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Call it what you will, but I think the show took a nosedive in S3b. For me, the last good episode was probably Going Home. I could’ve been satisfied with that episode being the entire series finale.
Absolutely agree. I thought that episode was so well done. And it really truly felt like a series finale. As far as jumping the shark is concerned, I think season 4A fits that description the best. However, I think I’m one of the few people who enjoyed the frozen arc. So while it may have “jumped the shark,” I thought it was actually well done in how they were able to twist the frozen story, recreate a villain from the stories that frozen didn’t use, and then make us feel sorry for her when we found out what her true intentions were. And I enjoyed the ending because we never really had gotten a villain sacrifice themselves like that (other than Rumple I guess). It proved that although the Snow Queen was a terrible person, once she got what she wanted (unconditional love from her sisters), she saved everyone and sacrificed herself. And the scene with her running with her sisters again was heart breaking. Plus they foreshadowed everything with the note Elsa’s parents sent overboard, and I think they also incorporated Rumple very well into the arc. The frozen arc fit with the ouat universe. It left some characters in the dust, and it was a huge attempt at ratings, but I actually enjoyed the arc and enjoyed Elizabeth Mitchell a lot.
So although they jumped shark, I think it was rather successful. I enjoyed it way more than season 4b. At least there was resolution in 4a with a definitive ending. What we got in 4b and 5a was unfinished and inconsistent storytelling.
I, for the most part, enjoyed both season 4 arcs. It was character derailment/misuse that bothered me (especially Rumpel and Will, respectively). The whole Zelena thing bothered me. Also, as a Swanfire fan, I was not fond of the CS stuff, obviously.
3B and 5A, on the other hand… They had their moments (505, for example, I enjoyed).
But I definitely agree with this, although I’m pretty sure this would qualify as averting jumping the shark, in our opinions.
According to TVTropes, many factors can contribute to jumping the shark, not necessarily a ratings-grab stunt. Some highlights (my notes in boldface, emphasis in italics):
A popular character (Nealfire) is removed from the show, or even killed off. Especially true if the method of removal is unsatisfying or mean-spirited. This can be considered a single-character form of The Firefly Effect. The standard candidate for this treatment is the heart/the chick, who will usually also be an introverted, quiet, and relatively pacifistic character; who the executives will want to replace with a character (Hook) who is Hotter and Sexier and easier for the writers to develop ideas for, and probably also an actor who has greater artistic ability.
An existing character evolves in a way that flattens rather than enriches them, or which contradicts prior depictions of said character. This can have the effect of alienating fans.
A character becomes a Creator’s Pet or a Canon Sue.
A Breakout Character gets too much screentime. While it pleases fans most of the time, it will sometimes make the show less creative. (Accusations of show becoming “Once Upon a Hook”)
A jarring rise/decline in the sliding scale of villain threat (Zelena), unless it’s written well and/or used for comedic purposes, such as a big bad trying to take over the local 7-11 being usurped by one bent on destroying the galaxy.
The plot is resolved with one too many plot twists or retcons which are inconsistent with the overall narrative, poorly executed, or are just plain stupid, turning the audience away.
A major plot point is apparently resolved only to be immediately unresolved—over and over again. (Rumpel keeps being pulled back to the Darkness)
Too many continuity errors.
A Romance Arc overtakes the series; a non-romance plotline key to the story is shelved in favor of focusing on the couple. (Accusations of show becoming “Once Upon a Captain Swan”)
All of this before the article begins listing gimmicks.
[adrotate group="5"]I would consider keeping Hook on the show to be jumping the shark, a failed jump. I would also consider them doing Frozen to be jumping the shark as well. Both of these things were changes that were made at the last minute because they thought it would keep people watching.
I would consider keeping Hook on the show to be jumping the shark, a failed jump. I would also consider them doing Frozen to be jumping the shark as well. Both of these things were changes that were made at the last minute because they thought it would keep people watching.
