"I'll never understand the lack of character development I keep seeing as of late with respect to movies and tv shows. I just watched episode 1 of season 1 and realized I couldn't care less about the characters because - no character development."

I will assume you are trolling.

@klownz said:

"I'll never understand the lack of character development I keep seeing as of late with respect to movies and tv shows. I just watched episode 1 of season 1 and realized I couldn't care less about the characters because - no character development."

I will assume you are trolling.

I will assume you are a useless †wat.

" I just watched episode 1 of season 1 and realized I couldn't care less about the characters because - no character development.""

Do you realize how fucking stupid that sounds to say about any tv show ever made?

@klownz said:

" I just watched episode 1 of season 1 and realized I couldn't care less about the characters because - no character development.""

Do you realize how fucking stupid that sounds to say about any tv show ever made?

I have a feeling you don't even know what I'm talking about. The better shows and movies utilize "character development." It's "character development" that makes us want to follow the protagonist into the story because we need to know WHO they are before we would want to listen to and watch their story. Without it, all we have is a live action cartoon. I just started watching When We Rise and was struck by how much time they spent on character development in the first episode.

This dreck on the other hand jumps headfirst into the story without exposing any of the character or inner life of the characters. Even though the subject matter and era interests me, I just couldn't care less.

First you have to establish a character & their motives before you can develop them & this takes more time than 1 episode of season one for any show. Set the characters up... then develop them after.

Look at your comment. It is fair to see why I just thought you was doing the usual troll format... I will give you benefit of doubt though & will also say this show moves pretty slow in season one and in my opinion picks up in season two & characters are developed (sometimes to fast)

the subject matter and era you will be disappointed with because above all else this is a fantasy horror show.

"This dreck on the other hand jumps headfirst into the story without exposing any of the character or inner life of the characters."

Do you feel the same way about: Irreversible (2002)

@klownz said:

First you have to establish a character & their motives before you can develop them & this takes more time than 1 episode of season one for any show. Set the characters up... then develop them after.

OK, let me know if that happens with Salem and maybe I'll resume watching it. As it is, I lost interest after episode one as I always do with movies and shows that don't use character development first.

this show moves pretty slow in season one and in my opinion picks up in season two & characters are developed (sometimes to fast)

That's not how it works, but I don't blame people for liking what they like. I just don't engage when they skip over telling and showing me who the main characters are first. If someone told you a story about someone you knew, you'd be far more interested in hearing it than if they were telling you a story about someone you didn't know. Asking an audience to wait for character development is like being asked to donate to a charity without knowing what the charity is. Why would anyone do that?

the subject matter and era you will be disappointed with because above all else this is a fantasy horror show.

I've studied witches and witchcraft and a little of what went on during the witch trials in Salem. The main thing that interests me is the idea that it wasn't the witches who were caught, tortured, and killed, it was hapless citizens that they duped because the real witches were sleeping with the men in power. Of course all the supernatural stuff is nonsense, but the other stuff actually happened in part because it's not hard to manipulate primitive people who know little to nothing of science.

"This dreck on the other hand jumps headfirst into the story without exposing any of the character or inner life of the characters."

Do you feel the same way about: Irreversible (2002)

Irreversible is what I would consider an experimental film. It has it's own method of storytelling and so it's not subject to the normal laws of film storytelling. Telling a story in reverse negates the canons of established film storytelling.

I know this post is old, but I'm going to try and show my point of view.

I grew up on the history of Salem, having lived within 45 minutes of the village. I have toured the House of Seven Gables. A few times, in fact, due to school field trips. I love Salem and all its rich history. How glad I was to stumble upon this show!

Historically, this show is quite fictitious. There are consistencies in a few things that happened (i.e., the gentleman who was stoned), but for the most part, the story is just a story.

As the story grows, so, too, do the characters. You are not introduced to the characters right away. Take Mary Sibley for instance: you see her first as a "mouthpiece" for her husband, George. As the story goes along, you find out why she seems to be such a powerful force. You find out why she does what she does. You find out that there are actually several layers to Mary.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), this show builds its characters as it builds the story. As characters are introduced, one continually learns their back stories.

I initially binge watched this on Netflix and am binging again since season 3 was released and it had been a while since I had first watched it. I still find it interesting and enjoy their take on what happened and am finding that as the story goes along, the characters still have secrets to tell the audience.

@LittleCrit said:

I know this post is old, but I'm going to try and show my point of view.

I grew up on the history of Salem, having lived within 45 minutes of the village. I have toured the House of Seven Gables. A few times, in fact, due to school field trips. I love Salem and all its rich history. How glad I was to stumble upon this show!

Historically, this show is quite fictitious. There are consistencies in a few things that happened (i.e., the gentleman who was stoned), but for the most part, the story is just a story.

As the story grows, so, too, do the characters. You are not introduced to the characters right away. Take Mary Sibley for instance: you see her first as a "mouthpiece" for her husband, George. As the story goes along, you find out why she seems to be such a powerful force. You find out why she does what she does. You find out that there are actually several layers to Mary.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), this show builds its characters as it builds the story. As characters are introduced, one continually learns their back stories.

I initially binge watched this on Netflix and am binging again since season 3 was released and it had been a while since I had first watched it. I still find it interesting and enjoy their take on what happened and am finding that as the story goes along, the characters still have secrets to tell the audience.

That's horse hockey!

(I just wanted to continue with the strife of the previous posts.)

I don't know, man. People like what they like, but as a hobbyist screenwriter, lack of character development is irritating to me. That said, if a show was based on a geographical area that I knew, I'd probably want to watch it also. Flaked isn't a masterpiece from a writing standpoint but I watch it and like it in part because I spent a lot of time in Venice, CA.

But as a watcher of MANY films and shows, I always pass right-off if they jump into story without telling me who the characters are. I wonder though, if a story of the actual Salem witch trials era would be well received if only based on the facts, sans supernatural nonsense.

@Halberstram Lol!

@MongoLloyd I think that if the show was more historically accurate, there would still be interest. Many people are fascinated by the fact that the "witches" of Salem were totally innocent. That a village would have a mob mentality and bring what was happening across the pond to the colonies. So many people died because of a few hysterical girls who were trying to cover up their own wrongdoings.

My understanding of the whole thing is that there were actual witches (Earth worshipping pagans) who were adept at manipulating people. Their English and Scottish roots in shamanism and nature worship probably meant that they were involved with magic (imposing ones will on nature) which of course was as BS as actual Christianity in the sense that a magic spell was as hit or miss as prayer. Gotta remember too that England and Scotland had their own share of witch hysteria and they even had witch finders who were somehow expert in identifying witches. The true historical aspects of the witch trial era are completely muddled in this series by the fantasy aspects.

One thing I remember from my studies of witches has to do with the mythology of witches riding brooms. Apparently actual witches would apply a home made ointment of sorts (that contained some form of psychoactive material, probably from a mushroom or toad) to their broom handle (which they then used as a d!ldo), which would then make them hallucinate (and subsequently have the delusion of flight.)

@MongoLloyd I had not heard of the broom thing before, but I haven't done any real research on witchcraft in recent years. I know a bit of Salem's history because, as mentioned before, I've taken a few school trips there a lifetime ago.

I knew this show would not be a history lesson although some of the names they use were actual residents of Salem back in the day. And I enjoy it for what it is...enjoyment. I do enjoy their take on the history, though, as it shows how easily people can be persuaded into a certain "truth", much like how the village was persuaded into believing a few hysterical girls trying to cover up their wrongdoings.