Setups that ultimately went nowhere.

Submitted by Pr0blemD0g t3_11ugo1g in television

What are some of the most prominent examples of storyline’s or plot devices that frustratingly just never went anywhere. What prompted this was rewatch of Fringe where in the first episode of Season 2 they introduce Agent Jessup (played by Meghan Markle). They then end episode 2 by going out of their way to hint that she views the events of the in-show universe as related to biblical prophecies… only for her to never appear ever again.

Clearly there were plans to pursue this storyline (and character!) in some way that for whatever reason they didn’t follow through with and it’s bizarre on a rewatch.

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Lost_Hunter3601 t1_jcobak2 wrote

Replying to johngie (#2,260,908)

I hate that shit. Like that Muslim brother sister hacker girl might’ve had an abortion then they never bring it up again. Or the arc where there was the fertility clinic that was breeding freakin demon babies then it’s never mentioned again.

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johngie t1_jcobu5o wrote

Replying to Lost_Hunter3601 (#2,261,133)

Or the girlfriend with an edgy ghost twin sister who physically manifests herself

Or the guy possessed by an angel who turns his wife into salt

Or John Glover being haunted into suicide after they close the case

Or the dolls who make bad things happen unless you...pay them?

Or the dad making a pact to give his life for that of his daughter

All of which have no resolution whatsoever. I could go on.

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lurkbender t1_jcogfby wrote

The entire Beyond the Wall plot in GoT

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Doc_coletti t1_jcoxegu wrote

The first season of martial law ended with a cliffhanger fight against the big boss bad guy in a helicopter.

Season two started with another regular episode, with a throwaway line about how everyone was sure glad Law survived that helicopter fight.

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meowskywalker t1_jcp1s7s wrote

Replying to The_DevilAdvocate (#2,261,089)

“I don’t like how it ended up” isn’t the same as “it didn’t go anywhere.” We got resolutions for all these characters. They were boring and unimpressive, but the question isn’t “what stories had unsatisfying endings?”

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rkd2999 t1_jcp6qyl wrote

This is an old one, but Star Trek TNG season one episode “Conspiracy”.

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visitorzeta t1_jcq0utn wrote

Charmed season 2 had a little girl named Jenny who lived next door to the Halliwells. The character was even featured in the opening title credits, so you think she's like a main character for that season....only she just barely appears in a handful of episodes and then is written off. Apparently, they realised early on that her character didn't add anything to the storylines.

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orangemaroon25 t1_jcrefr4 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,261,109)

There's a reason the series started with that scene (it did in the book too). That was supposed to indicate that the White Walkers were ultimately the important threat and the war of the five kings was, quite literally, a game of thrones in comparison.

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a_salt_weapon t1_jcryrt1 wrote

I think this is at least partly a byproduct of having multiple writers writing different episodes. They each throw some spaghetti at a wall and see what sticks when the others take over their yarns.

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KnotSoSalty t1_jcs0qdx wrote

Replying to orangemaroon25 (#2,266,501)

Wether or not she becomes a character in SE2 I think it still works to set the action of the series in motion. It’s a reason for Andor to overstep his bounds which leads to his trouble with the police.

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theyusedthelamppost t1_jcs2deo wrote

Replying to meowskywalker (#2,262,487)

The Night King was killed without them having revealed with he was all about. As far of the rest of the characters listed I agree with you.

But one of the other big problems was that in S2 the show mentioned Azor Ahai (the prince that was promised) and never resolved it.

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theyusedthelamppost t1_jcs2hv7 wrote

that weird episode of Stranger Things where they met the other girl with powers

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realdonaldtrumpsucks t1_jcs57dm wrote

Utopia a show on Fox in maybe 2012, it just up And ended and I’ve been sad since

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Panther90 t1_jcs8zai wrote

I was just rewatching Fringe and wondering the same thing. She could have been a really good addition I think.

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tamarzipan t1_jcshgyw wrote

Sonya Gomez (she spilled her drink on Picard)

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spectacleskeptic t1_jcsozos wrote

The Others in Lost. Possibly the show's most compelling mystery that got sidelined and irrelevant in later seasons.

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BlueTeamRuless t1_jcsuesd wrote

Vijay Nadeer in Agents of SHIELD. Seems like a pretty major tease in >!season 3!< and even >!comes back in the framework!< but then nada

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ghotier t1_jctof5r wrote

Replying to theyusedthelamppost (#2,267,686)

I thought it was pretty clear what he was all about. It runs counter to Martin's discussion about Orcs, but that's not cannon to the show or books. The White Walkers are evil and want to take over westerns because that's what they were created to do. Not much else to say about it.

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theyusedthelamppost t1_jctq6sb wrote

Replying to ghotier (#2,270,291)

that's a valid theory that can't be disproven, but it doesn't explain what's going on with the connection between NK and Bran inside his visions/flashbacks/greensight/time traveling/whatever you wanna call it

and then there's the deal that NK had with Craster implies something more going on than just being thoughtless beasts

I happen to prefer other theories and hope that the books make more of the scene when Bran looked back and saw the creation of the first White Walker

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crashfrog t1_jctyu11 wrote

Replying to Lost_Hunter3601 (#2,261,133)

> Or the arc where there was the fertility clinic that was breeding freakin demon babies then it’s never mentioned again.

This is mentioned over and over again in the show, it's a big part of the most recent season.

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jeffaulburn t1_jcvkxpx wrote

Both Season 1 and 2 of Picard ended with set ups for future stories which each were forgotten by the start of the next season. It's probably good they were anyways, each season (1 and 2 specifically) were just so poorly written and plotted and it was clear that each season was beginning with a 'clean slate'.

At least this 3rd season is shaping up to be pretty good, so far as I can tell at the half way mark. Here's hoping it ends well now 🤞

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CutePuppyforPrez t1_jcxgezv wrote

End of Community season 2. The whole season built to the showdown of Pierce vs the group, with everyone but Annie voting to kick him out, and then he surprised everyone by saving the school and then voluntarily leaving the group. Season 3 should have been the story of Pierce away from the group, and how they realized that they needed him (and he needed them).

Instead, he was back in the group right from the intro to Season 3 with nary a mention of what had happened, and with the group again trying to get rid of him. It felt like the entire payoff of the season 2 finale was just for naught.

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mikeweasy t1_jd09hmf wrote

In Sons of Anarchy a school shooting happens at the beginning of the season and its a big thing, with Jax deciding to take the fall for it at the end of the season, only for it to be dropped completely in the last season and Jax and the club focused completely on revenge for Taras death.

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Shikadi314 t1_jd3iji0 wrote

Basically everything on Servant. Just classic M. night Shyamalan bullshit

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punkdollhouse t1_jd5t5tu wrote

I'm still upset So Weird went in a different direction than it was meant to.

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