[ SECRET POST #2799 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2799 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 058 secrets from Secret Submission Post #400.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

02. http://i60.tinypic.com/1jufis.jpg

[dimestoresaint]

I'm the same way, OP. I watch for the personal backstories and fanfic potential.

[(Anonymous)]

Ditto. Something about the characters on "crime shows" really speaks to me and I watch for them, not for the cases.

[(Anonymous)]

Same here!

[silverr]

I don't think soaps would be the same, though. To me, crime shows put characters in situations that are inherently "dramatic" by nature (rather than having to invent things like amnesia, shipwrecks, pregnancies, adulteries, etc). I think crime shows also allow characters more opportunities to show themselves as competent and complex in a more compressed period of time than soaps do, since they don't have to fill as much time per week as soaps do.

[(Anonymous)]

This

OP

[(Anonymous)]

I think that's it. (So thanks for putting that into words.)

I also watch stuff like Grey's Anatomy sometimes, but after a while I just can't stand the contrived coincidences anymore. Some fans in my crime fandoms have a lower tolerance for that kind of stuff though, so there's a lot of complaining about getting all that drama in their cases.

Re: OP

[silverr]

I forget to say that I hadn't realy thought of it til I saw your secret, but I too watch certain crime shows primarily for the character interactions. I appreciate that the fictional crimes provide a handy, well-defined framework for the main characters to talk and imteract with each other and with a steady stream of minor, one-off characters.

[(Anonymous)]

Depends on the crime show, for me. Some of them I watch pretty much purely for the characters (Inspector Lynley, L&O: CI, Lewis) while some I watch for a mix of the characters and the cases. Criminal Minds is the one I mainly think of for that, because when the cases started to feel a bit thin and contrived around S6 (to me, and it's hard to explain why I felt that), I started to lose track of the show. There were cast problems around the same time, and some of it could have been that, but the thing I remember is the cases starting to ring false and empty.

So, it depends? Some shows characters can carry alone, while others I think need actual cases to back them up. It may be a matter of personal taste which is which, though.

I don't think that's weird.

[(Anonymous)]

It's like when people used to be all covered up and getting sight of an ankle was titillating. The focus is on the procedure, so the tidbits of character interactions and dynamics are all the more interesting.

[(Anonymous)]

maybe you like drama with dignity
at least all these people very obviously have a job which is important to them, it's a nicer ratio imo

[elaminator]

This is my main reason for watching crime shows, too. It's not that the cases can't be interesting in their own right, but the character relationships and the drama is what I care about most.

[intrigueing]

I watch them for both?

And also, this makes total sense, because the personal stories of people whose lives are about solving crimes and doing cool, important stuff that improves other people's lives is a whole lot more appealing than the personal stories of people whose lives are all about their own personal insular drama. They are much more likeable characters, and more interesting characters, and they make you *want* to know more about them.

Relatedly, while she crime procedural part may not be what you actually focus on, it's still essential. Just because something is not paid attention to, doesn't mean it's not important to keeping the mechanism going and make the characters who they are and make the atmosphere what you like. I mean, you may not pay attention to the bolts and screws that hold a bicycle together, you care about the wheels and the handles and the seat, but a bicycle without bolts and screws isn't a bicycle, it's a pile of metal that goes nowhere.

Also, because crime procedurals' personal stories usually leave more to the imagination than soap operas, which is way, way, way better for fanfic. I mean, something like, Downton Abbey follows every single step of every single character's subplot in detail -- there isn't a hell of a lot of fanfic potential there, because it's all already on the screen.

[diet_poison]

I'm kinda the opposite. I mean, I'm not super into live-action shows to begin with, but when I do watch something, it's mostly for the story. I like shipping too and I like character development, but too much interpersonal drama makes it awkward for me. :|

[intrigueing]

IA when it comes to the "interpersonal drama" and putting the personal stuff at the forefront. I don't really like that much, and a lot of it feels awkward if it happens too much. Like "why am I watching this? Isn't this a show about _____?" I LOVE character development and general character stuff, but it needs to be packaged in the right format. In plotty shows and procedurals and the like, I like it to be mostly submerged in the plot so that the way the characters discuss and address the main plot with each other IS what reveals their personalities and relationships (see: every episode of The West Wing). Or in lighthearted in-between-the-scenes breather conversations about random minutiae and minor personal issues that tell us about the characters and their relationships nicely but doesn't detract from the plot and isn't about ~interpersonal drama~ (see: every single episode of Star Trek: TNG). Or in the rare special Big Damn Episode once or twice a season focusing on a main character/relationship AS the plot for a change (for example, Duane Barry/Ascension in The X-Files).

I prefer most "interpersonal drama" and such personal life stuff and tension to be either relegated to the aforementioned rare special episodes, or more hinted at/under the radar/pushed aside for the sake of the plot rather than being dwelt on or the main story. That shit's better in fanfic than onscreen (this is what killed ER for me).

But I often find myself just scratching my head at people who totally disregard the plots, especially when the plots are GOOD. The legions of fans who saw The West Wing as a vehicle for Josh/Donna rather than a story about the people who run the country and the politcs they deal with are pretty much the whole reason I never really could get involved with its fandom.

[diet_poison]

True. though when I saw awkward I mean more like certain tropes just make me really uncomfortable. like cheating, and lying to someone's face, and playing mean practical jokes. :(

[intrigueing]

Oh, I get it. Different topics. But yeah, a lot of that stuff is particularly bothersome when it happens in a closed ensemble, because you know it has to turn out all right because they won't fire a main cast member, so the whole drama will most likely either eat up too much screentime, or be resolved unsatisfactorily. It's possible to do well, but that doesn't happen often.

[diet_poison]

Yeah I just think it's awkward because why would people do that.

Granted, I'm not as young as I once was, I'm more able to detach myself from stuff, and I know it's all actors. But still...it makes me uncomfortable. Just...why? D:

[(Anonymous)]

OP, have you watched Scott & Bailey? Just, as crime shows go, I really enjoyed that one and you get to know the characters pretty well.

[(Anonymous)]

I have characters I love on crime shows, but... there's a limit to how much of their personal lives I want to see because I'm all about the crime or solving the mystery. Fanfiction usually does a better job of fleshing out their backstories, anyway.

[dancing_serpent]

Yeah, if a soap had Aaron Hotchner, I'd watch it.

Former cop here, don't watch any kind of cop/crime/procedural show for the cases. It's about the characters for me, too.