AMC: Tuesday, August 3, 2010

[All My Shadows]

What if, though, the point of having the character say all of these things about himself or herself is to show that they are something else? Like, so-and-so says "I am a smart, attractive woman, I have a good head on my shoulders. I fight for what I want, I do what I have to do to succeed" blah blah blah, but all the while, what the audience is supposed to take out of it is "Wow, this chick is crazy."

And plus, sometimes it's within character for someone to wax poetic about herself.

[SFK]

True, what characters say or think about themselves isn't always true based on what others (and we the audience) see of them. This disconnect from reality reveals deeper issues the character has and can make for riveting storytelling. Thing is, the writing more often than not isn't shaded with this type of subtext beyond pop psychology like "I'm bad cuz Daddy hates me." I think what R. is touching upon is this sort of "hand holding" type of writing, walking us through the story instead of letting us sit back and draw some of our own conclusions. But not to rob the writers of ALL their credit, I mean, look at how polarizing characters like David and Jesse are on this board.

[DeeeDee]

[SFK]

^^+1

[R Sinclair]

Then the story would be written to support that contradiction. There would be a counterpoint in the subtext of the story that lets the audience know this chick is off her rocker. There wouldn't be people telling Greenlee how strong she is in addition to Greenlee saying it herself. It's subtle thing, but a big thing.

That's true... and Erica leads to your point, AMS. We know the Erica character. We know that she's very insecure and suffers an extreme abandonment complex. All of her histrionics about "I AM ERICA KANE" are to cover up the fact that she's a scared little girl, longing for daddy's love. Which is why her actions (sabotaging relationship after relationship, torpedoing marriage after marriage, hungry for fame) contradict her proclamations.

But that's as a result of our own perceptions... not because the writers have done a good job in crafting the characters. Actually, it's in spite of the writers.

[All My Shadows]

Oh, I agree. I was just asking it as a side question. I've been spending a lot of time reading up on the do's and dont's of writing this summer, and I always get a chuckle when I see one book or site say that a certain practice is WRONG no matter what, yet I read a script for an immensely popular and critically acclaimed movie and see that wrong thing all throughout.

But yeah, with Greenlee, it's coming off as more of the usual "Look, audience, look...this is what I am! And this is who you're supposed to see me as!"

[alwaysAMC]

Well, after working and travelling the country, I am finally able to catch up today!

Really enjoyed this episode, especially the beginning with Greenlee's voiceover, and the overall Greenlee/Angie theme. Sure, I hate the idea of a Rylee reunion, and David's blackmail (which is totally ruining Dalee for me now)... but it was a strong episode.

R Sinclair - LMAO at the new addition to your signature picture!