So Kat and I were discussing fandom the other day, and she asked me that if I ever did get around to publishing something how would I feel about people writing fanfiction of my stuff. As someone who really got my legs in fandom, I found the question to be funny. I would be eternally flattered if people wrote fandom about my stuff. But the reason it came up was because she had been reading about authors who don't want fanfiction of their stuff put up on the web.
One of them equated writing fanfiction to her neighbor sleeping with her daughter. It was not a good comparision, but the point was that characters are like children in some ways. I get this, I really do. My characters are, in some ways, like children. You don't want to hear negative things about them, and you don't want them to be ruined, but to be honest, the scariest thing about fandom to me is that there is such bad writing of these characters without thought for how to capture their voices and personalities.
Um, where was I going with this. I got distracted because I started thinking about if there was any ship in my canons that would freak me out (my initial 'that would be weird' was Alice/Molly, but unfortunately, they have a very slashable relationship. I suppose Cassandra and Jon would freak me out because they are siblings, but even that I would just skip over it, rather then freak out about it). OH I REMEMBER.
So, anyways, I was thinking about fandom after that and it mostly came down to pairings. I am a very cannon kind of girl. I always shipped Ron/Hermione, I love Laurie/Amy, George/Alanna made the most sense to me, and Monica/Chandler were my favorite couple for a long time; in general, when a couple are meant to be I ship them. Its only been recently that I've branched out a bit. There are a couple of fandoms where I like character pairings that aren't the official OTP.
Legend of the Seeker for example, was the first show I watched where I was like "I like Cara/Kahlan better together then Richard/Kahlan." I think it was more about the dynamic of their relationship, as Richard and Kahlan are ridiculously cute, but anyways. In Big Bang Theory I kind of have a thing for Sheldon/Penny -- but as Sheldon becomes more and more asexual, there is a certain amount of, "That would be weird".
I was thinking about my propensity towards the cannon couples though today when I was making icons. I recently got distracted by lj icons all over the place and I decided to make some of my own. I was going through Buffy stuff and I realized suddenly that I didn't know who I shipped -- Angel/Buffy or Spike/Buffy. There are certain parts of both relationships that I really enjoy, and I could see Buffy with either of them, but there is something to be said to the fact that at the end of the series she is supposed to be 22. How many people knew who they were supposed to be with forever at that point.
One of the things that keeps occurring to me is the fact that a lot of these characters that you ship, sometimes they aren't forever ships, they are right now ships. You can love them dearly, but relationships do fall apart, and its about the right person (oh dear, I'm talking myself into a corner in regards to Barney/Robin) at the time. I like that it reflects real life. Very few people have epic love stories.
When it comes to my own writing, I do think about ships and what could happen from the characters and their relations to one another. In the novel with Alice, Ian and Molly, there is a huge potential for shipping Ian/Molly (which a little squicks me, but only in their adamance that its just too weird for them). In the end though, I don't even know if the main pairing (Alice/Ian) will end up together because of the issue of -- they are all quite young. People change, and demanding two characters that have diverged remain together is forcing things that shouldn't be forced.
Wow, so that got rambly.
Um. I'll come clean it up later. Or not.
Showing posts with label legend of the seeker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legend of the seeker. Show all posts
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
First Tags
In one of the current novels I'm working on, I decided to write it with a TV shows standard arcs, as if each chapter was an episode of a season. It worked really well to be honest, and I got reinvested in my newest novel again by thinking about trying it again. Only this time making the chapters actually like episodes of TV shows. So I started looking at tags of the first episode of various shows.
Legend of the Seeker came to mind first as it is an epic fantasy (similar to what my novel will be like). LotS starts with Kahlan running from a quad, and heading into Westland. Then you go to Richard... half naked... okay, distracted. Craig Horner's torso is just so attractive.
If you think about it in terms of character developement, the tag is an important event. You've got your first impression of the characters in these brief moments. Here we get an impression of Kahlan -- strongly. We start out with her in action -- running. She also has an emotional, caring moment when her sister gets shot. We get to see the major facets of her personality in the first, what five minutes? We also get to see Kahlan's power at work, and watch her face down death without fear. And then she's all "I'm a lone ranger you can't touch me emotionally!" but is totally into Richard even though she knows its wrong.
Richard as well gets some of this. We see Richard caring about a young boy and being a generally nice and sweet guy -- and then we get to see him being really impulsive and running off to help Kahlan because she's pretty in white. Or because that's what his personality is like. He doesn't back down from a fight, he defends the weak (well he thinks Kahlan is weak), and tries to help even though she's a stranger.
And of course we get to start with the UST. Kahlan and Richard get into it right away and the music indicates everything you need to know about their future relationship.
I stopped off next with Xena, same creative vibe from it, but older, because I'm writing a fantasy, but also because my novel deals with a redemptive quest and who better to look at then Xena for that?
