This time I would try to ponder on the topic of filler episodes and understand their significance for the overarching narrative in series. This idea came to me after I tried to watch Steven Universe animated series. I also wish to explain whether or not you should skip filler episodes when you watch a series. After all, I know that some people can get bothered by them since the don’t move the story, yet filler episodes must have a purpose, right?
What does an episode fill?
Filler episodes are show episodes but not all show episodes are fillers. Basically, a filler episode is an episode where nothing of significance happens. The significance being the development of the main or side plot lines or character development. You can see at as looking at the characters chilling and doing nothing for about twenty-five minutes.
A special place among these episodes can be taken by collaboration between cartoons. The primary example would be episode “Say, Uncle”, the 55th overall episode of Steven Universe series. It’s an April Fool’s Day crossover episode with “Uncle Grandpa” cartoon main character. However, as they said it themselves in the episode: “Don’t worry, bro. None of this is canon.”
On the other hand, regular filler episodes are canon to the main plotline and can be referenced any time during the series. Still, if you only care about the main plot, should you watch them?
Propositum vitae
There are two main reasons for filler episodes:
Production can be a horror show sometimes: In this case such episodes fill in the time when the show is running but the main plot undergoes changes or is delayed due to production issues. It often happens midseason since the contract for the show has been signed and you have to fill in the space you must take.
A good example of a TV series with hardly any, if any at all, filler episodes would be Gravity Falls. It has a significant gap in airing time between the second and the third season but that time was wisely used to think through the finale for the show.
An oposite example, would be the third season of Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventures series. More than half of it consists of different filler episodes, which is worse than the second season, because it has even fewer episodes. The main reason why I talk about it, though, is about the production time. It hadn’t had the luxury of having enough time to write a good story, which made it highly illogical by the end.
Both examples come from the same company but the way the series were produced widely differ, so I want to point out poor production condition as one of the reasons for poor filler episodes.
Connections grow even stronger over time: A better reason is to allow the audience grow more attached to the characters and have more time together. This can be seen in the anime series InuYasha which sometimes has filler episodes just to show the passage of time in the series.
For instance the side arc when the protagonist meet the mercenaries of Shichinintai group is meant to show the audience what was happening with the main cast while the antagonist was recovering. Although, the idea for the arc comes from manga, in anime it is used to avoid an awkward cut from one time to another.
Honourable Mention: Holiday Specials
Before drawing a conclusion, I would like to mention a special king of a filler episode – holiday specials. They are most common in North American cartoons and are connected to some widely known American holiday such as Halloween and Christmas. And, yes, I know that Christmas is not American and Halloween is also British, what I mean is the way they are presented and the manner of celebration is American. They can be seen as gifts for the fans and a special advertisement of the main series.
All in all, whether to skip filler episodes or not depends solely on what you want from the story. If you only care to know how the story ends or you don’t feel invested in characters well enough, then, it’s would be better to skip them. If you want to know the whole story and you cherish every moment you spend with your favourite characters, then, consider watching them all. The choice is always yours.
Geeky Nerd 
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