Making the dream resolution easier

[Grangehill1]

Watching season 9 (dvd) and then going straight into season 10, of course the dream resolution makes everything very jarring. But there’s some other things that don’t help

- The switch to cheaper film stock. Suddenly the show looks cheap, fuzzy and pink! Everybodies pink!

- The hair and make up. Absolutely no attempt has been made at matching everybody to Swansong (which I understand) but also no attempt has been made to make anyone look good. Was it an unusually long gap
Between seasons as all the women’s’ hair has grown significantantly. Nobody looks styled. Everyone looks a mess.

- The storyline of the oil business in crisis. It’s so heavy handed but jars so so
Much with season 8. It’s literally come out of nowhere.

- Ray and Donna. I think the fact they’re apart again just makes it horrible for the viewer to watch. Especially as he ends up with Jenna! I think the writers should have done a quick get them back together again in episode one of season 10. That would have helped the audience accept the dream better.

- Sue Ellen and JR hating each other. More than any other season, it’s clear season 9 had the most character progression. Ray and Donna got back together, so did JR and Sue Ellen and Cliff and Jamie! To suddenly see all of these characters hating each other again didn’t help. Perhaps the writing could have been more subtle. Perhaps Jamie should have been killed in episode 1 to save us the horrible scenes given to Jennilee Harrison

Does what I say make sense? The dream was universally panned but things could have been done for the audience to accept it a lot better if they ‘softened’ the blow with characters, storylines and the look of the show

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

The switch to cheaper film stock. Suddenly the show looks cheap, fuzzy and pink! Everybodies pink!

The film stock didn't change, the processing changed. As per network rules of the time, all their night time dramas still had to be shot on 35 mm film. But Lorimar started getting around that and avoiding the more expensive film lab work by using a new computerized process during which the film pieces were dubbed down to 1" video prior to editing with those film pieces then supposedly discarded.

It looked horrible, and we couldn't believe they were sending the show out that way. It looked like low-resolution video, and might as well have been.

Believe it or not, the DVDs look 5 times better than the the show looked when first broadcast in 1986-87.

That said, I rather liked the production design that season, even if was largely lost on this sub-par visual look.

 

[One Mighty Hobble]

Watching season 9 (dvd) and then going straight into season 10, of course the dream resolution makes everything very jarring. But there’s some other things that don’t help

- The switch to cheaper film stock. Suddenly the show looks cheap, fuzzy and pink! Everybodies pink!

- The hair and make up. Absolutely no attempt has been made at matching everybody to Swansong (which I understand) but also no attempt has been made to make anyone look good. Was it an unusually long gap
Between seasons as all the women’s’ hair has grown significantantly. Nobody looks styled. Everyone looks a mess.

- The storyline of the oil business in crisis. It’s so heavy handed but jars so so
Much with season 8. It’s literally come out of nowhere.

- Ray and Donna. I think the fact they’re apart again just makes it horrible for the viewer to watch. Especially as he ends up with Jenna! I think the writers should have done a quick get them back together again in episode one of season 10. That would have helped the audience accept the dream better.

- Sue Ellen and JR hating each other. More than any other season, it’s clear season 9 had the most character progression. Ray and Donna got back together, so did JR and Sue Ellen and Cliff and Jamie! To suddenly see all of these characters hating each other again didn’t help. Perhaps the writing could have been more subtle. Perhaps Jamie should have been killed in episode 1 to save us the horrible scenes given to Jennilee Harrison

Does what I say make sense? The dream was universally panned but things could have been done for the audience to accept it a lot better if they ‘softened’ the blow with characters, storylines and the look of the show

I agree, especially with the hair styles and a noticeable change in Mandy's attitude about demanding to take Sue Ellen's place. Donna, who I always found to be Ms. high and mighty, was finally softening herself with the special needs kids. And several other scenarios as you mentioned.

I can only guess the harshness of all these rehashed realities was intentional so as we could be distracted and totally forget the dream season.