# Plotlines that were abandoned mid-series with no explanation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124 "2010-03-11T16:50:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/41 "2010-03-12T05:42:09Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Did anything ever happen with Ricky Ricardo’s movie career?.. My personal theory is that nobody in Hollywood wanted to work with him because of Lucy’s antics. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/42 "2010-03-12T05:59:15Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > I believe that the series creator, Shawn Ryan, said that once they had reached the stage where Julian was still conflicted but nonetheless married and trying to have children, they simply felt that was as far as they wanted to go with that particular story line. It wasn’t really the case that that particular story was ‘dropped’, so much as they felt it had been resolved and concluded, and they didn’t have anything more to say about it. They had followed Julian’s journey from episode 1 to his decision to try the ‘married with children’ option, and felt that was enough. > > I can’t remember whether I saw this among the boxed set ‘Extras’ interviews, or read it online somewhere. I’m not sure if this really adds anything to what you’ve already said or not but it wasn’t just that they didn’t want to take the story line further. They felt that a person like Julian would realistically have been in that equilibrium for a long time and that in order to treat the character realistically he would stay in it for the rest of the series. So it’s not like they were bored with the plot. Rather, they felt it would have been unrealistic for him to completely fall apart and turn back to his true sexuality in the relatively short span the show took place in. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/43 "2010-03-12T13:55:12Z")
Curb Your Enthusiasm did this all the time. What happened with Suzy’s pregnancy mentioned in the crazy nanny episode? Are we to assume she miscarried when she fell out the window? What happened to the restaurant? Did it close because of the swearing? Where did the klan dog go? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/44 "2010-03-12T14:25:10Z")
In _Buffy_ season 7, Anya and Giles meet some weird demon thingy made from a buynch of eyes in another dimension to find out what the deal with The First Evil is, and it tells them it chose now to come because Buffy came back to life, implying/sort of saying that “the slayer’s power” was now split (makes sense, it was in Buffy and Faith.) It seems that they not only nevertell this information to Buffy/Faith, but the gang then decides to do the exact opposite of what the solution would seem to be by turning every potential slayer in the world (thousands of girls,) into actual slayers. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/45 "2010-03-12T15:53:14Z")
> [@TV\_time](#): > > Can we say **Dallas** and “It was all a dream?” IMO, no. Wrapped up \*badly \*is still wrapped up. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/46 "2010-03-12T16:05:08Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > On “Alias” did Sydney Bristow ever get her college degree (balancing being a spy/undercover agent was a major plot the first year?. She did meet one of her professors in a later episode overseas. Yes, she graduated in a second season episode and agonized for three whole minutes over whether or not she still wanted to be a spy. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/47 "2010-03-12T16:22:09Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I was always curious as to why and how George, on Grey’s Anatomy, coming from a family of simple-minded, borderline redneck galoots, came to be a doctor. As did Izzy, who came from her own special background. Little mysteries in life. George’s parents were both teachers, not “simple-minded galoots”. And this is still America, and you can come from humble beginnings and go to medical school - it just takes a lot of hard work. You’ll wind up a bazillion dollars in debt, but it certainly isn’t uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/48 "2010-03-12T16:24:39Z")
A lot of the publicity before the debut of “Star Trek: TNG” was how the “Enterprise” could split into two sections in case of emergency. They did that pretty quickly in the first episode when they encountered Q and maybe once more the entire series. Some of the early episodes of “Star Trek: Voyager” had Captain Janeway using holodeck time to play a governess to a brooding 18th century English noble and his bratty kids. Thankfully thatdisappeared and she decided to fool around with Leonardo DaVinci. A former co-worker who watched “All My Children” used to always joke about a son of Joe and Ruth Martin who went to his room in 1975 to get his skis for a trip and hasn’t been seen since. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/49 "2010-03-12T16:32:26Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > George’s parents were both teachers, not “simple-minded galoots”. And this is still America, and you can come from humble beginnings and go to medical school - it just takes a lot of hard work. You’ll wind up a bazillion dollars in debt, but it certainly isn’t uncommon. George’s dad was a truck driver. But otherwise, you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/50 "2010-03-12T16:33:08Z")
