Over the hills and far away in alt.tv.malcolm-in-themiddle, Santa Claws
came to play...
>>Surely someone at the production company must have this worked out
>>though, for continuity purposes if nothing else ? They do want all
>>writers singing from the same hymn sheet.
>
> On the season 1 DVD, the writers talk about having plans for the house
> posted up on the walls of the writers room to make sure they know
> where things like power outlets are to ensure consistency.
Now that's the kind of thing I like to hear about in a show. It shows a
great deal of committment to getting things consistent right from the
outset.
> That didn't stop the second toilet they discovered in the closet by
> the front door being forgotten about in the later seasons.
Hell yeah. I was watching that episode last week and it did make me wonder
what had happened to it...
<snip good examples>
> I think they do keep track of a lot of stuff, but the question must
> arise as to what you bother to note for future reference. And the
> longer a show continues the harder it is to keep that consistent.
Very true. Of course continuity errors are going to happen from time to
time... these things happen in TV sometimes by accident. Sure MITM has had
a few glaring mistakes, but they've done pretty well.
> Then again they did want to keep a lot of the background of the show
> vague. No family name, no town, no state, no clear ages of the
> characters, all that was deliberate in the first season. In a way I
> like that they did that, it does totally make them easier to identify
> with.
Keeps us all guessing and gives us something to do :-)
> But the policy comes back to bite them on the ass after four seasons,
> and with an army of anal fans (like me, I guess) who notice this stuff
> when they do screw up.
Nah, we're just dedicated. As long as you don't start writing letters to
them moaning about it. That really would piss them off :-)
> I also think there is also an issue with comic convenience which I
> would keep separate; some continuity has to be trashed. When Dewey
> sells all the house contents at the garage sale to get back at Reese
> for selling his piggy bank, things like the TV, sofa, stereo and
> microwave mysteriously find their way back by the start of the next
> episode. When Lois sells gives all of Malcolm, Dewey and Reese's
> possesions to charity, magically they have them back by the next
> episode. If you add up the punishments, the kids seem to spend around
> fifteen months a year grounded. Clearly on some elements of the show
> they retain the magic reset button that gives them a clean slate every
> week.
Well, yes. That type of thing is to be expected really from a sitcom. Sure
it's stupid, but it's often vital for the humour. It sometimes is annoying
when they defy the laws of physics or nature, but hey it's only TV. That's
why we love it.
> ... Reese breaks his leg on the minibike, magically heals the next
> week... Reese and Malcolm in plaster, body casts and neck braces after
> their karting confrontation again magically heal by the next week... A
> magic reset button would be so cool in real life!
It sure would !
--
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