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2019 gave us three big loud finales of tentpole franchises--or "finales," considering how none of these IPs will ever be allowed to die--which, for a not-insignificant portion of their intended audience, fell flat. All this despite each of these finales trumpeting how thoroughly they were devoted to tying up loose ends, bringing back beloved characters, and honoring the continuity of their respective IPs.
As a writing term, "continuity" describes a state wherein the events of a story progress in a consistent way (i.e. if, during a scene, a character starts smoking a cigarette, then that cigarette should be accounted for throughout the scene in order for it to have continuity). In the context of comic books, television, and other long-running serialized media, it also describes acknowledgment of previous events in the series (i.e. a Marvel comic from the 90s referencing the events of another Marvel comic from the 70s).
There are a lot of people out there who are convinced that devotion to continuity is the reason so many long-running series have been successful. And while audiences sure like to look clever when they notice the last episode of a show has referenced something that happened in the first episode of the show, I'd argue what they really respond to--what makes great finales--is emotional continuity.
To fully explain this, let's use as an example one of my favorite serialized science fiction stories, an iconic and venerable series with true pop culture staying power: Transmetropolitan.
(What, you thought I was going to talk about Star Wars? Fuck off.)
( Spoilers for Transmetropolitan ahead )
As a writing term, "continuity" describes a state wherein the events of a story progress in a consistent way (i.e. if, during a scene, a character starts smoking a cigarette, then that cigarette should be accounted for throughout the scene in order for it to have continuity). In the context of comic books, television, and other long-running serialized media, it also describes acknowledgment of previous events in the series (i.e. a Marvel comic from the 90s referencing the events of another Marvel comic from the 70s).
There are a lot of people out there who are convinced that devotion to continuity is the reason so many long-running series have been successful. And while audiences sure like to look clever when they notice the last episode of a show has referenced something that happened in the first episode of the show, I'd argue what they really respond to--what makes great finales--is emotional continuity.
To fully explain this, let's use as an example one of my favorite serialized science fiction stories, an iconic and venerable series with true pop culture staying power: Transmetropolitan.
(What, you thought I was going to talk about Star Wars? Fuck off.)
( Spoilers for Transmetropolitan ahead )
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