The trope of dropping a mostly non-plot related flashback or side story episode right after a major plot point. Good or Bad? (General spoilers)

Submitted by logicalnoise t3_11dmcaq in television

Last of us just pulled this lever which is mostly exactly how it is in the game(reaction seems mixed).

Stranger things did it and it was hated.

Ted lasso did with with Coach beard and it was met with mixed reactions(I liked it).

Numerous other examples. Seems like a crutch for not over explaining character details early on but also seems like it's too obvious for most shows now. So and so is a mystery, can't wait for the penultimate episode where we find out their backstory.

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WeDriftEternal t1_ja9hcjc wrote

It helps slow down a story that may be moving too fast and bring it back to an emotional state vs. an action one. It lets us take a different look at certain characters with new info.

We should also be aware, these are often used to highlight a particular actor giving them an episode to star in, especially if they are not the main star or only one of many.

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stereoroid t1_ja9ik0s wrote

One example that springs to mind straight away is The West Wing: mild spoiler ahead. At the end of season 1, something major happens, and the first episode of season 2 is a 2-parter with a lot of flashbacks about "how the team got together" a few years earlier. I think it was related to the fact of having a second season at all, meaning they could do a more detailed dive in to character origins.

Since The Last Of Us is a clear success, I think something similar is happening: we can now invest more in to these characters.

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HolidayHowlett t1_ja9luti wrote

All of these episodes were filmed and likely done with most if not all post production well before the first episode aired.

This was always planned and has nothing to do with the success of the show.

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POPAccount t1_jab0lnf wrote

The West Wing was one of the most egregious violations of the trope, especially since the first season ended with a huge cliffhanger. I am glad that I was able to binge it my first viewing

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RipJug t1_ja9nooe wrote

Beard after Hours was superb and I’ll not listen to anyone who disagrees.

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PM_ME_CAKE t1_ja9xcdq wrote

I mean, I personally didn't like it (though not because it was a sidestep, I was perfectly cool with that), but also Ted Lasso S2 was a case where two extra episodes ended up being ordered on top of the main batch. You can clearly tell that Beard's episode and the Christmas (one of my favourites) episode are those two, they're both perfectly lovely but are completely disconnected to the main plot - I have nothing ultimately against how they work but it's a bit of a different context.

Separately, my answer to this thread's question is it does really depend on how you do it and it's on a per-show basis on if it works.

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monsieurxander t1_jaavfee wrote

Wait, people didn't like that episode?

Sometimes it is so nice to enjoy a show without engaging with its fandom.

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Archamasse t1_ja9kj4t wrote

I think it just depends on how well it's executed. In the case of TLOU, I think they could have done a wee bit more to make it clear why they're showing you what they're showing you. I think there is a very good reason for it, but that's not necessarily obvious to most viewers yet so I understand some of the frustration. (But I think people will look back differently on it when they see the big picture. I've mentioned it elsewhere, but imho audiences are far less willing to trust a show to pay off on something like that than they used to be)

Station Eleven did a lot of flashbacking back and forth, but it alternated every episode - one ep would be set largely in year zero, and the next in year twenty - and the eps were released in clusters of 3 or 2 so you got a dash of both every week. I also think it was quite a bit more deft at making both timelines feel "present", with tricks like phantom audio from one timeline bleeding into another, or Kirsten's sometimes rapidly intercut memories vs current experience.

I find the other "dramatic flashback" format way more fucking annoying, where they show you something crazy in the first scene and then flashback to showing you all the steps it took to get there.

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please_and_thankyou t1_ja9il4s wrote

Mythic Quest’s “Dark Quiet Death” episode is easily one of its best. It tells the story of the video game company that used the same office before MQ. Other than Lou (played by TLOU creator/writer Craig Mazin) wearing a DQD shirt, and some of the Roscoe merchandise, it isn’t discussed in the main story.

eta: The second season’s stand-alone episode, “Backstory!”, was written by Craig Mazin and was very good, but it did play into the main story as it was the backstory for F. Murray Abraham’s character.

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Infamous-Lab-8136 t1_jackumb wrote

It was also mentioned by Ian to Popp in the next episode. He showed her where they carved Doc loves Beans or whatever it was they carved in and tells her about the company that used to be there.

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anasui1 t1_ja9ydsg wrote

really dislike it, but what I absolutely despise is ending an episode of an ensemble show on a cliffhanger where a couple characters are about to die/discover something and the next one starts with another group of characters doing their mundane things for 20 minutes. Fuck fuck fuck that

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visitorzeta t1_ja9q201 wrote

Baaaaaaaaaad. It's very frustrating for a viewer and just comes across as gimmicky. That Stranger Things one was particularly annoying and the funny thing is they released all the episodes at once so it wasn't like you had to wait a week, but it was still annoying because it ruined the momentum.

I've said it before but I think the major issue with The Last of Us is a structure problem.

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urgasmic t1_jaa54bc wrote

if it's a streaming show releasing weekly i will honestly just wait until the next week and watch both together cause i find it a bit boring usually. I don't mind if it happens in the same episode after a major plot point but the episode after, especially the entire episode, oof.

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POPAccount t1_jab0a0l wrote

Last of us did not do it this way in the game. It was DLC that was released after the original game. It was set in the same timeline of the show, but the difference is that when you play the DLC you already know how the story goes, so it’s not as frustrating as the show is for non-gamers.

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FormalWare t1_ja9omif wrote

Assuming the flashback episode is - independently, on its own merits - a good episode, then I would say that right after a major event in the main plot is the perfect place for it. It allows the audience to take a breather and reflect on the impact of the big event on the characters. It works. I suppose that's how the pattern became a trope.

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drogyn1701 t1_ja9sgzv wrote

There was only one time it really annoyed me and that was The Haunting Bly Manor when it ended one episode on a cliffhangar and then did a flashback episode explaining the ghosts before getting back to the main plot.

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SurrealRaypissed t1_jaa7nkx wrote

its weak as hell and I consider it filler - in general and specifically last nites episode

(especially with the fake tension of will they or wont they kiss when it was obvious from the beginning)

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