Cliffhangers and Sequels - Part One

It's May.  The end of network television's regular season.  And it seems that every scripted show is finishing the year with cliffhanger.

I'm not crazy about cliffhangers.

Many of us remember the summer of 1980 when the world held its collective breath wondering Who Shot JR, but the cliffhanger began way before someone put a bullet in JR Ewing on the TV show Dallas.  In the late 1800's, many novels were printed in serial format in newspapers and periodicals, and authors employed a variety of such devices to hold on to their readers' interest.  Early cinema included short serials that ended every episode with the hero or heroine facing some grave danger (from which they would miraculously escape in the opening minutes of the next installment).

For years, most TV cliffhangers were found in two part episodes.  You know, the ones that ended with "To be continued..." and left you screaming at the TV and tuning in the following week.  But is there truly a point to season ending cliffhangers?   I don't know about you, but I rarely spend the off season (summer for broadcast networks, winter for most cable networks) worrying about a character on a TV show.  Does anyone remember we left Jane Rizzoli bleeding out on the sidewalk in front of the police station last fall.  Okay, maybe now that I've mentioned it, but have you been counting the weeks until Rizzoli and Isles starts its new season so you can find out what happened?  Probably not.

Cliffhanger endings lose their effectiveness when too much time elapses before the next installment, between the set up and the payoff.  This is why they're less effective for feature films.  But what about films that are part of a series with a continuing story arc?  Lord of the Rings.  Star Wars.  Each movie has to include the set up for the next.  Sometimes the set up has a definite 'cliffhanger' feel to it.  (I was seriously annoyed when The Empire Strikes Back ended with Han Solo encased in carbonite and in the hands of the slimy Jabba the Hut.)

So where is the line between acceptable setup for a sequel and a true cliffhanger.  And how does this translate from TV and movies to books?  I'll take a look at those questions on Wednesday.  (When I will also announce the winner of last Friday's caption contest.)

In the meantime, what were some of your favorite or least favorite cliffhangers (TV or movie)?

I'm currently enjoying: Just finished Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger

Groaner of the Day: Two cannibals meet one day. The first cannibal says, "You know, I just can't seem to get a tender Missionary. I've baked them, I've roasted them, I've stewed them, I've barbecued them, I've tried every sort of marinade. I just cannot seem to get them tender."

The second cannibal asks, "What kind of Missionary do you use?"

The other replied, "You know, the ones that hang out at that place at the bend of the river. They have those brown cloaks with a rope around the waist and they're sort of bald on top with a funny ring of hair on their heads."

"Ah, ha!" the second cannibal replies. "No wonder ... those are friars!"

(Oh, that's so awful.  I'm almost embarrassed.  Almost.)

Just Ramblin'

Okay, it's blogging day and I have no bright ideas so I'm gonna do a little ramblin'.

My STUPID cable box screwed up tonight and didn't record NCIS.  I was really looking forward to watching it.  Guess I'll have to catch it on line later.

Tried out two new shows so far.  Chase last night and Detroit 187 tonight.  Disappointed in Chase - sounded interesting but the dialog was lousy.  Detroit 187 I'll give another watch.  Have you seen any good new shows yet?

Brandi's eye is still hanging in there. (Now there's a mental image.) Next vet trip is Thursday morning. Got to take Chance, her adopted brother, on this trip, too. Re-check exam for his congestive heart failure. Someday we'll have to break it to him that he's sick. Those squirrels he treed this morning didn't seem to notice.

Don't you love this picture?  Look at the dog's eyes.  And, no, that's not Brandi and me.

I think I've come up with a way to trim some weight from my chubby WIP and heighten the suspense on one of the threads at the same time.  Have to play with it before I'll know for sure.  Wish me luck.

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Beautiful.  I miss you.

It was 92 here today.  Don't you wish pool closings were tied to the weather and not the calendar?

I should have paid more attention to that e-mail I got from the library a couple days ago. Now I've got a half dozen books overdue. And they're going to be more so because I'm not finished reading one of them yet.  Oh, well - a good read is worth a fine.

So, what's new wih you?

Unwriting progress: From the original 150,000 words down to 111,618.

I'm currently enjoying: Weeding Out Trouble by Heather Webber (Yes, this is an oldie and it's overdue at the library.  Sorry, Heather.)

Quote of the day: The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.  - Unknown