You’re thinking of a ratings stunt. Quoting the linked article:
A poorly-executed Ratings Stunt may cause a show to Jump the Shark, while having many in a single season may indicate the show already has.
Jumping the shark is merely defined by TVTropes as:
The point where a series is officially undergoing Seasonal Rot.
It is not something that is intentionally done, unless the writers are deliberately trying to screw over their show, so it will get cancelled. Whether or not Adam and Eddy are doing that is something we could debate for ages. I, personally, think they’re just that bad of writers.
I think Once has jumped the shark because the quality of recent seasons has been nowhere near the quality of the first two seasons.
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of FelixI think Once has jumped the shark because the quality of recent seasons has been nowhere near the quality of the first two seasons.
No kidding.
That’s the point. The show has peaked and now is on a decline aka shark fin hence jumping the shark.
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of FelixI think Once has jumped the shark because the quality of recent seasons has been nowhere near the quality of the first two seasons.
But that’s not what a shark jump is. Any show on a given timeline will decline with the first few seasons being the best and the last few being less than (in varying degrees) those first ones. But that doesn’t mean they’ve jumped the shark. Jumping the shark is when writers use an outlandish storyline or stunt or gimmick that is meant to bring in ratings, eyeballs and money from advertisers that will save the show from declining to the point of cancellation and keep the viewers still tuning in interested. It allows the show to slog on for a few more years. That’s why it’s called jumping the shark–because that was an actual gimmick performed on an actual show with the intent of helping the show stay afloat for a few more years (Happy Days; the Fonz jumps over a shark in S5).
But writing that does not hold up to snuff as compared to writing that used to hold up to snuff does not mean there has been a shark jump. (This is to say nothing of the fact, of course, that some shows just go through a rough patch and then rebound. For example: Supernatural. Most fans/critics will agree that S6 and S7 were nowhere near the level of greatness that S2-5 were. But they also agree that the show managed to come back quite strong in S8-present day, S11).
When we talk about OUAT jumping the shark it’s not enough to say that the writing has declined. Of course it has–but so did the writing on the West Wing, Mad Men, The Soparnos, and even with a show still on the air like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. But that doesn’t mean that any of those shows have jumped the shark.
But to say that OUAT jumped the shark is to point to a specific storyline or event/stunt that was meant to save a floundering show to ensure that it could go on for a few more years. Follow the money, guys. When did OUAT suddenly get more $$ from ad buyers? Season 5. What came right before? Season 4. What was S4A? Frozen–the opening episode of which got the highest Live rating the show had gotten since S2 by using a media product (Disney’s Frozen) that earned more $$$$ for the company (Disney) than any other movie ever. Intent is what matters here. Intent of the writers and the network.
This isn’t to say that A and E didn’t really love the movie Frozen or that the OUAT S4A didn’t occasionally do something well (like the episode, Shattered Sight). But that’s just icing on the cake for the writers/network. The intention was to get high enough ratings/money from the ad buyers to keep the show going. And it succeeded.
t is not something that is intentionally done, unless the writers are deliberately trying to screw over their show, so it will get cancelled. Whether or not Adam and Eddy are doing that is something we could debate for ages. I, personally, think they’re just that bad of writers.
It is absolutely something that is intentionally done. The writers do not sit down and say “hey let’s have a shark jump” but they do think about some sort of gimmick or plotline, that will keep people watching and bring back those lost eyeballs. Again, think about Frozen. We know A and E had an entirely different ending planned for S3B that got canned because they got permission to do Frozen. They jumped at being able to use Frozen because they knew it would bring in those eyeballs.
The writers on Happy Days did not having the Fonz jump over a shark cause they thought it fit with the show and made sense. They did it because they knew people would watch that event and (hopefully) continue to watch afterwards. And they did. It lasted a few more years after the shark jump.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"I would consider keeping Hook on the show to be jumping the shark, a failed jump. I would also consider them doing Frozen to be jumping the shark as well. Both of these things were changes that were made at the last minute because they thought it would keep people watching.
