Audience’s Rights Reform #5: Restorative authorship
I once overheard someone saying, “You don’t dispose of nuclear waste by throwing a rose on top and calling it a day.” I don’t remember the context, but it illustrates this point. Addressing a complaint, the right way, means recalling and editing the existing offensive work, rather than simply tacking on a sequel. Throwing something on top and calling that “problem solved” is an insult to audiences.
Retconning is also not a solution, because the offensive work remains unedited. Just because it’s no longer “official” doesn’t expunge it from existence. As a content creator, truly taking responsibility for your mistakes means going back and editing the work, on a total replacement basis. Preferably with no records of the unedited work’s existence. (Alternate endings are basically fanfiction.)
Please don’t get the wrong idea. Sequels can be a wonderful thing. Properly executed sequels serve to expand the work’s universe. They often introduce popular new characters, reveal previously unseen details about the established cast, and may even showcase ideas removed from the original work. But they shouldn’t exist solely to rectify a widespread complaint that would be addressed more effectively by editing the existing work.
To sum it up, justice means making it right this time! “Next time” isn’t good enough. Emotional justice must be active and restorative, not symbolic or backloaded.
Example A: Bob’s Burgers S03E19 “Family Fracas”
This episode taught the writers that fans hate it when the protagonists (in this case, the Belchers) lose to the antagonists (the Pestos) for no reason. The Belchers indisputably deserved to win.
The writers’ so-called “solution” consisted of not one, but two follow-up episodes. In S05E05 “Best Burger”, Bob Belcher defeats Jimmy Pesto in a hamburger contest, while a likeable minor character wins first prize in said contest. In S07E20 “Paraders of the Lost Float”, the Belchers defeat the Pestos for fifth prize in a parade float contest. Despite the writers’ two noble attempts to rectify the situation, most fans are still dissatisfied. And with good reason; the original episode remains unedited.
Ideally, S03E19 would be edited so the Belchers win. The writers claim to have learned their lesson, so they have the moral duty to edit S03E19 or let a third party do so. There is no other fair solution.
Unfortunately, this is the only example I know of. If you know any other works that fit with this argument, please let me know! Just one more could make my argument much stronger.