LogFAQs > #949855100

ParanoidObsessive posted...

I'd argue that this isn't really a failing of the show as much as a failing of the audience. People today have the attention spans of hyperactive gnats hopped up on meth, and if something doesn't explode at least once every 30 seconds they start to get twitchy. Most of the greatest films of all time would bore the shit out of modern audiences if they were made before 2000 or so.

The show is very much trying to imitate the style of film noir in a lot of ways, and deliberate pacing and building suspense is part of that. It can be slow, but it's less meandering slow and more slow-burn rising action.

The other issue making it harder to binge is that the series is a lot more episodic than the cartoons that followed it. When something has a running storyline, it's easier to sit through longer spans of the show. You bring up attention spans, but keep in mind that almost every episode of B:TAS was an almost-completely self-contained 30 minute (minus commercials) story. There were only a handful of two parters and very few running story elements. Which makes it great for syndication (and children for that matter), but kinda rubbish for storytelling at times.

You can directly compare that to the more polished DCAU series. JLU had entire seasons devoted to overarching story arcs with a lot of 2-3 parters, but even the kinda self-contained episodes ("Task Force X") continued that running story. And even Superman: TAS managed to keep what felt like a running narrative just because so much of the show focused around Lex Luthor as an antagonist (the same approach would be tried with the Spectacular Spiderman, where Tombstone had an overarching role)

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There are precious few at ease / With moral ambiguities / So we act as though they don't exist.