I stumbled across the "Community Spotlight" poster for the week, Finnegan77, and read the blog posting called "Shipping News". It was all about the unnerving trend of almost all shows these days to focus on the internal romantic/sexual relationships between the main characters, to become, in essence, soap operas. The posting itself is very amusing and right on target.

I used to think that this need to create 'couples' was just a longing of the younger set, but since widening my horizons on this site and others, I realize that this dangerous trait infects the seeming majority of viewers of all ages! Horrors...

I don't often feel the desire to 'share' my position on other people's blogs, but this one, because of the author's ability to express himself (and me) so well, was too good to pass up. So here's my two-cents:

"Oh, young Finn, I loved this posting! And I whole-heartedly agree with you...

You could have been writing about so many shows, current and past, that have hobbled themselves and the audience by traveling down the 'shipping lane. That you were writing about "Without a Trace" reminded me of why I no longer ever feel the urge to tune in on this show that I once found so riveting. (and to learn from your posting that it has degraded even further is disheartening.)

It does seem to me that the great majority of the viewing public cannot live without our wonderfully developing characters smearing the story lines with deep romantic entanglements or just plain lust running rampant. Their fantasies sprung to life on the tube, I guess. To me, this indulgence by the writers just seems like lazy writing and it's very limiting; it has moved me away from many a show.

I liked the days when all this wishing and hoping about bone jumping and drooling only took place in the fan fiction and on message boards. 'Cause then it didn't have to be a part of my experience. And good shows didn't have to be ruined. Further, I say this is a life lesson: too many people ruin perfectly good relationships by assuming that just because you have a 'connection' with someone, it means you have to start bedding one another; and guess what? you really don't... I repeat-- "very limiting", children.

Nice, well-written stuff to read in your blog, Finnegan77. Thanks for writing! "