WARNING: There will be some spoilers with regards to some of the shows hinted at in the above image.
Right. It’s been a while since I’ve used this platform to write about something that’s been bothering me, which means we’re long past due, and I believe this particular subject more than qualifies.
Dark timeline reboots/revivals. What do I mean by those? Well, let me explain.
What are dark timeline reboots/revivals?
Well, growing up we’ve all had popular TV shows we’ve loved, and perhaps gone back to watch again and again. Like a warm, comforting blanket filled with beloved characters.
We get told those characters are coming back, for maybe another show set 20 years later. We get excited. We think we’d love to see what Tommy Shelby or Captain Picard has been up to after all this time, and to see what’s happened/is happening to the characters now.
We sit down with our popcorn, because we’ve been waiting for this for MONTHS. But wait, this is not the comfort and enjoyment we were hoping for… this is just… this is horrible. And we realise this is… the DARK TIMELINE.
Here’s why I hate it
Look, to many of us, it already feels like we’re in the dark timeline. There’s enough sh*t going on in the world around us, so we turn to our favourite TV shows for comfort, and a bit of escapism.
And everyone knows these shows are getting their ratings and numbers because they WERE so popular back in the day, and people want more of that. It’s nostalgia, it’s the familiar, and the good.
In other words, nobody wants to find out that Picard has a fatal illness, that Riker and Troi’s beloved young son died of a (most likely) preventable illness, or that Data’s consciousness lived in a quantam simulation for nigh-on 20 years, and now all he wants to do is die! NOBODY WANTS THAT.
The android ban was also pretty terrible, but let’s not even bother going into that – although, it is just another dark nail in the Star Trek timeline that I’d rather just erase in my mind and refer to as ‘not canon’.
ANYWAY. Y’know what else nobody wants? To learn that Tommy Shelby ended his lifelong relationship with his good brother Arthur Shelby BY MURDERING HIM. That’s not something Tommy would EVER do – but perhaps that plot point was revealed so that we feel less bad about Tommy then being STABBED IN THE HEART by HIS OWN SON.
Thanks, I hate it. I really f***ing hate it.
Other honourable mentions include the godawful, out-of-character kills and missing evidence in Dexter, and the way Scrubs brought back all our favourite characters only to find the failed romance of Dorian and Elliot, and a Dr Cox who’s terrified having been diagnosed with a rare, incurable autoimmune disease.
NONE OF THIS MAKES ME FEEL GOOD.
But Bronwen, life isn’t perfect either, sh*t happens
(Bet you read that in Dr Cox’s voice, didn’t you?)
I know, I know. It’d be unrealistic to revisit all our favourite characters and watch absolutely nothing bad happen to them. There needs to be some tension, some interest, something to lose. But does it all have to be so f***ing grim dark, and traumatic? Apparently so.
I’m just tired of this happening. Of writers going back to much beloved characters and completely wrecking their lives, character developments and worlds in order to make a bit more money.
Maybe some things can just be left alone… or, if they’re done, they can be done right. For example, with Tommy Shelby reuniting with his family, going trout fishing with Arthur, watching his children grow up, helping out with UK politics (the end of season 4 was the best, so full of hope), even with the war effort – there’s plenty of tension to be had there, did we really have to go beyond that with all the murder?
Okay, some murder is fine. But ALL the murder?
Anyway, if any of this has particularly bothered you the way it has bothered me, I have a potential solution for you.
Delulu is the solulu
Firstly, if a show has bothered you so much that you’re upset, angry, frustrated or traumatised in any way… step away from the TV. Go out, do something else, read a favourite book, take a walk, whatever.
THEN you can tell yourself none of what you’ve just watched actually happened. You can either choose to erase it from your mind, or like me, you can invent an entire alternate theory about why you’ve watched those things. My best example of this is The Picard Theory, or Picard’s Nexus Fantasy, which I’ve blogged about below.
For me, this was an effective way of coping with the dark timeline of Picard (along with never watching past the end of season 1 – because none of it ever happened, it’s all just in the Nexus as Picard’s mind unravels further, so what’s the point?).
I hope this can perhaps help with whatever trauma you’re going through – although I’ve got to admit, it’s going to take some tough mental gymnastics to get over what they did to Tommy Shelby (and poor Arthur).
Final thoughts
Okay, maybe I’m done for now. But, does any of this resonate with you? Do you have any other examples that’s really pissed you off? Y’know, any other favourite tv show characters who get brought back in a film or movie to then find out they’ve killed one of their most important relationships, or they’ve got a brain tumour, or their daughter has been murdered, or they’re undoing years and years or character development for the sake of some ratings?
Maybe their best friend has been trapped in a non-world for 30 years and just wants to finally die? Or their other best friends had two kids and they died horribly and now they’re trying to cope with it. Maybe you get to watch their sister get slaughtered for a stupid reason. NO?!
Welp, let me know if you think of any.
Now, over to you – is Bronwen making sense, or does her menopausal state mean she has just finally snapped? Comment below to have your say.
