One of the really joyful surprises of the summer was
watching Netflix's superb eight-episode love letter to 1980s movies,
"Stranger Things." The praise for the show has been effusive and
well-deserved, and its success has led to the (network? It's not a
network...what do we call these things now? Content providers? Ugh...) to
Netflix thrilling fans with the announcement of a second season. Great news,
right?
| We're all richer than our parents! |
Well, not so fast. We might want to consider a couple of
cautionary tales first. Last summer's sensation was USA Network's "Mr.
Robot," another mishmash of TV, movie, and cultural influences that made
for absolutely addictive viewing. The brainchild of writer/director Sam Esmail,
he originally envisioned his story as a feature film, but he created some of the
most compelling television since the heyday of AMC's "Breaking Bad."
| Jeff South? Never heard of him. |
I was excited for the start of this summer's second
season of "Mr. Robot." However, I'm six episodes into the new season
and still waiting for the excitement to start. All of the same elements are
there, but the magic is missing. To be honest, most of the episodes are just
boring. The dynamic between the characters has shifted in the worst way
possible, and now we are left without a protagonist to relate to or root for.
I'm committed to finishing out the season out of respect for the greatness of
season one, but it's a significant disappointment so far.
| Why is season two so damn boring? |
We all know about the pure genius of season one of HBO's
"True Detective." The collaboration between writer Nic Pizzolatto and
director Cary Fukunaga brought us two of the most memorable characters in
recent television, played with award-caliber brilliance by Woody Harrelson and
Matthew McConaughey. Yes, you read that correctly—Woody from "Cheers"
and that stoner guy from "Dazed and Confused." Every moment of every
episode was filled with dread and anticipation; you couldn't take your eyes off
the screen for even a moment.
| It's complicated... |
Then we had season two of "True Detective,"
which I watched from beginning to end, hoping that the brilliance of season one
would repeat itself. It did not. I think that Colin Ferrell and Vince Vaughn
are just as capable as actors as Woody and Matthew, but Pizzolatto was
pressured into delivering a script of the same quality as season one in a short
amount of time, and Fukunaga bailed as the director. The flaws were obvious
from the beginning.
 |
| It's terrible... |
I once asked college bud Mike Tucker why so many bands
had great debut albums but disappointing second efforts. What he told me was so
obvious: bands spend years working on a dozen great songs that go on that first
record; when they hit it big, the record company expects the next album right
away, and it's almost never as good as the first. I think the shows we see that
have magnificent first seasons—especially the two I singled out here—suffer
from the same phenomenon. Both "Mr. Robot" and "True
Detective" seemed to come out of nowhere, but they were culminations of
years of work by their creators.
Now we have the Duffer brothers, creators of
"Stranger Things," facing the same challenge. Their success was a
wonderful surprise. Now, can they come through again on short notice? Consider
these points: a) Can he get another great performance out of Winona Ryder? Can
she do something else besides distraught mother, because we won't want to see
that again. b) The kids, who were the heart of the show, are going to be a year
(or two) older the next time around, and kids change A LOT between 11 and 13.
How will that affect the dynamic? c) We've already seen the Upside Down; where
will the story take us next? d) How will the elements that we loved in season
one be kept intact while still telling us a new, fresh story?
 |
| 50 percent of the girls in my 1983 high school yearbook looked like this. |
Speaking as a writer, I spent years working on my first
novel, and years more crafting a sequel. If all my dreams came true, and both
books were published nationally to great success, could I crank out a third in
less than a year? J.K. Rowling has admitted that the pressures of publishing
deadlines took some of the polish off her work. I think the pressure must have
simply paralyzed George R. R. Martin; we may never actually see a final
"Song of Ice and Fire" book.
| Dream on, suckers! |
Sometimes, maybe we should just be happy with one perfect
season. The disappointment we experience when we expect lighting to strike
twice just isn't worth it.
