Flying over the shark

[impy]

26. Jump the shark moment:

Look, I love the Evil Twin and it is my most re-read book in the series, but it is definitely the moment they jumped the shark. I mean, technically Sam and Liz getting drunk off the smallest amount of alcohol in the known universe is the moment things really kick into gear but I get the feeling it was reverse engineered. Someone wanted the evil twin and needed a way to have the twins fall prey to it, so you kill Sam, have Liz think she did it, have Jess know she was guilty and then go from there. It's all part of the same arc so I figure it all counts. I suppose that means my technical answer is The Evil Twin arc, starting with A Night to Remember.

The series basically could have ended here and it would have worked. It's batshit crazy but in the best possible way.

Comments

[luxken27]

Agreed, it was definitely the transition between the mostly-normal SVH and the utter batshit crazy of the miniseries arcs. It was beautifully done, mind, but it's still the end of the beginning, and there was absolutely no going back after they pulled this nonsense.

[impy]

The weirdest part for me is that they... kinda tried to go back for their very first arc after ET. It's been eons since I read 101-103, but it was just a weird shift after The Evil Twin arc. And then we skip on over to London for some werewolf calling and the insanity just never stops.

It is truly a mystifying and wondrous way to shift your series. Sometimes I wonder if I would've kept reading if I hadn't sent away one of those little "sign up to get three books a month until the series ends and we realize you haven't paid in forever!" cards.

[luxken27]

I kept reading because I wanted to see how they'd come back from this Peak of Crazy, but I was done by the time the Death Valley arc rolled around fifteen books later. Werewolves were bad enough, but treasure-hunting in Death Valley and Heather stealing Ken was enough to push me over the edge. When I came back during my wave o' nostalgia I was delighted with the crazy that came after: West Side Story, vampires, earthquakes, oh my!

[impy]

Oddly enough I don't think my brain has really retained any knowledge of the Death Valley arc beyond knowing I read it. It's all taped off behind caution tape.

*cackles* West Side Story, vampires, earthquakes, oh my! is how those books need to be labeled. I can't decide if they need an actual thing on my bookcase or if I can just settle for it being how I'll label them online.