Just like Chuck on Happy Days, who went upstairs and was never seen or heard from again. Same thing has happened on any number of shows. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/51 "2010-03-12T16:49:31Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > In _Buffy_ season 7, Anya and Giles meet some weird demon thingy made from a buynch of eyes in another dimension to find out what the deal with The First Evil is, and it tells them it chose now to come because Buffy came back to life, implying/sort of saying that “the slayer’s power” was now split (makes sense, it was in Buffy and Faith.) It seems that they not only nevertell this information to Buffy/Faith, but the gang then decides to do the exact opposite of what the solution would seem to be by turning every potential slayer in the world (thousands of girls,) into actual slayers. The consequences of this decision are currently being played out in the graphic novel of the series (yes, Joss has done much of the scriptwriting for it). ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/52 "2010-03-12T17:54:34Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > A lot of the publicity before the debut of “Star Trek: TNG” was how the “Enterprise” could split into two sections in case of emergency. They did that pretty quickly in the first episode when they encountered Q and maybe once more the entire series. It separated a couple of times in the first season. It the separated again in Best of Both Worlds a few seasons later. It also separated for the final time in the movie Generations because the lower half was destroyed. I’m not sure if it separated anymore during the series, as I’m working my way through it on Netflix right now and I’m only halfway through Season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/53 "2010-03-12T18:01:56Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > It separated a couple of times in the first season. It the separated again in Best of Both Worlds a few seasons later. It also separated for the final time in the movie Generations because the lower half was destroyed. I’m not sure if it separated anymore during the series, as I’m working my way through it on Netflix right now and I’m only halfway through Season 2. The BoBW incident irritated me, not because the ship separated but because there were STILL FREAKING CIVILIANS ON BOARD THE SAUCER AT THE TIME. They knew they were heading out to confront the Borg when they picked up the ambitious Lieutenant Commander Zaftig at the starbase. Not having the families debark then was fucking criminal. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/54 "2010-03-12T18:07:22Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > The consequences of this decision are currently being played out in the graphic novel of the series (yes, Joss has done much of the scriptwriting for it). Well, sort of. [spoiler]The only consequence seems to be that they, collectively, have too much “magic” that is easily noticed by their enemies (Twilight, et al.) In theory, if they didn’t have Twilight after them, there wouldn’t be consequences, right?. But I am like 4 or 5 issues behind, i think…the last one I read was before Twilight was revelead, but they were still up in the Buddhist santuary with Oz.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/55 "2010-03-12T19:22:39Z")
If a film franchise counts as a “series”: In one of the _Halloween_ movies there were some hints of some sort of Satanic cult protecting Michael Myers. This was never mentioned again. (See [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=351099)) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/56 "2010-03-12T19:58:58Z")
Lots of characters on **Heroes** just vanish without a trace. Remember Molly, the little girl from the first season who could locate anyone, anywhere in the world? That’d sure come in handy for nabbing Sylar. Sent away. Remember Monica, Micah’s cousin who could imitate any movements she saw (karate, gymnastics, playing the piano)? No explanation, just gone. They seem to forget about powers, too. All too frequently, I’ve seen people sneaking up on Sylar somehow. I think, “What happened to that super-hearing power he stole from the woman in that mechanic’s shop back in season 1? She could hear a thunderstorm approaching from the next state; Sylar should be able to hear the heartbeat of anyone trying to sneak up on him.” Nope. Forgotten as a plot convenience. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/57 "2010-03-12T20:37:03Z")
Malcolm Reed in Star Trek Enterprise was originally supposed to be gay, but they scuttled that for unknown reasons. This could explain the homoerotic tension he had with MACO team leader, Major J. Hayes. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/58 "2010-03-12T20:40:03Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > All too frequently, I’ve seen people sneaking up on Sylar somehow. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve shouted at the TV “WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO REMEMBER HIS FUCKING SUPER-HEARING?!” I could buy myself a drink to calm the fuck down. Didn’t they wipe out most of his powers after the Shanti virus, though? I think the only thing he got back was telekinesis. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/59 "2010-03-12T20:55:00Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Didn’t they wipe out most of his powers after the Shanti virus, though? I think the only thing he got back was telekinesis. That’s exactly what happened. Sylar lost the superhearing pretty much hours after he got it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124/60 "2010-03-12T22:49:40Z")
[tvtropes.org](http://tvtropes.org), needless to say, has a page all about this thread’s topic: [What Happened to the Mouse?](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitlecphpgf78?from=Main.WhatHappenedToTheMouse) And, of course, pages on several related or similar tropes, such as [Chuck Cunningham Syndrome.](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChuckCunninghamSyndrome?from=Main.BrotherChuck) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plotlines-that-were-abandoned-mid-series-with-no-explanation/532124.md?page=4)