User blog:Lady Magique/Is there any way around the "out of order airing" issue?

(Well, I can think of one way, but I don't think that you're going to like it.)

Okay, first of all, my sister (Serene Girl) indicated the other day that she would no longer get involved in the "love triangle" debate, because she is tired of arguing about it. Honestly, it's kind of wearing on me, too.

(Please don't misunderstand. I'm not suggesting that people should stop talking about it, if they wish to. I'm just saying that we won't be getting into it, anymore.)

So, please, for this particular blog, let's just leave Carly out of it, okay? This is just about Sam and Freddie.

For a while now, my siblings and I have been arguing that any relationship between Sam and Freddie isn't likely to last longer than a single episode, or perhaps a special (two-part or three-part movie). This is more because of practicality than anything else :

http://danwarp.blogspot.com/2009/09/questions-31-40-answered-by-dan.html

'''QUESTION #31: Are there any plans to put any of the characters into a relationship lasting more than one episode? If not, is there a chance this would be considered later, or would it be avoided to prevent dramatic edge?'''

'''DAN: This is a question I've kind of answered before, but I'll give you a quick re-cap. The network doesn't always air the episodes in the proper order. With Drake & Josh, more than once, the network simply aired the wrong episode. They would promote one episode, then air a different one by mistake.'''

'''And with reruns, I think they pay even less attention to the air order. That's why I try to keep each episode its own separate story -- at least as much as I can. That way, even if the episodes are aired out of order, they still "work." Does that make sense?'''

Now, we've noted before, that was posted on Dan Schneider's blog in May of 2009. It is possible that he has changed his view of things during the two years since then. Or, if he hasn't, then it's possible that he might at some point in the next two years.

Honestly, though, I wouldn't count on it, especially considering that he's probably already dreading the huge number of complaints that he's going to be getting in June, from viewers who were expecting to see the resolution to the Sam/Freddie kiss cliffhanger in iParty With Victorious.

(It will happen, by the way. It's practically inevitable. At this point, no matter how many times Dan, the cast, and the production team say, tweet, or post on their blogs that iPWV is a stand-alone episode, not connected to the current storyline, there will be people who will watch that episode and get all confused and upset because they thought they were going to find out what would happen with Sam and Freddie.

No matter how many times that we, here, say, "We are NOT going to find out what will happen with Sam and Freddie in iPWV. We have to wait until the season premiere!", it won't change anything, either.)

Some of us have always believed that this was the reason why Sam and Pete's relationship didn't last beyond iMake Sam Girlier, why Carly and Freddie's relationship both began and ended in iSaved Your Life, and why a relationship between Sam and Freddie likely won't go past a single, self-contained episode, either.

Also, you have to remember that this isn't an "either/or" thing. It's not like they either create a one-episode relationship or a permanent one. If the relationship lasts longer than one episode, then the question becomes, "How many?"

Each and every episode beyond the first one will significantly increase the risk of a problem if just one episode is aired on the wrong date. If two episodes are aired out of order, you could be finished. That has always been the problem with continuing storylines on iCarly.

That said, I can actually think of one way to get around the "out of order airing" issue, and create an ongoing relationship ... though I don't think you're going to like it.

Basically, Sam and Freddie's relationship would have to become "background material." Meaning it would turn into a stable relationship with no further development.

(There, you see? I told you that you weren't going to like it.)

Their relationship would more or less become "frozen" in whatever state it's in at the end of the episode in which they become a couple. After that, it would become part of the show's backdrop, like the scenery. Sam and Freddie can have "couple" moments, some episodes could have subplots about them - comedic ones, like Freddie worrying about Sam's Valentine's Day gift, that sort of thing.

(Yeah, Sam would probably find it nauseating, too.)

But there can't be anything that significantly changes or affects their relationship, because if there is, then the "out of order airing" issue pops up again. Viewers would be asking questions like, "Wait, why are Sam and Freddie acting like this again? I thought that they resolved that in the last episode."

Honestly, I don't think that this would satisfy anybody.

I could be wrong, of course, but I would guess that a lot of Seddiers would become bored with this very quickly.

It's like, "Okay, Sam and Freddie are together, they're happy, and that's not going to change ... Um, well, that's nice, but what do we have to look forward to now? ... Come on, we want something to happen. Mix it up a bit. We want to see how things grow and develop now that they're together."

It has taken Dan Schneider four years to develop Sam and Freddie's friendship as much as he has (which, admittedly, has been significant). How much can he develop a romantic relationship in 26 episodes if he has to do it incrementally over time?

(And the Creddiers? No matter how little development Sam and Freddie's relationship gets, I still think that the Creddiers would have reason to be unhappy, because Sam and Freddie being in an actual relationship for any significant length of time would be huge compared to anything that the Creddiers have gotten.

I do seem to recall at least one prominent Creddier reflecting on how unfair it is that the Seddie has received so much more development over the past four years than Creddie has.

On the bright side, at least nobody would be able to point to iSaved Your Life and argue that the Creddiers have already gotten theirs, anymore.)

I think that, in the end, relegating Sam and Freddie's relationship to the backdrop may be even less satisfying than not giving them an ongoing relationship at all. At least in the latter case, viewers would still have something to hope for, for future episodes.

In other words, we are right back where we started. Oh, well.

Just recently, my brother (Phenglei Kai) has been arguing that there is no way for any of us to know for sure what Dan Schneider is planning to do. This is true, I think.

Perhaps Dan Schneider will come up with a more effective way to get around the whole "out of order airing" issue. It's even possible that he already has, and is just waiting for the right to time to put it into action. I don't know.

All I know for sure, at this point, is that I can't think of one. As we keep saying, time will tell.