Simple Animorphs Questions: Ask questions with one possible answer here!

[XenomorphLV426]

I won't even get into Jingle All The Way or Batman & Robin.  There's too much gold there, we'll be rofl-waffling lolicoptering for hours.   

[Chad32]

some people think the crazy lady in MM#1 was the freed woman in book 1.

That's an interesting thought, though I never really thought about that. It's about as weird as when she seemed to build up Mellissa in book two, but never did anything with her. Though she was an Ani in Elfangor's Secret.

[Kitulean]

As might be evidenced by my story, I never really got over Melissa being all but completely ignored after the second book.

[XenomorphLV426]

She didn't really have any place, or relevance above being a cheap plot device to show the personal effects of the Yeerk invasion on kids just like them, on families.  Once Chapman had his little heroic moment, thus adding depth, Melissa had served her purpose and could be relegated back to background filler.

[Kitulean]

Except that there were plenty more places to take that storyline. 'served her purpose'? It never went anywhere. There was so much possibility off of that that was never touched again.

[XenomorphLV426]

It didn't need to go anywhere.  What more should be said?  She's a friend of Rachel's who isn't so close to her anymore because her parents are acting all creepy and psycho.  Rachel says a few little "boo hoos", vows to fight the evil heathens, rabble rabble rabble, Rachel now has a more concrete personal motivation against the slugs.

Bada bing bada boom, now we can move onto the effects of the war on Tobias, Cassie, and Marco in succession.  Book 2 did what it needed to.  Up and above that, Melissa was just another background character affected by the invasion.

[Kitulean]

You're missing the point. I never said it HAD to go somewhere. I said it COULD have, and in my opinion should have. Yes the plotline with Melissa never HAD to progress past that initial introduction, but it easily COULD have gone further, and I believe it was a missed opportunity to show more happening there. You can feel free to disagree, that doesn't make what I'm saying wrong, because I'm just saying it COULD have gone further.

[Benioff]

Yes. They COULD have used her more but why SHOULD they have done it? There really was no point in doing so.

[Kitulean]

Again, because there was more to that story. *shrug* I might be alone in thinking that and that's okay, but I still think it. I'm not exactly sure why that should bother anyone since the series is over anyway and it was just a comment on my own opinion and thoughts, but okay. Basically I think that the entire second book seems to be SETTING UP a plot more heavily involving Melissa into the war later on, but it never went anywhere.

[XenomorphLV426]

I guess what I'm saying is, they could have used Tom even more, too.  Erek, Arbron.  It just doesn't really add anything, and would make for clunky unfocused storytelling.

[Kitulean]

How so? We had 54 books and NONE of the plots of them could have been about the Chapman's instead of say... mutating buffalo or starfish splitting into evil twin good twin?

[Phoenix004]

How so? We had 54 books and NONE of the plots of them could have been about the Chapman's instead of say... mutating buffalo or starfish splitting into evil twin good twin?

lol, good one Cerulean. Although you may recall that they were basically filler books, not part of the overall plot.

[Kitulean]

Yeah, lol, that's my point. We could have dropped them and had other more interesting stories.

[Phoenix004]

Well I'm sorry, but if somebody gave me a choice between "Melissa character development" and "Mad morphing Buffalo on the loose" I know which one I'd say sounded more interesting... 

[Kitulean]

And that's why I don't insist on it or anything, or even really complain. It was just a statement on my opinion. You're entitled to yours, and it's just as valid.

Edit: Basically what I'm saying is it was never that big of a deal to me, I was just stating a random thought of mine, which I still hold.