Is this show less serialized than you thought it would be?

[eschaton]

Before Discovery came out, it was widely mentioned in the press that the entire season would be one long plot arc. I was anticipating to some degree this would follow the model of The Expanse or Game of Thrones, where it's very hard to pick out individual episodes in any one season, because we just follow different plot threads through the entirety of the season.

That is clearly not the format of the show however, for which I am grateful. The opener was indeed a two parter, and episodes 3 and 4 hinted that the show might go along that route. But episodes 5 and 6 have been basically normal Trek episodes, with identifiable A/B plot structures, independent themes, and most of the key conflict within the episode wrapped up (if not neatly in a bow) by the end of the episode.

Don't get me wrong, there are of course little teasers sprinkled in, and the episodes like to end with shocking scenes which are often not completely followed up on in the next episode. And there clearly are ongoing story arcs - from the war to individual characters - which continue to have development. But the level of serialization isn't that much higher than Enterprise season 3 or some of Deep Space Nine.

This is one of the areas I have been very pleasantly surprised by the show, because by having independent plots largely wrapped up in each episode, it opens up a lot of variety in storytelling. I wonder what the feelings of others regarding this area is. Is this the amount of serialization you expected, or were you also expecting a bit more as well?

 

[Mechanoid1]

I like the mixture of long story arcs intermingled with other shorter arcs. My whole review of this Discovery trek will be based on the wrapping up at the end of season 1 and the glimpse/tease of the new season 2 direction. (Seriously anticipating the death of spore fantasy drive, and some sort of explanation of the hairy klingon, to bald, to hairy klingon evolution.)

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

Yes, this is something I've been pleasantly surprised by too. Aside from the first two (unless you count it as one feature length episode, which to some degree it is), each individual episode has ended with some kind of satisfactory conclusion, but with teasers of things to be followed along the line. I was kind of expecting a mini cliffhanger at the end of each, and I'm glad they haven't taken this route.

 

[Adama311]

The people behind Discovery easily could've made it into a GoT\Walking Dead type series to play it safe in today's television environment, but they seem to be doing a competent job in balancing serialization and distinct, distinguishable episodes. I was very hesitant to get behind the series when the first trailers dropped, but after these 6 episodes I'm pretty optimistic for the series' future.

 

[zar]

I wasn't surprised because they had been hinting at it for a while. It was laid out pretty clearly in this interview a couple weeks before the premiere:

http://www.startrek.com/article/interview-discovery-showrunner-aaron-harberts

Please talk about the serialized storytelling elements of Discovery...
...This season (of Discovery), these 15 episodes are, it's definitely a novel, serialized storytelling. Each episode is a chapter, but each of those chapters in a way is distinct enough that you'll be able to remember what happened. We always say like, when you write TV and you meet someone, "Oh, I'm a TV writer." "Oh, what do you write for?" "Star Trek." "Oh, what episode did you write?" This is one of those where you can say, "I wrote the one with Harry Mudd," and you'll be like, "Got it. I know exactly what happened." You will feel with each episode a contained storyline, and then a tug into the next one. The mythology will just continue to grow.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Is this show less serialized than you thought it would be?

Yes it is a lot less “serialized” than it should be and subsequently DSC suffers greatly from it.

 

[Dijeirusan]

It's exactly what I expected. Each episode is stand alone with its own beginning-middle-and-end, but part of a bigger storyline.

If the show was being released as a box set, then I expect it would have been different.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

It's a lot slower than I thought it would be.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

I read the title as "Is the show less legalized than you thought it would be?" Since it's filming in Canada, it'll be legalized next summer. If they'd stayed in California, it'd be good to go now.

 

[Tesophius]

In this sense it's what I expected as it got closer to the premier. A few season long arcs with smaller intra-episode stories.

The format isn't the problem here, it's just that the long arcs couldn't possibly be any less interesting and the smaller, episodal arcs, have only been mildly more interesting.

I'm looking forward to a fully self contained episode that has nothing to do with any of the long arcs and just focuses on some unexplored planet/civilization/phenomenon. At least give me the good stuff once in a few months! It's becoming increasingly harder waiting for it to get good.

 

[MvRojo]

A little less serialized than I expected, but I'm glad it is the way it is. It's a good mix

 

[MakeshiftPython]

There's different levels of serialization and it sounds like folks here are confusing them. There's GAME OF THRONES that has a big storyline but generally keeps its episodes working individually with a beginning middle and end, but all part of a piece. Then there's the shows like 24 that run on cliffhangers every episode where the events of the episode ending are immediately followed upon the next.

DISCO is clearly following the former. We do know Fuller laid out the whole season as a complete arc, so either they stuck to that and will begin the new season with a new storyline, or they'll try to stretch it out into the next season.

 

[Midquest]

Not surprised. They have essentially delivered the experience they promised: each episode stands alone but connects to an overall story, and I'm pretty happy with that. I will say that I didn't expect the format to allow them to do such bizarre, outlandish things--after all, viewers of other serialized shows might expect something more grim--and I love that they can deliver a show both dark/serious and pulpy/light.

 

[McDuff]

Best of both worlds.

It also increases their replay values in my opinion. You can always pop-in an episode of Doctor Who, Star Trek, Stargate, etc. Heavy serialized TV shows have no replay value and can only be watched again in a binge watch. Consider the TV series Lost. It was a great show with nice mystery, characters, drama and dialogues. But nobody want to watch or pop in the fourth episode of the second season. For one, you already know the conclusion of Lost so you don't feel like coming back to Lost at all. And secondly, if you come back to it anyway, it can only be in the form of a binge watch. Because you cant pop in just any episode since they are all part of the larger arc and you must remember where you are in the story to make any sense of what is happening. Overall, the mystery of what will happens to the story and characters is gone and you don't feel like re-watching Lost at all (otherwise it was a great drama/mystery). If it's not heavy serialized every episode are a like a mini-movie, thus with a potentially high replay value.

 

[gblews]

Not surprised by the format they chose. I assumed it would either be serialized like Breaking Bad, where new episodes pick up exactly or near exactly where the previous one left off, or like the Ent season 3, with an overall arc with various episodes that push the arc along more distinctly than others, with the occaisonal standalone. Seems like they've chosen the Ent level of serialization.

One thing to keep in mind is that with Ent, the last 3rd of the season (starting with Azati Prime) was as serialized as it gets. Same might happen with DSC.

But, the format to me, is almost irrelevant next to the execution of the episodes. If the execution sucks, then the format is irrelevant.

 

[midnightz]

After four episodes I was worried we'd just see a continuously long story and lose something that makes Star Trek so great. Thankfully, the last two episodes have given us a good mix of standalone story with elements of progression overall. I think they're going a little closer to the Enterprise fourth season route where we'll have mini-arcs within an overall story. Great news.

 

[Mudd]

Tremendously less so, yes. And yet the individual stories are not necessarily more satisfactory - last week's was better than average.

 

[omnirad]

It is less serialized than I expected, which is a good thing.

 

[eschaton]

On the subject, tonight's episode was seemingly the most episodic yet. The plot was not only resolved, but it made us think we've seen the last of Mudd for awhile (maybe until TOS) and that nothing other than Burler will have any significance in the future. This isn't even Enterprise season 3 serialization - this is DS9 level serialization.

 

[CorporalClegg]

I don't get why people keep calling this a stand alone episode.

The whole plot (And/or the antagonists actions) hinge on events from a previous episode.

That's not at all "Stand alone."