Having season-long mysteries is great when they’re handled well.
However, if they start to drag, they bring the entire show down.
This isn’t to say that shows need to stop the mysteries altogether.
They just need to learn how to manage the mystery without damaging the rest of the show’s reputation and quality, and they need to know how to keep us on our toes as viewers.
I’m taking a look at five shows that need to wrap up their main mysteries or ongoing arcs, and not because I hate the shows, but because the ongoing storylines are starting to drag.
High Potential’s Roman Arc
The first season of High Potential was strong, and it made sense to have this ongoing arc about Roman’s disappearance. It was clear to Morgan that he didn’t choose to leave.
At first, it didn’t drag too much, as there was a lot of focus on the cases of the week and getting to know the characters.
Now, it’s just started to drag a little too much. At the end of High Potential Season 1, there was the hope that Daphne and Oz would find Roman, but then it turned out to be a red herring.
We’re seven episodes into High Potential Season 2, and we are no closer to finding out where Roman is or why he left Ava and Morgan behind. The worst part of it is knowing that Roman has been keeping an eye on them this whole time as well.
The Roman mystery is starting to pull down some of the other storylines now, as it’s all that’s on Morgan and Ava’s minds at home.
Before, we would learn a little more about Elliot or see Ava’s other interests, but now Ava is focused solely on finding her dad, which is limiting her potential.
On top of that, there are all sorts of questions about what Roman’s return will mean for Morgan in this potential relationship with Karadec. At this point, we just need some answers.
Matlock’s Wellbrexa Arc
I gave a lot of praise to Matlock for the way it handled the Wellbrexa arc throughout the first season. There was enough to keep us engaged, but it didn’t prevent the development of other characters and storylines.
That’s completely changed during Matlock Season 2, with a lot of back and forth between Matty and Olympia as they try to gain power back.
The whole Matty-Olympia storyline has overshadowed everything else, causing the series to lose the plot.
We spend each episode wondering if they’ll even be friends by the end of the episode, rather than being engaged in the takedown of Senior.
Finding out that Julian had the Wellbrexa documents was supposed to be the end of the mystery.
That was supposed to allow Olympia and Matty to leak the documents and take down Senior, but things changed as Olympia realized what it would mean for Julian and her children once word got out.
I wouldn’t mind Olympia wanting to protect Julian as much if it weren’t for no one speaking to each other throughout the episodes.
Really, Julian should have been brought up to speed with everything, as it was clear Olympia could take him down within seconds if he went against her and Matty.
Instead, we have this whole arc that drags and prevents the growth of other characters. There are many more we would love to learn about, especially Sarah!
Tracker’s Shaw Family Mystery
From the very beginning of Tracker, we’ve had this mystery revolving around Ashton Shaw, and it was great.
Not only did we have a season-long mystery for Colter to work out, but it connected to other family members, and it offered room for plenty of twists and turns to keep us engaged.
However, by the second season, having no answers at all meant the mystery dragged on. After all, it took until the Tracker Season 2 finale to learn that Ashton had definitely been murdered — and not by Russell Shaw.
Most shows would offer some answers as soon as the next season started, but that wasn’t the case for Tracker Season 3. Instead, we’ve been left with more questions and absolutely no answers.
At this point, I’m not even sure I care what happened to Ashton Shaw, and if it’s at the point where I don’t care about the answers, it means the arc has dragged too long.
There are ways to keep a storyline going while providing some answers, such as opening new questions or addressing unresolved feelings stemming from the circumstances and the answers, and it doesn’t make sense why Tracker hasn’t done so at this point.
It’s also a huge risk for a TV show to allow a mystery to drag on for so long, as there’s no guarantee of getting the next season to continue the tale.
So, it’s time for Tracker Season 3 to wrap up the main Shaw family mystery and bring something else.
Criminal Minds’ Elias Voit Story
Look, I love Zach Gilford, and when I learned he was going to be the main villain on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 1, I was a little disappointed. It would mean only getting him for a season.
Well, then, Criminal Minds found a way to keep him going, and at first, it was great. After all, arresting a serial killer, especially a sociopath, is just the first stage of getting justice for the victims.
We’re not heading into the fourth season of the Criminal Minds revival, and it’s starting to drag a little.
The show is trying to keep things fresh with Voit, such as adding in the amnesia storyline, but there’s only so long that we can keep going with this character. There are many other villains out there.
Voit will still be around on Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 4, but his arc is going to shift a little.
The season will focus on the consequences of actions, and I can’t help but question if Criminal Minds has lost the plot.
Now that his network of killers has been disbanded, it’s time to focus on getting justice for the victims, and that means a lot of media and public interest.
There is too much focus on Voit, to the point of losing the personal arcs that made Criminal Minds so great in the first place. It doesn’t help that there are only 10 episodes per season, rather than the 22 we used to get.
So, it’s time to add a new major villain to the series and drop the Voit arc. I’ll be sad to see Gilford leave the show, but it’s better for the overall storytelling.
Brilliant Minds’ Hudson Oaks Mystery
Finally, we turn to the medical drama Brilliant Minds, which opened its second season with a story six months in the future.
Oliver Wolf is a patient at Hudson Oaks, an inpatient mental health facility, and of course, we’re curious about why that is.
At first, the mystery adds an intriguing layer, especially with a few reveals, such as Carol Pierce encouraging Wolf to sign himself into the facility.
Now, it’s just started to drag. There aren’t enough answers to the questions we have, and it seems odd that, almost ten episodes in, we still don’t even know what would make Carol consider Hudson Oaks for Wolf.
There are still four months to go within the show’s timeline to even get Wolf to the point where he’s signing himself in, and while he’s certainly dealing with some mental health issues, they’re nothing that we can’t see him dealing with while still working and living his regular life.
On top of that, there’s the Charlie Porter storyline, which seems to connect to Hudson Oaks. We need to know why he seems to dislike Wolf so much, but so far, there has been one hint, and that’s it in nine episodes.
The problem with the arc is that it’s taking too much attention away from what made Brilliant Minds Season 1 so great.
We’ve lost the connection among the interns, and the patient storylines haven’t been as touching or as deep as they were — except for Eric Dane’s episode, which was a hauntingly beautiful way to show the realities of ALS.
Sadly, mixed with the mystery and the lack of connection with the interns, the show just isn’t as good as it used to be, and I don’t think there will be a Season 3 of Brilliant Minds because of it.
You made it to the end — and that means a lot.
We’re an independent site run by passionate fans, not studios or corporations. If you enjoyed this piece, please share it or leave a comment — it really does help, and we love hearing from you!
-
Enough is Enough: 5 TV Storylines That Need to Wrap Up Already
Mystery arcs are important for engagement in TV storylines. At the same time, they can go on a little too long.
-
Move Over Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs is Bringing Back Medical Sitcoms
Considering the Scrubs revival will be the second airing medical-themed sitcom, it seems like we might be seeing more of these shows.
-
It’s Time for Fire Country to Get Rid of Bode — Now!
Fire Country has been ignoring the adverse effects brought on by its main character, Bode, but we can’t overlook this much longer.
The post Enough is Enough: 5 TV Storylines That Need to Wrap Up Already appeared first on TV Fanatic.
