TV Shows and Time Jumps: A Love-Hate Relationship
This Sunday’s episode of House of the Dragon brought with it a decade-long time jump. There was mixed feedback from the audience; some viewers complained about how it was handled, and others said it shouldn’t have happened. Well done or not, one thing is for sure: House of the Dragon isn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, the first TV show to have moved the plot forward using this method.
Despite still not being original, there is one thing House of the Dragon did that won’t be featured in the other shows I’m mentioning. The 10 years that passed between episodes 5 and 6 called for a change in actors. Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, previously played by Milly Alcock and Emily Carey, are now portrayed by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke. Personally, I think they both did an amazing job in keeping their characters consistent.
Now, let’s move on to other TV shows with time jumps. Keep in mind, these are opinions. Needless to say, there are plenty of spoilers ahead.
The Blacklist — 2 years
There was a 2-year time jump between season 8 and season 9. A couple of years isn’t a lot, but Katari-oops, sorry, Reddington looks like he’s aged a decade. Sure, he’s mourning his… Daughter? Niece? Random person he was willing to die for?… But that still doesn’t explain the spiritual grandfather aesthetic.
The audience was also very unhappy with Red and Dembe’s fractured relationship. The events of season 8 couldn’t possibly have damaged the bond the writers showed us throughout the seasons. It’s disappointing to think they probably chose to abandon consistency in favor of the plot.
Donald Ressler was another problem. Granted, the way his and Liz’s relationship was handled the season before had already rubbed me the wrong way. Still, come season 9, whoever was in charge of those creative decisions pretended it was all ‘roses and unicorns’ between them. Elizabeth Keen was a manipulator, and Donald Ressler deserved better. Having Reddington tell him ‘she wanted a life with you’, an absurd lie, with the sole purpose of messing with the emotions of fans of the show was, with all due respect, senseless and frustrating.
The Mentalist — 2 years
Another 2-year leap taken by a TV show after a major event. Just like what happened in The Blacklist, this time jump separated a team, and caused one of the main characters to go to a different country for some sort of spiritual break after someone important died. I guess that’s not a very original thing to do. The difference here is, the important character that died was the boogeyman they’d been chasing for the whole TV show. Also, this time jump happened mid-season. Sounds great, right?
It’s no secret that many fans, and I’m including myself in this, were highly disappointed when the identity of Red John was revealed to be Thomas McAllister. That felt like a cop-out. I’ll give them one thing, though: it was definitely a surprise. Just not the good kind.
These two examples are of time jumps I didn’t particularly care for. However, The Blacklist and The Mentalist are two of my favorite TV shows. That’s because a time jump doesn’t ruin a whole show. The decade-long leap in House of the Dragon hasn’t ruined anything either. Personally, I think they did everything right. However, even if you don’t like how that particular part played out, it doesn’t mean you won’t like the show in general, and it’s foolish to give up on it because of this one thing.
