Cliffhangers

I’m sure you all know all too well how they make you feel, how you either dread them or hope for them, how they make your heart race, how they can basically turn your world upside down. Why on earth do we give them so much power over our lives? I mean, let’s face it, in this day and age, we really do put a lot of emphasis on the television shows we watch, we get really involved in the plots and just can’t wait to see how things will play out. We fall in love with the characters, and root for them all the time. So, whenever one of our favorite shows gifts us with a lovely thing called a cliff-hanger, we all go nuts.

Will they? Won’t they? Will s/he live or die? These are the types of questions that we are often left with.

cliff-hanger (noun) 1. a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of each episode of a serialized film 2. a situation that is dramatic or uncertain –>www.freedictionary.com

Personally, for some reason, I always feel like whatever comes after the cliffhanger is always a let down. Always. Every time. Whatever big kerfuffle is supposed to happen, happens, then everything quickly goes back to the status quo. They make us all think that this huge thing is happening and it will change the show for good… but that’s never the case. It’s really a great way to manipulate us into continuing the show, because we just HAVE to know what’s going to happen. I guess it depends on the person, some hate this feeling and some love it. For me, it depends on which show I’m watching. What makes this even worse is the fact that there is often a long wait after the cliff-hanger happens. So, then we spend months waiting to see what is going to happen. Then this long wait adds to the build up. Sometimes, this is why I decide to only watch shows once a large portion of it is on Netflix, no week long wait between episodes.

How do you all feel about cliffhangers?