day56 - monster of the week
dear luci,
there are two broad types of television narratives. serialised narratives have a continuing, overarching plot line that unfolds gradually across episodes. episodic narratives are more contained-- the world of the story tends to return to some status quo at the end of each episode. think of Breaking Bad vs Law and Order.
In the 90's, as far as I've noticed, I don't really care to fact check this, a few shows emerged that took a more hybridised approach. These were shows like The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Some episodes of The X-Files were standalone creature features known as Monster-of-the-Week, where Mulder and Scully have to uncover or investigate some weird shit that usually resolves at the end of the episode. Other episodes were known as Mythology episodes, where Mulder and Scully get one step closer to uncovering the core, overarching mysteries of the show: namely that of the covert alien invasion taking place on Earth. It's an interesting format. You get to explore one main plot line whilst also writing bottle-episodes wherein you get to play with your toys in your little metaphorical sandbox without cooking the (ideally) planned vision of the show's story arc.
Some people think Monster-of-the-Week episodes are filler. "Filler" as a pejorative term exists underpinned by the assumption that when a series receives a 22-episode season order from a network, the showrunner probably doesn't have a robust beat-by-beat plan for all 22 scripts. Certain episodes might be padded a little to ensure they fulfil their obligation to the network. Filler episodes or plotlines are contrived, half-baked and half-hearted. They exist purely to fill space.
Now, in reality, that's mostly up to personal perception. Just because a story stands alone from the main narrative, that doesn't make it worthless. You get some fucking incredible opportunities to develop and establish character, explore interesting ideas, and experiment with a relative amount of freedom. MOTW episodes would be easy to use as filler. But it depends on how you look at it.
All that to say- today has felt like a filler episode. If it were on an episode watch-guide, it'd be classified as "Non-essential, some good character beats, but otherwise feel free to skip". The writers didn't really have a direction for me today. The themes were muddled, the plot-points felt meagre and disconnected, and there was no real character development.
I don't like the idea that my finite time on this Earth could be at all classified as "filler", purely killing time before the A-plot kicks into gear. But they can't all be Mythology episodes. That'd be exhausting. I can't find out about alien invasions, I have a full-time job.
You might reframe "filler days" as "slow-burn plots". Filler gives the impression that you've wasted your time. But in real life, our character development carries over even after the day's finished. The beautiful little moments during the day, like giving a hug to a person who really needed one, make a difference. Not every day is going to be momentous, not every day will advance your A-plot. But unlike characters in stories, you never stop growing and changing in response to the environment around you.
Take the time in your day that isn't occupied by corporate or scholarly obligation and use it for something that means something to you. You're your own showrunner/scriptwriter. You might as well write yourself some good beats in an episode whenever you can. Small as they may be. They make a difference.
Sweet dreams, Luci <3