Sequels

Think of a very close friend. Imagine you and your friend haven't seen each other in several years. When you finally meet, it is a great, joyous occasion. There is so much to do.

You swap stories, starting with the thumbnail version of what all has happened since the last time you met. Then you start getting into a little more detail and then a little more and a little more until you're both all up to speed on everything.

Then the conversation shifts. Once the past is in the past, you go back to looking toward the future. What's the next step? Where are you going? How will you get there? This is where a realization dawns on you: this isn't the same person.

My friend never talked about settling down and starting a family, you think. My friend talked about getting an amazing job and making enough money to live out every crazy fantasy. Sometimes it's not even that drastic. Maybe your friend looks at the world in a different way. That's still enough. Now your friend says things differently, thinks about different things, sets different goals.

This can be a strange experience, but not necessarily a bad one. This is still your friend. You've shared countless memories over much time. You've grown together. While you spent time apart, you both still grew. You have become new people with new thoughts and new experiences. However, at the end of the day, you still have the warmth and comfort of a friend you've known longer than you can remember.

This is what a sequel is like. People will read a novel or watch a movie and get engrossed in the story. They learn about the characters, follow them through their tribulations, and grow an attachment to them. When the story ends, there is a loss. It's sad. We may never see our friends again, only reminisce about the first time we shared an adventure with them.

That's when we start wishing for a sequel. It lets us see our friends again. The problem is that we forget that everything else is new. Characters are in a new situation, meet new people, and have to do new things. They also have knowledge and experience that they didn't have when we first met them. As such, they act differently. They say and do different things because they are different people.

This is why people tend to get angry at sequels, saying that they're never as good as the first. A sequel can be plenty good, even when compared to the original. People need to remember that a sequel is different. It is telling a different story and using characters in a different way. If the original story was amazing because we learn about the protagonist's history and see him develop into a hero, then the sequel cannot tell that story. If there is to be one, it must be about the hero in the midst of his heroics or about the hero passing on the torch to another.

Sequels can be wonderful. They let us see our friends for one more time. Just remember, as you have grown since the last time you saw each other, so have your friends. But, remember also that they are still the same people (unless the writing is particularly terrible).