the next episode would deal with it. The only downside was the continuation of an awful storyline from Season 6 that had his adoptive sister Debra developing romantic feelings for him.
Did it stick?: No. Season 8 felt far too similar to Season 6 with it's lazy writing, easy to spot mistakes and awful storylines. The finale was the cherry on top- so terrible that it retroactively ruined parts of the show that I used to enjoy.
Show: Heroes
Lull: Season 2's slow-paced and uninteresting mystery struggled to keep audiences attention and was clearly marred by the writer's strike. Season 3, though initially more exciting, was far worse. Sylar switched allegiances so many times (and with little motivation) that I got tired of seeing him on screen. Character twists felt like a shlocky daytime soap opera and too many moments played for shock value did long term damage to the overall storyline.
Rebound: Season 1 head writer Bryan Fuller, who left the series to create Pushing Daisies and would later work on Hannibal, was brought back on board for the second half of Season 3. We saw a return to character-focused episodes, fascinating flashbacks and a fun storyline that had the heroes on the run.
Did it stick?: No. No it did not. Fuller left again. The following season brought in a Circus-themed storyline that didn't hold my attention and the series was eventually cancelled.
Series: LOST
Lull: the beginning of Season 3 had Jack, Kate and Sawyer locked up in cages while the A story shifted focus to a new cast of characters from the other half of the plane, including the duo that everyone loves the hate. The show dragged and felt as close to "filler" as anything I had ever felt in a show like this.
Rebound: Halfway through Season 3. I cannot remember the exact moment, it may have been Hugo and Sawyer repairing jeeps and sharing a beer. It doesn't sound exciting but I remember the character writing feeling deeply satisfying. These moments would eventually culminate into one of the most exciting season finales the show has ever had. The back half of season 3 is a joy.
Did it stick?: It depends on who you ask. The seasons that follow used secret flash towards that built up to a great twist episode reveal "we have to go back" and another season that primarily focused on time travel. These seasons brought us Desmond, Farady and Miles. I loved Season 4 & 5. The final season and the series finale? I have a lot of issues here. I've seen a large defense squad for how Lost ended but I think there are issues with character development and a sloppy closer that I can't get over. (None of my issues had to do with "not getting answers". We got plenty)
Anyway, I realize none of these fully stuck the landing but they all had rebound moments that people often forget.
Hopefully some of you will have better examples.
