In a series like The OA (which I loved btw) that is left open-ended with contradicting puzzles pieces, what makes it rife for fan theories as opposed to calling it incoherant/bad writing?
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I hear readers complaining about books that don't neatly tie off all loose ends, or that demand too much effort to unravel, but that doesn't seem to be an issue with TV shows 🤔
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Does it tell a story that, even if it has open-ended elements, coheres pleasingly to form some kind of narrative (or narratives plural), or is it a murky soup of ideas that are left undeveloped or not treated seriously?
That's a rough sketch of how I'd formulate it, but...
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... I know people who find it a terrible indictment of a story if it doesn't make sense to them, tie off all loose ends or progress in the way they think it should.
I find this incredibly stupid, personally, but it seems to be a common point of view.
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That's a good way to think about it. I guess if it's a murky soup the reader/viewer gets a sense that even the writer didn't know how to solve the puzzle... Do you think people are more forgiving with TV than books?
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That is a really tricky proposition. I don't know if I have an opinion there.
From what I can tell, people seem to be *most* harsh with movies, which makes sense given the compressed running time - difficult to patch plot holes, easy to notice flaws, perceived or otherwise.
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