We don't practice the sunk cost fallacy in this household

[annavere]

Every Sunday, I get together with my mother and we watch episodes of alternating TV shows she decided to purchase on DVD. The roster has included Criminal Minds, which I have been very nervous about watching, because this show is infamous for being packed with dark and twisted serial killers - but I didn't want to try and influence her opinion of the show, and the discussions about the episodes have been enjoyable, so I hung in there and decided I would stick with it until we got to an episode with no catharsis.

I was not expecting that to be episode seven. I thought it would take at least until season two for serial escalation to really get going, but they really slammed the accelerator to the floor quite fast.

Up to that point, the show was mostly a suspense procedural with slightly darker than average cases, but with a heroic cast of characters determined to bring killers to justice. The focus was on the team using their wits to crack cases. The tone was that of a thriller, with a race against time to successfully save the current target, and some pretty exciting standoffs with the criminals. It was like a grittier NCIS, and I was fine with it.

Anyway, it hit the skids with episode seven. No catharsis. Way too much focus on the horrible crime, and its victims, and the sheer horror. Damn, I've got real life for horror and despair, I do not need to tune in every other week to get punched in the face for caring. Our conversation afterward was mostly to the tune of "that was well made, but it was horrible, and now we both feel bad." Then episode eight kept going down the same path toward being an incredibly gnarly show full of non-stop serial killer torture, and (with the trust broken by episode seven) my mother asked to bail rather than stick with to the close of the episode. I was more than happy to agree. She was astonished that a show airing on CBS in 2005 would be this nihilistic, and then she did some research and discovered it only gets worse.

So we're done with that show! More time to spend on better things! That bundle of DVDs is sailing out the door, frisbee-style!

Comments

[killabeez]

That kind of show is not for me, either. What else is on your roster? Have you considered trying Fringe?

[annavere]

The other shows we're watching are The Mentalist, Burn Notice and The Umbrella Academy (first two seasons). All of those are going much better, and I'll eventually write some posts about them. A brighter tone is a very helpful thing, and those shows have it, at least in their first seasons.

Because she likes time travel, once we're done with UA, we'll be trying a show she remembers fondly from when it was airing, called Odyssey 5. It got cancelled after one season, which bodes well for me.

Fringe is on my bucket list to acquire. It has a very good reputation, and I'm expecting to enjoy it. :)

[killabeez]

Burn Notice is delightful. :)

Oh, man, Odyssey 5. What a heartbreaking cancelation. It is a fantastic show, but I warn you, unlike some other 13-episode favorites, it may drive you mad with the complete lack of resolution/explanation. It still really bothers me, and I've never rewatched it because I know there's no resolution. (Still do recommend it, though—just brace yourself to finish with alllll the questions.)

[annavere]

I shall stand prepared! Thank you for the warning. :)

Really good decision

[dswdiane]

And it was a really good decision. There's enough pain and suffering in real life. No reason to watch or read media that makes you feel bad.

Re: Really good decision

[annavere]

Agreed. There are many, many options for entertainment, and if something actively makes me feel bad for watching or reading it, I can find a replacement in about thirty seconds.

[teratornis]

That's a very understandable choice. If I remember correctly, that trend was one of the main reasons Mandy Patinkin left the show at the end of the first season. I vaguely remember seeing an interview where he mentioned really hating how much of the focus landed on the gruesomeness and horror, instead of on the investigation and saving of lives.

Enjoy your DVD discus, and may whatever you watch next be more up your alley!

[annavere]

I'm with him, for sure. And it's frustrating, because it felt so unnecessary, even within the premise of the show. I watch these kind of shows for the team, not the plots, and they assembled a very good team, but then decided not to focus on them and the real good they're doing.

Oh well. There are many other television shows to watch!

[brightknightie]

I very vaguely remember making that decision in real time as it first aired: "This is a 10pm show, but, still, what...? No."

[annavere]

Even for 10 pm, on a major channel in 2005? It seems a bit much! I guess I've been naive.