Indie Shows need filler episodes

(I should note, by "filler" i just mean character building episodes)

This was something on my mind for a while after finishing TADC episode 4 and finally quitting the show (as well as helluva boss and hazbin hotel). Unlike HH and HB, I actually enjoyed TADC a lot. I liked the characters, the designs and the dialogue, but something was not hitting for me. and I think my biggest frustration is that the show wants every single episode to have these big, emotional moments but we barely know enough about these characters to even care. I think the worst case of this is when episode 2 immediately tries to make us care about Gummigoo despite knowing very little about him. I honestly find that scene where Pomni lifts him up genuinely beautiful but at the same time, I had no emotional reaction to him. I just cared more about Pomni since I liked her. I didn't fully process the world or how sentient the NPCs were so when Gummi looked upset when he saw his model I was legitimately a bit confused.

People pick on Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel for trying to have big emotional scenes every episode but i think TADC (and a few other indie shows that are a lot smaller that I won't name) also suffer from this refusal to really give these characters some time to shine before giving them their big emotional episode. People tease Steven Universe for its melodrama and while I do feel like they pushed it too hard in the latter seasons, one thing i do appreciate is that the show does give you time to really understand these characters and care about them. Garnet being defeated wouldn't hit as hard if we didnt spend 50 episodes getting to know her.

And I'll be fair, a lot of shows nowadays are unfortunately very short, but I still do think you can spend time feeling invested in these characters. I think the reason why Kinger's episode hits so hard is that its less to do with being such an emotional episode and more like this is the first time we actually really get to know him. This is also weirdly, the only episode centered on Pomni's relationship with the other main characters. As sweet as Pomni's relationship is with Ragatha, it honestly really annoys me that she never actually hangs out with her despite the show clearly trying to build a friendship between them. i was hoping after episode 3 we'd see them hang out, maybe make jokes or have some silly subplot but instead its about Pomni trying to talk to... Gummigoo!? Please I don't care about this npc I wanted to see Pomni actually build a relationship with the cast.

This is part of why Helluva Boss season 2 doesn't work and why I think Hazbin Hotel is genuinely a bad season. Despite having so many episodes dedicated to these characters, we never really get to know these characters. Angel Dust is presented as this deeply troubled and complicated character and people only hate him because they cant handle "complex characters" but what do we know about him... really? I'm being serious for a second, without using outside information for reference, what is so special about angel dust? He's hypersexual and crass? well so are a majority of Viv's male characters. he acts like an asshole but is secretly a big softie? I honestly think Blitzo is a far better example of this and i dont even LIKE blitzo. He has a pet pig... okay. There's no episode where Angel Dust is forced to get along with Vaggie. Or anything really exploring Angel Dust's likes and interests. Him and Charlie not really getting an episode together and yet the show acts like she "saved" him is fucking absurd. His dynamic with everyone is pretty much the same (although this seems to be a problem with how Vivziepop writes character interactions in general).

Murder Drones also suffers from the lack of "filler" but to be fair to that show, I do think it makes more sense as a serialized story. my bigger issue is that these episodes become a blur to me when it cares more about cramming lore and bad jokes than really building on characters. Like wtf was the thought process behind J.

I think the biggest problem with a lot of indie animation is that its because its made by people who most likely only read fanfiction or don't do a lot of studying on how to pace a tv show, you get shows that feel like 90% padding to get to the big emotional scene for characters i barely care about. And I say this as a lover of fanfiction but the thing about fanfiction is that its well... fanfiction. its works made by amateur writers, and if thats all you're familiar with, of course you're going to make stories that prioritize big scenes over small character moments.

So when these shows have these big emotional moments with characters we know very little about, I don't feel satisfied. People talk down on ATLA's introduction episodes and say it only gets good at episode 3, but i think those first two episodes are important because it gives a lot of attention to these character relationships and dynamics.