Why does the show How to Get Away with Murder have to have so many flasbacks and flash fowards? (ratings, happened)

[ironpony]

I started watching the show, and I do find the plot interesting but also very frustrating to watch, as I am in the second season now, and I hate how they tell the story through all these flasbacks and flashwords, they want to to show what is going to happen and then use the flashbacks and flash forwards as as device to over complicate the plot as much as possible, just so they can beat all the twists and turns to death, to the point where the reveals are way past their welcome.

I just feel the show should be told in classcial, traditional, chronological order. What's wrong with that, unless I am wrong and the way they do it, is the best story telling method?

[Passive Observer]

I like it. I think they use it as a gimmick to keep the viewer engaged and ratchet up the suspense. As each episode progresses, the anticipation builds throughout the season. You have to watch every episode to see exactly what leads to the big dramatic future event (which usually includes a mind-blowing twist). It's kind of like a puzzle with pieces scattered here and there. You have to wait 'til the finale for everything to come together and complete the whole picture, which is part of the fun.


However, if you're impatient, it might not be the best show for you though, lol.

[turkeydance]

"What's wrong with that, unless I am wrong and the way they do it, is the best story telling method?"
the story is told in the best way to attract advertisers (ratings). it is not about 'best story method'.

[ironpony]

Well I feel that I am the more patient one and the show feels it has to give away a lot here and there in advance, to keep the viewer engaged, where as my patients doesn't need that and I would rather have the surprises be bigger surprises when they come rather than trying to take everything apart like a puzzle. It does come off as gimmicky to me.

But I feel that you don't need that. For example, in a show like 24, it's all told in chronological order, and the surprises still manage to be surprises, perhaps even bigger surprises when they happen, all the more because of it. If they reveal flash forward shots of characters looking dead, near the beginning of a season, then it gives away that that character is likely going to die, and therefore it's not a surprise.

Plus by withholding so much information, and then having to recap with flashbacks later, in How to Get Away with Murder, I then have to put the story on hold in my brain and do a recap. It kind of takes me out of the suspense to a degree if I have to recap through flashbacks, and put the main story on hold. In a show like 24, whenever they reveal a surprise, they don't show flashbacks, with all this recapping, cause they reveal it in a way, in which you don't need to recap so much, so you stay in the main story, without having to break away, if that makes sense.

[veuvegirl]

It’s the way the show was designed to keep you wondering and guessing. It wouldn’t work in chronological order.

[ironpony]

Okay thanks, but why wouldn't it work in Chronological order?

[Quietude]

For the same reason West Wing developed "doing the walk" - because a lot of the story is people just telling each other what happened, so jumping around a lot puts some dynamics to the tale.

Let's face it, most crime and procedurals would be 5 minutes long if they didn't fan-dance the material.

[ironpony]

Well I mentioned 24 as an example, of how everything is done in chronological order, and they even manage to produce more episodes per season than How To Get Away with Murder, so it can be done.