Stephen King's 'N is Here' has finally gotten somewhere. After 15 expositional episodes, each about two minutes, patient N has described some sort of monster which has been kept captive inside a ring of stone monoliths (similar to Stonehenge), and how he, N, had become responsible for keeping the monster trapped within the monoliths. This is a typical King device -- The protagonist becomes aware of some strange supernatural goings on, then becomes involved, then attains a level of responsibility for how events are to unfold.
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SPOILERS: This backstory is told through compressed sessions with a psychiatrist, Johnny Bonsain. In episodes 14 and 15, N decides he doesn't need the help of a psychiatrist anymore and stops the sessions with Dr. Bonsain. A few days later N has committed suicide. Then, for reasons unknown, Dr. Bonsain decides to visit the monoliths and he also then commits suicide.
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This type of online episodic story probably has a future but I don't think the model 'N is Here' is using will succeed. It's too choppy at two minutes each and the style of animation gets a little old after several episodes. Plus, there are only 25 episodes and it took 15 of them just to lay out the exposition -- that's totally lopsided. Ten episodes for Act II and III? Maybe I'm missing something. I keep watching but I don't think most people would be as into it as I am. Still, I think we'll be seeing more of this kind of production in the future. The web is the perfect medium for this kind of storytelling. Would recommend jumping into the main plot quicker and delivering backstory on the fly, though.
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