The tag once again sets up characters well. Xena has two protagonists: Xena (duh) and Gabrielle.
Xena's first scene is melancholic as she attempts to deal with events in her past (we see through flashbacks that she was a warrior princess pretty much), and she wants to make up for her past sins. She has a conversation with a boy who's parents she killed, and decides to give up her battle gear -- attempting to bury it. But when given the opportunity to fight, she enjoys it -- you can see it on her face the way she laughs and has this bright smile on her face, because its what she's meant to do. Thus, we are set up with a conflicted character, one who wants to do the right thing, but doesn't know how to not fight.
Gabrielle's first act on the show is to offer herself in place of another. If you've seen the show, it is completely who Gabrielle is. She is never conflicted about her actions, knows what is right and will act on it. What you see as the tag moves on is that she's fighting -- she wants to save herself and others -- but in another way its also fighting against what she is. Gabrielle does go under significant changes as the show progresses, but she will always be at the heart of the matter, and will remain Xena's moral center.
Without even trying too hard this show has set up the central conflict, and without the protagonists having a conversation, you can tell what's going to happen already. Its a very strong tag in that way. Character here is more important even then in what happened in LotS because it is so well defined that you don't really need plot to move it forward.
Moving on to a show that is not high fantasy, but more sci-fi, I looked at Torchwood's opening. They don't really have a tag for this episode, so I just watched a bit, knowing what happens in its entirety.
As a great lover of this show I would say that the character's well done in this tag as any other -- but as a more impartial, looking for information kind of viewer, I would say you get hints from this tag. There's the hint about Jack being not quite normal (Jack: Still at least I won't get pregnant. Never doing that again.) and Owen being a bit of an ass, as no one wants him to talk to the dead guy, and Tosh being not so good at communication. The best you get from it is that Jack is the father figure of the group, and Gwen is a clever-clogs because she figures out how to watch Torchwood at work.
Gwen then gets more of an intro with the rest of the act (and episode). They introduce her as an every woman -- though in reality she's kind of special -- but the point of the tag is to make the viewer feel like you're with Gwen the whole time. She is our lead in and as a result, she is the most important character. Its interesting to see how she gets drawn into this world where there are weevils and people get brought back to life, and how she won't let it go, won't stop picking at the surface of things, as if she just has to know (which comes up later in the show).
By giving her the tenacity to keep going despite the odds, we get invested and I think that's what gives this tag its edge. Unlike the previous two examples, we're drawn in as Gwen is, and its not so much about character as it is about the possibility of what she's looking at.
We see in the Firefly tag the loss of the Battle of Serenity Valley. This is a classic setting up a story so exposition doesn't have to happen later and I love Joss Whedon for doing it this way. This is a very important scene in Mal's life -- and in Zoe's -- but definitely Mal's, and it builds his character incredibly. You see him caring for his men, looking out for people and truly believing in something -- the moment when he kisses the cross -- that's the moment. And you see it -- the Mal we know, or will come to know, who will never give up. We also get the usual amusingness of Joss Whedon's dialogue with Wash. And there is a set up for what this show is going to be about -- space pirates.
The thing about Firefly's tag is that it does so much with so little time -- setting up the show, introducing us to our main protagonist, dealing with the fact that Mal is a haunted, haunted man, and seeing the clear difference between Mal of the past and Mal now (also, Nathan Fillion being on a Joss Whedon show and not scaring the shit out of me... oh well, I watched Buffy before Firefly I realize that Nathan Fillion was Mal before he was Caleb).
Speaking of Buffy, in her show we have an interesting situation -- considering Darla is set up, and she's not a main character. But its a good way to show what exactly is going to happen in this series -- vampires exist, and we're going to blow your silly little minds. Its much shorter then the other tags I looked at and I think that's what makes it so worth while. Its to the point, we don't get character development, its a good start to a monster of the week kind of show.
Lets look at an example out of the fantasy realm -- Grey's Anatomy has a sort of shtick that makes introductions easy -- the voice over:
Legend of the Seeker came to mind first as it is an epic fantasy (similar to what my novel will be like). LotS starts with Kahlan running from a quad, and heading into Westland. Then you go to Richard... half naked... okay, distracted. Craig Horner's torso is just so attractive.
If you think about it in terms of character developement, the tag is an important event. You've got your first impression of the characters in these brief moments. Here we get an impression of Kahlan -- strongly. We start out with her in action -- running. She also has an emotional, caring moment when her sister gets shot. We get to see the major facets of her personality in the first, what five minutes? We also get to see Kahlan's power at work, and watch her face down death without fear. And then she's all "I'm a lone ranger you can't touch me emotionally!" but is totally into Richard even though she knows its wrong.
