Focusing on the real problem
I’ve been quiet for a long time. Just letting things go. But frak that. This rant is courtesy of this article
First off, this rant in NO WAY is about JulesMangoFilm. She legit did a good job asking questions that NO ONE has been asking, and they are questions we wanted asked, so good on her for that. Two, this has NOTHING to do with the actors or crew of Major Crimes. The actors and crew are doing a phenomenal job. I have no problem with them at all. Third, this has NOTHING to do with GPM. He is very talented and doing a great job.
I say that now because when I do complain, I get fans who bring up that I’m bullying or railing on the show/actors. So to be clear - I only have a problem with one person and that is James Duff, and the problem I have with him is his writing. So if you are going to reply to this, please keep in mind that I’m not talking about anyone else but Duff.
My problem stems from this part of the article above from Duff - It’s important to remember that in writing the show I have to be constantly aware of Mary’s time. She’s got about 11 hours a day in which to do her thing and it’s important to make sure that you don’t overwork people, that you keep the story going and to keep their story alive, their longer arcs alive, without killing the actors. So I have to really bear that in mind when I put the stories together. The audience doesn’t have to bear it in mind but I have to. Otherwise it turns into diminishing returns because the actor just gets overwhelmed by all the work and then we all don’t have what we want.
1. This is bullshit. Here is why - Who puts in 12-14 hour days? Mariska Hargitay on SVU. Kate Mulgrew on OITNB. Viola Davis on HTGAWM. Glenn Close did on Damages. Kathy Bates did on Harry’s Law. Jessica Lange did on AHS. They were/are the leads of their shows, and they are in the same age range as Mary. In fact, every show has actors working 12-14 hour days NO MATTER THEIR AGE. It’s called show business. It’s called Mary has been working these hours for 30 years and she has it down. It’s called two years ago Mary did theatre: six days a week, two shows a day sometimes. She did that schedule for months through rehearsals & the show, and she was poignant and moving and inconsolable and beautiful. Mary is stronger than most of us. Her body is accustomed to these hours as are most actors in their prime. So using the whole “I only have 11 hours to work with” is bullshit. The writers on those other shows have the same amount of time with their actors, and they manage to get their actors AMAZING scenes that shine, and Duff is capable of this. It’s not the amount of scenes you put an actor in that matters, it’s the words you give them to speak. Quality Over Quantity. This leads me to -
2. Mary is in plenty of scenes on MC, but 90% of the time she is used as part of the ensemble. She is either listening or replying to the case or one in a crowd of people. The other 10% are scenes with Andy or Rusty. Those are the scenes in which Duff could really let her shine, but he doesn’t. The minute we might get great backstory or an intimate moment in her life (whether that be a Shandy, Shack, or solo Sharon moment), she is interrupted. This means that Sharon’s arc stopped about three seasons ago and has been in limbo ever since. Sure, stuff is still happening to her. But are we seeing it? Which leads me to -
3. A really bad form of TV writing is telling the viewers something happened, especially when it is major events. You’ve got to SHOW viewers what is going on, or they have no basis for the relationships on the show. So sure, we have seen a few things happen, but about 70% of the time, we are told things are going on, rather than seeing those things happen. In order for a relationship or character to grow organically, you’ve got to show it. This same way of writing has been prevalent in Sharon’s backstory and motivations, and in Shandy. We are told, not shown, which leads me to -
3. I don’t need MORE scenes with Mary. I need BETTER scenes with Mary. I need backstory for Sharon. I need motivation for why she reacts the way she does. I need quiet moments for Shandy to actually have a scene on their own that is more than 1:40 seconds long, because you can’t say what needs to be said in that time frame. I need continuity and flow from previous story lines to actually play out. I need answers to questions we’ve had since S1 that we still don’t have answers for. And getting this may mean we don’t get Shandy or Sharon in every episode, and that is fine, but it also has to mean we don’t get Rusty in every episode. There is a give and take that must happen, and that is what Duff is refusing to do, and this refusal leads me to -
4. I have a big problem with Duff claiming this show is an ensemble, when it clearly is not. I don’t know what it is, but I do know I know barely ANYTHING about 80% of the characters, I know a little about Sharon, and I know a hell of a lot about Rusty. Whatever you claim that is, it certainly is not an ensemble. Once again, this is not a problem with the actors and it certainly isn’t GPM’s fault he is in a lot of the show. That is all on Duff, and this is why -
5. As a fan, I put time and effort into promoting this show, and I do it because I adore Mary and I want her to succeed. If I’m critical, it’s not because I want the show to fail. On the contrary, I want this show to KICK ASS. If we don’t speak up, then we are telling Duff we are fine with what he creates. I’m not okay with what he has done. I would feel wrong by not speaking up when Duff clearly is making excuses and treating an actor in a disrespectful manner. So, I think It is our duty as fans of this show to remind the writers - HEY! Remember that story line? What happened to it? Because these people aren’t perfect. They mess up. Knowing that means it’s even MORE important to say something. And this leads me to -
1. Some fans have become really close to the actors and Duff, and I think they feel a loyalty to them that makes it virtually impossible for them to go against them. I want other fans to be aware of that though, because blind loyalty isn’t such a good thing. It can put that fan in a really bad place, as they want to be loyal, but also want to tell their own truth. And I really get that, but it actually hurts matters when those fans get involved and say their two cents. Because you can’t be totally honest in the situation. And let’s face it, most of us can tell as you’re defending Duff NO MATTER WHAT. Like Duff could kill Sharon and you would say “Duff had a good reason.” That isn’t good, and it isn’t true.
2. To the fans who think it’s wrong of me to be critical - I can be critical of a show and still love it. If your teacher critiques your work, does that mean they hate you? If you are critical of your political leaders, does that mean you hate your country? Doesn’t that sound crazy? Criticism is valid and needed, and one of the ways writers figure out what is working is going to the fans and listening to what they say. As creator, writer, and producer, Duff has the most clout and final word on those scripts. If anyone could change something, it would be him.
And this is why I choose to criticize. I do it out of love and respect for actors who clearly deserve more than they are getting. I do it for fans who clearly deserve more than they are getting. And I do it for Duff, who clearly needs to be reminded of when his writing has become a little…rusty.
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