MovieChat Forums > Proof (2015) Discussion > I owe the writers an apology

I owe the writers an apology

posted 9 years ago by fantasies
20 replies | jump to latest

I watched the finale, like I watched every episode this season, with great anticipation and high expectations. Every Tuesday starting at 7, I would start to get excited about Rizzoli and Isles AND Proof, putting aside my own work to watch both shows. I have had my issues with Proof, with the writing. But, after some deep reflection today and after being reminded of my own evolution and journey towards proof of the occult, I realized that I have been overly harsh on the writers.

I'm a writer. If I put myself in their shoes, if I wear their costumes for a just moment, I realize that they were doing the absolute best job they could for their level of understanding and consciousness. They weren't intentionally trying to write shows with one dimensional characters, they were writing what they thought would be compelling TV based on their understanding of the concept that is indeed unknown territory, they were writing based on what they thought the public would like, and most of all, they were writing to please their bosses. I'm sure each and every writer on staff did the very best they could based on their abilities, knowledge, and experiences. My experiences, understanding, consciousness, and skill sets are different. That doesn't make mine right and theirs wrong. I fully accept that my vibration is different than the masses but that does not make either of us wrong. The writers of Proof wrote a storyline that was congruent with their vision of life . . . and death. They were successful. The masses who share a similar level of consciousness and understanding seemed to love the show and the characters so for that they can be very proud.

I'm woman enough to apologize when I'm wrong. I have been blaming the writers of the show for not writing to my level of consciousness and knowledge. When I realized it was not vibrating at the same level as where my understanding resonated, I should have made the choice to stop watching and either seek something else to entertain me or watch with the full understanding that for the vast majority of people watching that this was groundbreaking and innovative and suspended my critiques of what I perceived as flaws and tried to enjoy the show for what it was.

I enjoyed the finale. There were issues I had with the show based on my level of knowledge and consciousness but I have no need to list them and dissect them one by one. I found the finale to be heartwarming and sweet. I do really love the concept of exploring the afterlife. I do think Jennifer Beals is a wonderful actress. I hope it comes back for a second season. I would like to watch it with a new set of eyes.

We must excel, not just exist.

[–] dragon-thehacker 9 years ago

apology accepted

damned! why do u spoil it?

[–] cosmic_surveyor 9 years ago

Is it an apology if humble pie was ordered and not served?

____________

Est modus in rebus sunt certi denique fines quos ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum Goldilocks

[–] casper51 9 years ago

@ fantasies: I loved your post. I'm glad you stayed with it.

[–] fantasies 9 years ago

I do hope the writers look to make the scripts less formulaic and more nuanced next season. None of my critiques were unjustified, I simply should have considered that they were writing to the very best of their ability and taken that into consideration.

We must excel, not just exist.

[–] Lizardo74 9 years ago

I couldn't agree less.

Nothing annoys me more than a character missing the obvious (and scientific) next step .. verifying the life or death of the 'green scarf' lady.

All to generate 15 minutes of chaos and drama.

She's willing to sacrifice a lot (kid, ex-hubby, job, maybe career) all for this experiment, but makes a very weak assumption and says it's all BS

Doesn't even have the courtesy of letting Ivan make his own interpretation of the event.

Just blows him off.

Also, not telling anyone removed any ability to corroborate the story with a witness prior to investigating the possible death of 'green scarf' lady.

This episode was not nearly as enjoyable to watch as others

[–] fantasies 9 years ago

I agree with all your critiques and I found the finale to be equally as problematic as all the other episodes. Deciding that you are going to flatline and you aren't going to make any provisions IF something goes wrong, you aren't going to say goodbye to your loved ones, just in case, you aren't even going to make sure that the person helping you is not going to be held responsible and lose their job. It's all incomprehensible to me how anyone could write an episode like that. Then, to have someone who is looking for scientific PROOF then dismiss their experience without looking at the scientific proof is . . . absurd. She didn't look at any of the printouts, none of the data, she didn't even verify that the green scarf woman was actually still alive. If that's what a scientist does, then I do not want her operating on me.

I had lots more issues with this episode but I don't want to list them all. I do think that the writers were doing the very best they could. The masses don't see any issues with the incongruent details that have persisted throughout the show. That means that the writers accomplished their mission. They wrote a show that intrigued people, that drew them in emotionally. That is the sign of a success.

It's sort of like 50 Shades of Gray. I personally couldn't make it past page six of the first book. I thought the writing was HORRIBLE, dreadfully horrible and I write erotica for a living. But, the world loved it. The masses ate it up. When all was said and done, Ms. James made close to a billion from her "talent". One has to give credit to someone who has the ability to reach the masses, even if it doesn't appeal to those who have higher standards. It was not to my taste but that doesn't mean that Ms. James didn't write the best story that she possibly could. I don't think she could have written it any better than she did. I don't think she dumbed it down for the masses. I think she, like the writers of Proof, wrote to the best of their ability.

