Episodes of The Bear, Stranger Things and Lena Dunham’s new show Too Much are stretching the limits of television and reducing our enjoyment in the process
Not even that, just have a nice arc that actually fits into a single episode rather than it be a chapter in a 10 hr movie. I consider most episodes filler because they can’t stand on their own and only make sense in the bigger picture which is frustrating if you actually want to want an episode in isolation and don’t want to binge a whole series in one sitting.
If any of y’all watch The Last of Us, I’m curious about what you think of S1E3, “Long Long Time” where the main characters are absent for most the episode, which is mostly about Bill and Frank. Where does that fit in the world of ‘filler’ or ‘bridge’ or whatever?
That episode was basically a short story set in the same universe almost entirely unrelated to Joel and Ellie. Other than the letter at the end changing Joel’s perspective, it didn’t tie in with the main plot at all. It is entirely skippable (with a brief explanation to a viewer about what they missed regarding Joel and Ellie in that episode) even if it was very well-done in its own right.
Alas, I have not. But that’s an early episode, were Bill and Frank are doing something that establishes their characters or motivations? Brings them closer together? Filler episodes are more like irrelevant sidetracks so unless they went to the beach to get a break from the zombies, I don’t think that necessarily fits the definition.
Imagine a, say, Star Trek episode that is set on some planet we don’t know with some species we don’t know, where some characters we don’t know occasionally mention Star Fleet and The Federation, but are mostly just doing their jobs and concerned with their own issues. At the end of the episode, they’ve had a dramatic arc in their relationship and – oh yeah – in the middle, they finished that work-thing as an incidental. At the end of the episode, we see the cast we know on the starship we know and final shot closes in to emphasize that the work-thing is on board. We didn’t NEED to know the backstory of the people that worked on the thing, and their story doesn’t matter at all for using the work-thing, but the audience has a deeper view of the show’s universe.
Is that sort of show filler, bridge, or neither?
Edit: Dr. Who’s Love and Monsters was a little like what I mean, but that had more Doctor than my hypothetical would allow.
Personally I’d say neither! If I had to give it a name, I’d say…Lore Episode
I think whether that episode is warranted really depends on the vibe of the rest of the show. Lore doesn’t matter for most of them but it matters a LOT for others. Like Star Trek wasn’t only about the lore, but can you imagine the fandom without it?
Agreed. I think the definition of these really depends on how well they are received after the fact. Something enjoyable to watch wouldn’t be considered “filler” even if it doesn’t advance the story, but something that literally exists just to fill time regardless of its entertainment value is the perfect definition of filler.
Not even that, just have a nice arc that actually fits into a single episode rather than it be a chapter in a 10 hr movie. I consider most episodes filler because they can’t stand on their own and only make sense in the bigger picture which is frustrating if you actually want to want an episode in isolation and don’t want to binge a whole series in one sitting.
I know the exact kind of episode you mean but a filler episode is the exact opposite, it’s an episode that doesn’t advance the plot in any way.
I tried to find a term for an episode that can’t stand on its own but came up short so I’d like to propose a term:
Bridge Episodes.
An episode that is useless without the episodes connected to either side.
If any of y’all watch The Last of Us, I’m curious about what you think of S1E3, “Long Long Time” where the main characters are absent for most the episode, which is mostly about Bill and Frank. Where does that fit in the world of ‘filler’ or ‘bridge’ or whatever?
That episode was basically a short story set in the same universe almost entirely unrelated to Joel and Ellie. Other than the letter at the end changing Joel’s perspective, it didn’t tie in with the main plot at all. It is entirely skippable (with a brief explanation to a viewer about what they missed regarding Joel and Ellie in that episode) even if it was very well-done in its own right.
Alas, I have not. But that’s an early episode, were Bill and Frank are doing something that establishes their characters or motivations? Brings them closer together? Filler episodes are more like irrelevant sidetracks so unless they went to the beach to get a break from the zombies, I don’t think that necessarily fits the definition.
Imagine a, say, Star Trek episode that is set on some planet we don’t know with some species we don’t know, where some characters we don’t know occasionally mention Star Fleet and The Federation, but are mostly just doing their jobs and concerned with their own issues. At the end of the episode, they’ve had a dramatic arc in their relationship and – oh yeah – in the middle, they finished that work-thing as an incidental. At the end of the episode, we see the cast we know on the starship we know and final shot closes in to emphasize that the work-thing is on board. We didn’t NEED to know the backstory of the people that worked on the thing, and their story doesn’t matter at all for using the work-thing, but the audience has a deeper view of the show’s universe.
Is that sort of show filler, bridge, or neither?
Edit: Dr. Who’s Love and Monsters was a little like what I mean, but that had more Doctor than my hypothetical would allow.
Personally I’d say neither! If I had to give it a name, I’d say…Lore Episode
I think whether that episode is warranted really depends on the vibe of the rest of the show. Lore doesn’t matter for most of them but it matters a LOT for others. Like Star Trek wasn’t only about the lore, but can you imagine the fandom without it?
Agreed. I think the definition of these really depends on how well they are received after the fact. Something enjoyable to watch wouldn’t be considered “filler” even if it doesn’t advance the story, but something that literally exists just to fill time regardless of its entertainment value is the perfect definition of filler.