You’re thinking of a ratings stunt. Quoting the linked article:
A poorly-executed Ratings Stunt may cause a show to Jump the Shark, while having many in a single season may indicate the show already has.
Jumping the shark is merely defined by TVTropes as:
The point where a series is officially undergoing Seasonal Rot.
It is not something that is intentionally done, unless the writers are deliberately trying to screw over their show, so it will get cancelled. Whether or not Adam and Eddy are doing that is something we could debate for ages. I, personally, think they’re just that bad of writers.
“Jumping the shark” is an idiom used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality, signaled by a particular scene, episode, or aspect of a show in which the writers use some type of gimmick in an attempt to keep viewers’ interest, which is taken as a sign of desperation, and is seen by viewers to be the point at which the show strayed irretrievably from its original formula.
I do mean jumping the shark. I think the quality of Ouat declined drastically at the end of Season 2. Tamara, Greg, Snow saying they should save Regina from the town destroying rock, and keeping Hook on the show and making him a love interest. Keeping Hook on the show was the jump the shark moment. The show was declining and making him a love interest, creating a love triangle, was the gimmick they used to keep the viewers interest, a failed gimmick, which i believe was the point at which the show strayed irretrievably from it’s original formula.
The second jump being them doing Frozen. The show was again in decline because of the death of Neal and the ridiculous problems with Zelena and the inclusion of Hook as a love interest. The writers decided to do Frozen. Frozen was the first time they focused completely on side characters that are not relevant to the plot, the frozen characters, giving them large portions of the flashbacks, too much focus. In a desperate attempt to keep viewers interest, this is the point at which the show strayed irretrievably from its original formula by no longer giving proper focus to the main characters to the complete determent of the show.
It is absolutely something that is intentionally done. The writers do not sit down and say “hey let’s have a shark jump” but they do think about some sort of gimmick or plotline, that will keep people watching and bring back those lost eyeballs. Again, think about Frozen. We know A and E had an entirely different ending planned for S3B that got canned because they got permission to do Frozen. They jumped at being able to use Frozen because they knew it would bring in those eyeballs. The writers on Happy Days did not having the Fonz jump over a shark cause they thought it fit with the show and made sense. They did it because they knew people would watch that event and (hopefully) continue to watch afterwards. And they did. It lasted a few more years after the shark jump.
Exactly this. They intentionally did these things to keep people watching because the show was declining.
he show was declining and making him a love interest, creating a love triangle, was the gimmick they used to keep the viewers interest, a failed gimmick, which i believe was the point at which the show strayed irretrievably from it’s original formula.
I suspect that CS is not so much the cause as it is the symptom of the show’s creative bankruptcy. I think that the reason many people feel that “Going Home” would have been a suitable show finale is that it had more or less wrapped up all main storylines, without repetition or retcons.
Moving from there, OUAT became a kind of exercise in jumping the shark: what they’re doing seems to be able to keep the show afloat in the short(ish) run, without worrying too much about the overarching narrative, or writing quality (ie minimal effort). The stories about the initial main characters — Emma, Regina, Snow, Charming, Rumple, Henry, and Neal — are done. A&E don’t seem to have any more stories to tell about these characters. Hence, Snowing’s progressive “idiotification”, Rumple’s “eternal recurrence” problem, Henry’s meager screen time, Emma’s permanent stagnation at the paranormal romance heroine stage, and Neal’s death.
Sure, there are some themes that get picked up from previous seasons, and A&E like to suggest that it’s been planned all along, but half the time it feels like the writers are coming up with the script the night before. For what it’s worth, I suspect that if the show had lasted fewer seasons, the original CS/SF love triangle would have resolved very differently.
Of course, inserting love triangles is an easy way to keep people watching. So CS/SF was the first. Now we’ve had the Regina/Zelena/Robin conundrum (and, of course, SQ in the background). If OUAT makes a bid for another season — and hey! it’s $$$, so there’s no reason to think they won’t — I suspect there will be a new love triangle.
Thoughts on who that might be?
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