(no subject)
Nov. 8th, 2021 12:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impySomeone on the BSC snark FB group asked when everyone thought the BSC jumped the shark and I had a few thoughts, apparently.
First was the realization that I think there's a couple of ways to define jumping the shark. Is it the exact moment you can see the terror behind the eyes of the people involved as they desperately try to retain their fanbase and/or reach new fans to keep from dying?
Because for me that answer has always been the "name the twins!" announcement. I don't remember which book announced the contest, but as soon as the BSC announced they were bringing twins to the party as BSC members (even if only Abby was) I knew there was blood in the water. Hrmm. Wiki says the name the twins thing came after Farewell, Dawn but my brain linked them a little more closely. So maybe my answer is Dawn moves back to the West Coast permanently and we get Abby as a replacement. But the twin thing definitely felt like a stunt and Jump The Shark has always felt like it was supposed to be a stunt, given what it's named for. In any case, Farewell, Dawn and the ensuing cover change is the absolute last gasp of classic!BSC for me.
That said, there are other contenders. Dawn Saves The Planet is an absolute shitshow and has been since it was released, and I don't fault anyone for saying that's the moment things tipped. I have trouble truly calling anything prior jumping the shark ONLY because Mystery #5 is a goddamn classic. But it apparently literally came out right before Dawn Saves The Planet and the tonal whiplash is probably making things worse. Plus there are other gems after, though no one said everything after the shark had to be bad.
Honorable mention goes to the BSC winning the damn lottery. I mean really. :P
But that also got me thinking what I think the cut off is for classic!BSC. I'm fairly certainluxken27 and I have discussed this before and my answer probably changes all the time. In my head, 50 is a dividing factor which is weird because it's not really an important book beyond me loving the cover art and a good makeover. Maybe because after that I find there are more misses than hits or maybe it's simply that's when my interest started to wane.
I probably consider MA And the Secret In The Attic to be the equivalent of The Evil Twin, though I'd argue it with less gusto. The Evil Twin is definitely jumping the goddamn shark (and it's on fire to boot) but it's also the absolute last hurrah for the series. There are moments I enjoy and will fight for after it, but nothing lives up to it. And the series had been coasting for awhile beforehand, other than Sam in general just existing.
Anyway. Do you have a BSC Jump the Shark moment or other thoughts on ye olde BSC in general?
First was the realization that I think there's a couple of ways to define jumping the shark. Is it the exact moment you can see the terror behind the eyes of the people involved as they desperately try to retain their fanbase and/or reach new fans to keep from dying?
Because for me that answer has always been the "name the twins!" announcement. I don't remember which book announced the contest, but as soon as the BSC announced they were bringing twins to the party as BSC members (even if only Abby was) I knew there was blood in the water. Hrmm. Wiki says the name the twins thing came after Farewell, Dawn but my brain linked them a little more closely. So maybe my answer is Dawn moves back to the West Coast permanently and we get Abby as a replacement. But the twin thing definitely felt like a stunt and Jump The Shark has always felt like it was supposed to be a stunt, given what it's named for. In any case, Farewell, Dawn and the ensuing cover change is the absolute last gasp of classic!BSC for me.
That said, there are other contenders. Dawn Saves The Planet is an absolute shitshow and has been since it was released, and I don't fault anyone for saying that's the moment things tipped. I have trouble truly calling anything prior jumping the shark ONLY because Mystery #5 is a goddamn classic. But it apparently literally came out right before Dawn Saves The Planet and the tonal whiplash is probably making things worse. Plus there are other gems after, though no one said everything after the shark had to be bad.
Honorable mention goes to the BSC winning the damn lottery. I mean really. :P
But that also got me thinking what I think the cut off is for classic!BSC. I'm fairly certain
luxken27 and I have discussed this before and my answer probably changes all the time. In my head, 50 is a dividing factor which is weird because it's not really an important book beyond me loving the cover art and a good makeover. Maybe because after that I find there are more misses than hits or maybe it's simply that's when my interest started to wane. I probably consider MA And the Secret In The Attic to be the equivalent of The Evil Twin, though I'd argue it with less gusto. The Evil Twin is definitely jumping the goddamn shark (and it's on fire to boot) but it's also the absolute last hurrah for the series. There are moments I enjoy and will fight for after it, but nothing lives up to it. And the series had been coasting for awhile beforehand, other than Sam in general just existing.
Anyway. Do you have a BSC Jump the Shark moment or other thoughts on ye olde BSC in general?
(no subject)
Date: 2021-11-12 12:47 am (UTC)Yes, I have fond memories of my first BSC book, and starting the series in the middle, LOL. I glommed hard, and wasn't even that upset about Dawn Saves the Trees until much later, after I'd read the beginning of the series and saw how she started out, vs what she became.
I do consider #29 to be the end of "classic" canon, but it certainly wasn't the end of the good books! Mid-canon is quite good, too, before things start going downhill around #60, only to become ridiculous with the "Bad Girls" arc, and finally JTS at #100. Even today the post-#99 books feel like an AU to me, LOL.
As far as post-100, Claudia returning to the seventh grade was another JTS moment, along with Mal and Jessi having a knockdown, dragout fight before Mal goes off to boarding school. Poor Jessi was definitely the forgotten club member - her last narrative book was #115! WTF!!