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Episodes that occur inside people's minds are the worst.

Dali

Dali

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,184
Mindfuck episodes are the worst. They always seem like boring filler to me because:

1. You recognize pretty early it's not really happening and it's a bad dream, torture, mind control, whatever.

2. You have to suffer through 95% of the show to actually find out what has happened and what matters as far the show goes.

3. Oftentimes low budget and repetitive.

4. Kind of referencing #2 but they are often pointless. A bad dream is a bad dream. The episode ends with no advancement of the plot.

Literally the only "mindfuck" episode I can say that instantly comes to mind that I liked is an episode of the 4400 where one of the main characters lived their life out with a new woman character so she was there going forward and everyone else understood that in those few moments they lived a lifetime as husband and wife.

I say this having seen, I think, every episode of any modern star trek.
 
WaffleTaco

WaffleTaco

Community Resettler
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
2,908
Usually they are used for character development and provide an introspective look into what the audience normally does not see.
 
Sliver

Sliver

Member
Oct 27, 2017
273
Couple of the best episodes of The Sopranos and Star Trek TNG take place inside peoples minds.
 
Nexus2049

Nexus2049

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,833
I remember an episode like that in Ash vs Evil Dead and remember it being one of my favorite episodes.
 

gerg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,346
There's an episode from Futurama that does this brilliantly, in part because it uses that twist to advance character development - to name it would be to spoil it!
 
mas8705

mas8705

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,497
I suppose that if it works as a "self-reflection" and how much it shows us, it could work. Problem though is that if we have a well established character and we know a good number of things about them, going into their mind might not reveal much about them that we either already know, or didn't even want to know.

gerg said:
There's an episode from Futurama that does this brilliantly, in part because it uses that twist to advance character development - to name it would be to spoil it!
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I know the episode you're talking about and man that was a fun episode. I wish we could talk about it too, but that would definitely be spoilers to just state it outright. Be Happy. ^__^
 
CallMeShaft

CallMeShaft

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
3,365
There are exceptions, but by and large, I agree. They are usually the episodes I least look forward to when re-watching a series.
 
Betty

Betty

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
17,604
Immediately thought of Funhouse from Sopranos so i'm glad it was mentioned.
 
OP
OP
Dali

Dali

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,184
CallMeShaft said:
There are exceptions, but by and large, I agree. They are usually the episodes I least look forward to when re-watching a series.
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I'm sure there are exceptions but yes you can skip that episode usually and lose nothing as far as the show's plot goes. I concede sometimes you get insight into the character but it's still a lousy way of doing it.
 
Joeku

Joeku

Member
Oct 26, 2017
23,478
gerg said:
There's an episode from Futurama that does this brilliantly, in part because it uses that twist to advance character development - to name it would be to spoil it!
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This and The Inner Light from TNG and that Bojack Horseman episode render this topic incorrect.
 
samoyed

samoyed

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
15,191
It's a great way to break the rules of your show for a bit while exploring relationships in a deeper more intimate level.
 
UltimateHigh

UltimateHigh

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,500
The overarching plot doesn't need to be advanced for a story to be worthwhile and/or revelant to the characters and the audience.

It can free up the writers to really mess around a bit.
 
Vincent Alexander

Vincent Alexander

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,762
Can we lump in episodes where the bad guy shows the good guy the happy life he could have if he just gave up fighting evil and blah blah blah? Happy wife or husband, kids and shit. And then....oh my god, he turns down the happy life! It is never touching. Never surprising. Just a waste of time.
 
samoyed

samoyed

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
15,191
Vincent Alexander said:
Can we lump in episodes where the bad guy shows the good guy the happy life he could have if he just gave up fighting evil and blah blah blah? Happy wife or husband, kids and shit. And then....oh my god, he turns down the happy life! It is never touching. Never surprising. Just a waste of time.
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Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad:
Screen_Shot_2018_01_22_at_9.23.07_AM.0.png


I have a deep weakness for this device though.
 
OP
OP
Dali

Dali

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,184
Vincent Alexander said:
Can we lump in episodes where the bad guy shows the good guy the happy life he could have if he just gave up fighting evil and blah blah blah? Happy wife or husband, kids and shit. And then....oh my god, he turns down the happy life! It is never touching. Never surprising. Just a waste of time.
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I think this is under the same umbrella, yeah.
 
Dr. Monkey

Dr. Monkey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,029
UltimateHigh said:
The overarching plot doesn't need to be advanced for a story to be worthwhile and/or revelant to the characters and the audience.

It can free up the writers to really mess around a bit.
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THIS

I really, REALLY (at the risk of being old woman yelling at cloud) HATE this contemporary idea that anything "slow" or not directly related to getting to a specific end is automatically useless. Character development is such a key part of connecting to a story for me. Any story.
 

Deleted member 12790

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
24,537
Picard's "Oh, it's me, isn't it?" and his somber solo at the end are legitimately the very best part of TNG.

well, maybe behind "There are four lights."

you know what, I completely disagree after reading the topic. It seems like these are quite frequently some of the best episodes.
 
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