The Flash No more season long arcs...

[ZIPBAGS]

I also posted this in the Arrow forum..but felt it worked here also. I feel with Arrow, Flash and Legends these season long arcs don't usually work too well. I feel these arcs should be 1/2 a season. Thus preventing the dragging along that seems prevalent in the shows.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I'm not generally a fan of season-long arcs on any show. Even with the original run of The X-Files I always preferred the 'monster of the week' episodes to the 'ongoing alien/shady organisation conspiracy' stuff.

 

[ZIPBAGS]

These season long arcs have taken over "Supernatural"also...So we get very few monster of the week episodes.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Really? I haven't seen Supernatural in quite a while.

 

[igoogol]

Agree. Other than s1, Flash's long arcs have been atrocious. But Legends seems to be doing best with it because 1: they have 18-ep seasons so not that long and 2: most importantly, they've maintained the balance of drama, comedy and super heroics whereas Flash and Arrow just wallow in soap opera melodrama.

Haven't watched Supernatural since s5, so have no clue what this season is about. But I wouldn't mind if Flash followed SN's Scooby Doo ep, ie an ep which has Barry on Earth Animated Justice League. That will be amazing because Animated Justice League! and Barry always does well when he's not saddled with propping the team, and it's a fun break from the drag of the long arc.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Haven't watched Supernatural since s5, so have no clue what this season is about. But I wouldn't mind if Flash followed SN's Scooby Doo ep, ie an ep which has Barry on Earth Animated Justice League. That will be amazing because Animated Justice League! and Barry always does well when he's not saddled with propping the team, and it's a fun break from the drag of the long arc.

I like that idea!

 

[Web-Head]

I think it'd be a good idea to almost do it like the comics and have different 3-5 episode arcs.

Imagine a 4 episode arc focused on Grodd. A 5 episode arc focused on the Rogues. I think that'd actually be pretty cool for a season or half a season

 

[ZIPBAGS]

I think it'd be a good idea to almost do it like the comics and have different 3-5 episode arcs.

Imagine a 4 episode arc focused on Grodd. A 5 episode arc focused on the Rogues. I think that'd actually be pretty cool for a season or half a season

Exactly.

 

[haephestus]

I strongly agree. I’d prefer to see each season broken down into multiple mini-arcs of four to six episodes each. With a few standalone episodes thrown in for good measure where they won’t interrupt the forward momentum.

 

[Frodo]

I've been advocating for the retro one shot anthology type episodes for a while now.

If they don't do that, I like the suggestions of 3 episode arcs with standalone's. Having a big bad through the entire season and thus having to try to fit all the episodes around it gets tiresome when you've got 24 episodes per season.

I'd like to see things like a two part return of the Reverse Flash episode, a one shot Bart Allen from the future episode, a solid episode focused on the Rogues, etc, all of which wouldn't be bound to some mysterious puppet master.

Having story threads continue through out the season is fine but I'd prefer they ditch the season long arcs for a season.

 

[eon001]

Yea these 22 episode drag along shows are frustrating. They bring in a bunch of different writers and the characters/tone change constantly.

Black Lighting and The 100 have proved that quality over quantity is the way to go.

 

[Dark Raven]

Do it like Agents of SHIELD season 4, which had 3 separate arcs which were related, but each their own thing. It had Ghost Rider, the LMDs and then the Framework. In the end they all tied together. That was the best SHIELD season.

 

[007]

the issue with both lash and arrow, despite enjying both, is that there seasons are way too long. too many filler episodes. it would be a lot more coherent with a netflix like 13 episode run.

 

[Guard82]

Dividing the season into multiple arcs rather than making a single arc into the dominant storyline would probably make the season more engaging and would reduce the number of filler episodes significantly.

 

[BigSams50]

Just in case the Flash season finale is considered a spoiler

Spoiler

This season is the perfect time to introduce a 2 arc system. With the ending being Nora Allen asking her parents for help, its the perfect time for the first half of the season being them helping her "fix" her mistake, and the 2nd half could be them stopping another said villain.

 

[Dark Raven]

Maybe Nora West Allen has created another Flashpoint.

 

[BigSams50]

Thats what im guessing. They could easily have her fixing her "flashpoint" be the emphasis of the first half of the season, and then the 2nd half being another villain, possibly the rogues finally joining together.

 

[unholyrevenger]

LOL

Series is heavily serialized and has season long arc = "Switch to Villain of the Week"

Series is heavily episodic and self contained episodes = "Switch to season long Arcs"

 

[jolldan]

I think it'd be a good idea to almost do it like the comics and have different 3-5 episode arcs.

Imagine a 4 episode arc focused on Grodd. A 5 episode arc focused on the Rogues. I think that'd actually be pretty cool for a season or half a season

I like this.

Also think the agent's of shield formula would work well. You have the big threat of the first half of the season then a different one in the second half and both connect at the end.

 

[Morbo]

LOL

Series is heavily serialized and has season long arc = "Switch to Villain of the Week"

Series is heavily episodic and self contained episodes = "Switch to season long Arcs"

This is pretty par for the course and beyond accurate. I think the way 'The Flash' has done has worked fine. They have had their minor villains that always tie in to the main plot, but they still worked as one offs. I mean this last season we had 12 different characters that were antagonists in their own way.

 

[Avenging Angel]

Maybe Nora West Allen has created another Flashpoint.

It's a rehash of Season 2? The writers have no original thoughts left and a mountain strong story material they could derive their seasons from.

 

[caseybrn]

Agreed on the tired season long arc's,

Mix in some different 2, 3 or four episode storylines - Even a few, one and done stories - Great single comic issues didn't always feel like the Smallville 'freak of the week' episodes

But in fact I think Flash is missing some of the internal character arc's that made Smallville great (or say pretty good)

Not the shipp-y Dawson Creek stuff.....But ten or so minutes in a few episodes focusing on the internal stuff of the star (Yeah I also am kinda sick of Team Flash - just focus on Grant)

And if the season long arc stuff has to remain...let's copy the first season greatness and have a overall villain that isn't recognized to exist til 4/5 episodes left in a season