We must excel, not just exist.

[–] peggygeordie 9 years ago

I'll stuck to elaborating on your first paragraph, but I have been appalled all season at her neglect of her LIVING child and to have her seemingly not give her a thought in her decision to flatline was beyond horrible. She is a mother as well as a surgeon, the mother of a daughter who has lost her brother, and she seems not to have considered the impact her own death would have on her until it was nearly too late. "I'm sorry" doesn't begin to cut it.

Nor did she think about how she was likely destroying Zed's career with her obsession. Zed, who seems unable to resist going along with what others want of him whatever the cost to himself. And if she'd died, it could have been more than his career. He was taking part in a criminal act. Yet not for one flicker of an eyelash did we see Carolyn weighing the cost to Zed.

This was obsession, not science. And on
Carolyn's neurotic roller coaster, the science was pretty much ignored. Despite all the precautions taken to eliminate any possibility of brain activity, she asks to see no printouts but just decides that her whole experience was random neurons firing - which she should have known was an impossibility. And she comes to this decision based on flowers by her bedside.

(Given that Green Scarf Lady had specifically said she left flowers only for the dying, it's a wonder Carolyn didn't think she was about to flatline a second time.)

Two small points. We now know that
all three members of Carolyn's family will shove someone against the wall when upset with them. Repeatedly. I give a pass to the daughter, who is usually the most mature person in the room - and who was at least fighting back.

And - again - a "supposedly" intelligent woman can't think of anything to do but screw up her face and run from the room when challenged. If this series comes back, I really want that to end.

[–] fantasies 9 years ago

There were tons of issues with the logistics of the show. It was terribly flawed. BUT, I'm trying my best to see it in a new light. It connected us. For that, I'm appreciative.

I don't think the writers were intentionally writing a flawed script or that they were dumbing it down in any way. I believe in my heart that they wrote the best script that they possibly could. I'm sure that they are hurt by our critiques, imagining that their scripts are deserving of an Emmy and that they are equally as good as the writers of Orphan Black.

The art direction for the last two episodes was AMAZING. The depictions of the other side and how they had Carolyn swimming and flashing back and bridging both realms at the same time were terrific. I don't want to hate this show. I want to like it. So if it comes back, I'm going to accept that the writers are doing the best they could and not hold it to my standards. Either I will be able to enjoy it for what it is or I will watch reruns of Law & Order and dream of my future husband Jesse L. Martin.

We must excel, not just exist.

[–] Good-Will 9 years ago

I had lots more issues with this episode but I don't want to list them all. I do think that the writers were doing the very best they could.

Me neither.

Give this concept to truly talented writers the next season (if or when that happens) and it could be great.

For me this was distinctly average, so 5/10.

If the opposite of Love is indifference, what's the opposite of Hate?

[–] peggygeordie 9 years ago

I suspect one problem is that the writers don't know what they really believe and so can't write with conviction. No character on the show ever showed a consistent belief system, let alone consistent intelligence. Which left nothing but the lazy cliches of cheap confrontation, running from the room or slamming people against walls.

[–] fantasies 9 years ago

I don't know how writers are hired for a show. I would imagine it's all in who you know, who has worked on other shows together; I'm sure there is quite a bit of nepotism and a certain amount of inbreeding of sorts going on with producers hiring people that they've had positive experiences with in the past more than say, interviewing writers based on their knowledge of a particular subject matter. So, if we assume that Kyra Sedgewick and the other producers hired writers that they had worked with in the past, we can probably also assume, that the writers had ZERO knowledge of the subject matter before being brought on to the team. We can also assume that they did just enough research to familiarize themselves with the major concepts of after life theories and they were left to their own devices in creating the scripts. They stuck with a formula. Everyone who is in the medical field is a non-believer. Everyone is emotionally immature. We turn the protagonist into a believer at the 11th hour. Aaaaaaaand scene. What worked for other shows didn't work for this show for the cerebral viewers but the unquestioning viewers seemed to love it, flaws and all.

It would be wonderful if, over the hiatus, the writers read more about NDEs and other after life theories. It would be amazing if they revamped their approach and didn't have the characters as one-dimensional and emotionally retarded as they were in this season. I don't think they will. I think they created the characters as complex as their writing ability allowed them to do. I think, and this is just speculation, that only true artists, the people who CREATE original ideas, are the only sorts of people do the sort of research that results in an Orphan Black or a Da Vinci's Demons.

