OOtP A tad disappointed (spoilage)

[Matthew Huston]

No: HPFGUIDX 64289

To the victor goes the spoilers..
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I finished reading OOtP and have to say that I was kind of
disappointed in it. After a spectacular finish with GoF, I was
thinking to my self: "Self," I was heard to say, "With everything
we've heard, it's got to be great..."

Alas, no. Don't get me wrong the book was well written. It kept me
reading until the last page, though that may have been to get to the
who's-gonna-die part. I just came away empty. Part of the reason is
the predictability of the plot, I think. It was was pretty easy to
foretell that Umbridge had sent the Dementors after Harry about the
time the detention part rolled around.

What bugged me the most, however was what I call the Sitcom Syndrom!
(insert dramatic cresendo here)

Everything must be as it was at the beginning. Every sitcom starts as
it always does, and ends up back with the characters *pretty much*
back to their original pole positions at the end. I get the whole
'ancient protection thing' ...blah blah, but it is wearing thin, in my
opinion.

I started where every good reader does, at the beginning, and was
accepting that Harry was unhappily on Privet Drive once again, but
when the Dementors attacked he and Big D, I was very interested. No
such dangers had ever been so close to "home" before. Then came the
owls delivering notes. And lo harry was expelled! To tell you all the
truth, my heart lept with excitement. I hought the story was really
going to take a facinating turn! Herry out of Hogwarts...into the
world. Then when the Auror Advanced Guard showed up to whisk Harry
away I was well and truely thrilled. At last! Cool characters that are
real, battle hardened Aurors, here totake Harry into their world,
teach him to channel his teen angst into a power beyond all measure!
(insert another dramatic cresendo here)

No. Just a short visit (albeit neat-o) to the Ministry, and the new hq
of the OOtP. Then it's back to Hogwarts. Oh yippy. More hatred towards
Malfoy...and Snape...and pretty much anyone who crossed his path. Then
at the end, when it's all said and done, we come full circle. Does
Harry get to go with people like himself? People who can teach him,
understand him, take him to a wizard psychologist foor his anger
managment issues? NO!

Back to Privet Drive, so he can stew in his own emotions, dwell on
death, and never leave the house because he might be killed.

Not only this, but other Sitcom Syndrom effects abound. The biggest is
Snape. We really got to see Harry given some new info concerning the
potions professor. Info that shoulda made Harry understand the man
better. For a few pages it look like Harry might had a mental process
worth saving...he was almost-sorta-maybe seeing it from Snape's side.
Then of course, we MUST go back to him simply reviling Snape. Despite
the perfectly sound explaination from Dumbledore about why Snape acted
(all in Harry's extreme best intrests, to boot) the way he did, Harry
has to go back to hating Snape.

I had such high hopes, that we would break out of the mold here. Then
I realized that we're supposed to be seeing 7 years of wizard
schooling. I had just hoped that the story would grow to be more.

Matthew Huston