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Know your meme subvert your expectations12/15/2023 ![]() In fact, some of his most beloved stories drew heavily (and I mean heavily) from pre-existing source material. The writer Robert Holmes exemplifies this. And at the same time, it’s one of the least original shows ever made, too. Yes, in some ways it is one of the most original shows ever made. Indeed, Doctor Who has (historically) been very good at this. The answer, I believe, is to find a comfortable middle ground between sticking-to-what-works, and introducing something new. Expectations are subverted.īut how far is too far? Because Caffѐ Nero, for example, could “subvert my expectations” by serving melted cheese instead of coffee. Canonise the Morbius “Doctors.” It doesn’t matter if people are upset. How do you give the fans more of what they want without repeating yourself? The answer, apparently, is to do the unexpected. Of course, every long-running franchise faces this issue. And I believe some of them when they say they won’t be watching the programme again. And not just the Doctor Who fans who always vow to cancel their TV licenses if the TARDIS is repainted a darker shade of blue. The consequence, however, was that it upset a large portion of the fanbase. Love it or hate it, it subverted expectations – mainly because it rewrote a sizeable chunk of Who history. So I can understand when a writer applies themselves to the task of trying really, really hard to be ‘original.’ And The Timeless Children was original. And increasingly, audiences are particularly savvy, and hard to catch off guard – especially when a plethora of spoilers is being leaked onto the webosphere with monotonous frequency. Audiences need surprising, and it’s the writer’s job to deliver. If a TV show constantly repeats itself, it can get old very quickly. I can just imagine them, slumped over their keyboards at three in morning, hissing through gritted teeth, coffee cup in hand: “It must be new! It must be different! I MUST MAKE MY MARK!” I believe that some writers (particularly those who are tasked with contributing to an ongoing, major franchise) develop a complex – convincing themselves that, if you don’t subvert expectations, reinvent the wheel, and ‘think outside’ the proverbial box, they’ve failed in some way. In recent times, I think a wave of paranoia has been sweeping across the creative world. ![]() And Star Trek, if you think about it.” The list goes on. “Oh, that sounds just like Blake’s 7!” he’ll say. ![]() Does something have to be ‘original’ to be good? I have a friend who – every time I pitch an idea to him – instantly tells me which film/ book/ TV series it reminds him of. ![]()
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