My writing is too cerebral for the masses. My writing is offensive to people who don't like questioning their beliefs. That doesn't mean my writing is bad, it just means that my audience is limited to people who are not entertained by mediocrity. The audience for Proof are people who don't want to dissect and examine or even be burdened with pesky little details. They want a feel gooder show that makes them feel validated that there is an afterlife. They got that.

We must excel, not just exist.

[–] Lizardo74 9 years ago

Namasté

You two are definitely awesome, so yes, Proof is definitely a net gain in my mind.

I've always struggled being a very scientific mind. Very inquisitive and rarely taking anything as solid fact. Funny thing is, that really has helped me in my spiritual journey.

Most scientific minds rarely find unity with spirituality, physics, biochemistry and genetics. The community at large seems to blackball anyone thinking outside the box, even though they praise our forefathers' who fought against assumed theory and catapulted science.

Ah well. I think we're almost at the end of our collective roads. Seems a harvest may be looming :)

Still trying to balance the spirit/mind/body complex before that time comes.

Take Care ~

[–] peggygeordie 9 years ago

There really is a growing conviction that we are on the verge of a quantum shift in consciousness, when it simply will be impossible for the scientific community to deny the validity of so much evidence that we are much, much more than our bodies. The stubborn insistance that if you can't replicate it in the lab, it isn't "real," will be seen as the prejudice it is. There are highly intelligent, rigorous scientists who finally come up
against a Reality that is greater than anything they imagined, and one by one they are willing to risk breaking from orthodoxy to share what they have learned.

And how much more powerful than conventional religion or science to realize that we truly are One, that the fabric of the universe is love, that we literally can't die... even if we just touch this Knowing for just an instant.

[–] mutilator0 9 years ago

What is love without the other side? Does it have the same meaning? no...i don't think "the fabric of the universe is love" i think its more than that...it goes beyond that(more than what we can understand...yet). Yes, i too feel we're closing in on the other step in our evolution, but we just began our walk and there is still a path to wander and wonder...

King of Clubs

[–] peggygeordie 9 years ago

That was as much as I could define it in my own instant of cosmic consciousness. That we are all connected to (for lack of a better word) God and all connected to each other, every being, in a love so vast that it makes the worst this world can throw at us ultimately insignificant. I mean it was a staggering realization, to know the gurus had been right, even if it doesn't mitigate the present pain as it is being experienced. But it is there, a shift of
Consciousness away, even if I've never found a way back. But of course that may have been all my finite brain could handle (and of course the moment I noticed my self having the experience, I lost it) but it was, as they all say, more real than this life and not to be denied. I am deeply grateful I had that much.

[–] Lizardo74 9 years ago

Physics and Metaphysics do have their convergences:

1. 'Big Bang' = Infinite energy, creation/balancing of all Laws, all matter from One Source. Distribution of which shows a distortion event, which are required for change.

2. The photon (light) is the fundamental unit of energy. Ergo, all matter is fundamentally light. 1+2 = we are all connected/are the Source.

3. All the missing high density matter we are 'phase shifted' from, but know exists. We exist physically in a lower density plane.

4. Physicists say that the Cosmos is really put together in the same format as biological life.

5. DNA evolves and replicates just like the definition of an AI program. Something of that complexity level never grows normally. There has to be energy expended outside the 'system' to lower Entropy.

6. Quantum field theory pretty much states that we influence reality, just by observation.

7. Japanese water crystal study showed marked harmony of vibrations emitted by love and kindness. And showed disruptive patterns with hate and anger.

For as long as one identifies with the mind, you will always believe conciousness is inside the head.

During meditation, you will 'hear' the jumbled incorrect ramblings of the Ego. (and hopefully realize that you are witnessing it, not doing it)

I really don't need some laboratory to prove it to myself.

No one really needs external confirmation of the Soul.

Everyone will remember, just a matter of time.

[–] peggygeordie 9 years ago

A very nice summation of some excellent points.

When this series began - when I heard the
CONCEPT of it - I pictured Carolyn traveling around the world, meeting some of these people (if in fictionalized form) having her mind opened by such things as the water crystal experiments, maybe talking to spiritual teachers who are familiar with the quantum ideas. These things are not beyond dramatization on a popular level.

Maybe someone will produce that series in the not too distant future.

[–] TheOnlyVindicator 9 years ago

Where do you live that a show that is a 9pm show in most places comes on at 7pm?

[–] peggygeordie 9 years ago

West Coast.

[–] blcdogs-88462 8 years ago

I really don't think you have any idea what your level of knowledge and consciousness is. I think the writers did a great job of giving you something to think about. No one knows the truth. When you get your TV series approved please let us all know so we can understand your level of consciousness and knowledge. I don't think anyone could do as great a job as these writers did unless God is writing a new book.