Very Special Episodes and How Shows Subverted Them (Public Post)

[author_by_night]

Content Warning: This post deals with suicide attempts, mental illness and sexual assault. In the context of TV shows, but still.

Quick summary of post: I discuss the problem with Very Special Episodes, and how Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Brooklyn Nine-Nine  (among other shows) got it right.

Comments

[vegawriters]

Very Special Episodes don't have to be all bad. It's just important to talk about an issue without exploiting it, and to make sure you find the right footing between offering hope and solutions and pushing false promises.

This whole post had me thinking about the Murphy Brown #metoo episode that was, in my opinion, perfectly done. It handled the topic in a way that was so specific to older women and the generation they grew up in and how they dealt with things and they did it without a crowning glory and also without ignoring how the culture has continued. But a lot of people felt like it didn't "go far enough" and I always wondered what they really wanted to see.

Thank you for this breakdown of these shows and their VSEs. It's such a good way of looking at things.

[author_by_night]

It handled the topic in a way that was so specific to older women and the generation they grew up in and how they dealt with things and they did it without a crowning glory and also without ignoring how the culture has continued.

I actually think that's an important thing to highlight. Especially given that IMHO, what's acceptable changed very rapidly over the course of the last few decades, and really, even in the last six or seven years.

[rogueslayer452]

When it comes to Very Special Episodes, it can be very tricky since there is a fine line between handling serious topics respectfully and pushing into an almost too preachy territory. Some shows can pull it off, while other shows don't do it so well; some can even have good intentions but doesn't always hit the mark. Sometimes it's based on showrunners/writers and how they approach these subjects and whether it makes sense in context of the actual story (since some VSE can be very obvious, since it doesn't match the rest of the tone of the show, even making certain characters OOC to Make A Point), or other times it's pressure from the network to do them due to outside forces (see S4 episode "Beer Bad" from BTVS). It all depends on the intentions of the creators and how they decide to present these topics

[author_by_night]

even making certain characters OOC to Make A Point)

Yeah, that always sticks out like a sore thumb.

(see S4 episode "Beer Bad" from BTVS).

You could tell the Buffy writers sighed very loudly and half-assed it out of spite. I think that's WHY it was so bad. It was meant to be.

Not having something completely resolved, but also making a point to talk about it, to shine light on particular issues and get the audience to think and start a conversation, while not sacrificing characterization for making that point. I find that more effective.

Exactly!