Richard as well gets some of this. We see Richard caring about a young boy and being a generally nice and sweet guy -- and then we get to see him being really impulsive and running off to help Kahlan because she's pretty in white. Or because that's what his personality is like. He doesn't back down from a fight, he defends the weak (well he thinks Kahlan is weak), and tries to help even though she's a stranger.
And of course we get to start with the UST. Kahlan and Richard get into it right away and the music indicates everything you need to know about their future relationship.
I stopped off next with Xena, same creative vibe from it, but older, because I'm writing a fantasy, but also because my novel deals with a redemptive quest and who better to look at then Xena for that?
The tag once again sets up characters well. Xena has two protagonists: Xena (duh) and Gabrielle.
Xena's first scene is melancholic as she attempts to deal with events in her past (we see through flashbacks that she was a warrior princess pretty much), and she wants to make up for her past sins. She has a conversation with a boy who's parents she killed, and decides to give up her battle gear -- attempting to bury it. But when given the opportunity to fight, she enjoys it -- you can see it on her face the way she laughs and has this bright smile on her face, because its what she's meant to do. Thus, we are set up with a conflicted character, one who wants to do the right thing, but doesn't know how to not fight.
Gabrielle's first act on the show is to offer herself in place of another. If you've seen the show, it is completely who Gabrielle is. She is never conflicted about her actions, knows what is right and will act on it. What you see as the tag moves on is that she's fighting -- she wants to save herself and others -- but in another way its also fighting against what she is. Gabrielle does go under significant changes as the show progresses, but she will always be at the heart of the matter, and will remain Xena's moral center.
Without even trying too hard this show has set up the central conflict, and without the protagonists having a conversation, you can tell what's going to happen already. Its a very strong tag in that way. Character here is more important even then in what happened in LotS because it is so well defined that you don't really need plot to move it forward.
Moving on to a show that is not high fantasy, but more sci-fi, I looked at Torchwood's opening. They don't really have a tag for this episode, so I just watched a bit, knowing what happens in its entirety.
As a great lover of this show I would say that the character's well done in this tag as any other -- but as a more impartial, looking for information kind of viewer, I would say you get hints from this tag. There's the hint about Jack being not quite normal (Jack: Still at least I won't get pregnant. Never doing that again.) and Owen being a bit of an ass, as no one wants him to talk to the dead guy, and Tosh being not so good at communication. The best you get from it is that Jack is the father figure of the group, and Gwen is a clever-clogs because she figures out how to watch Torchwood at work.
Gwen then gets more of an intro with the rest of the act (and episode). They introduce her as an every woman -- though in reality she's kind of special -- but the point of the tag is to make the viewer feel like you're with Gwen the whole time. She is our lead in and as a result, she is the most important character. Its interesting to see how she gets drawn into this world where there are weevils and people get brought back to life, and how she won't let it go, won't stop picking at the surface of things, as if she just has to know (which comes up later in the show).
By giving her the tenacity to keep going despite the odds, we get invested and I think that's what gives this tag its edge. Unlike the previous two examples, we're drawn in as Gwen is, and its not so much about character as it is about the possibility of what she's looking at.
We see in the Firefly tag the loss of the Battle of Serenity Valley. This is a classic setting up a story so exposition doesn't have to happen later and I love Joss Whedon for doing it this way. This is a very important scene in Mal's life -- and in Zoe's -- but definitely Mal's, and it builds his character incredibly. You see him caring for his men, looking out for people and truly believing in something -- the moment when he kisses the cross -- that's the moment. And you see it -- the Mal we know, or will come to know, who will never give up. We also get the usual amusingness of Joss Whedon's dialogue with Wash. And there is a set up for what this show is going to be about -- space pirates.
The thing about Firefly's tag is that it does so much with so little time -- setting up the show, introducing us to our main protagonist, dealing with the fact that Mal is a haunted, haunted man, and seeing the clear difference between Mal of the past and Mal now (also, Nathan Fillion being on a Joss Whedon show and not scaring the shit out of me... oh well, I watched Buffy before Firefly I realize that Nathan Fillion was Mal before he was Caleb).
Speaking of Buffy, in her show we have an interesting situation -- considering Darla is set up, and she's not a main character. But its a good way to show what exactly is going to happen in this series -- vampires exist, and we're going to blow your silly little minds. Its much shorter then the other tags I looked at and I think that's what makes it so worth while. Its to the point, we don't get character development, its a good start to a monster of the week kind of show.
Lets look at an example out of the fantasy realm -- Grey's Anatomy has a sort of shtick that makes introductions easy -- the voice over:
Meredith: The game: They say a person either has what it takes to play, or they don’t. My mother was one of the greats. Me, on the other hand… I’m kinda screwed.
OH! A fish out of water story! Not knowing what the hell you're doing! Ah to be a medical intern (I was going to go to medical school, I know GA in no way exemplifies a real intern's life, but the feeling is similar). We get to meet Derrek, and Meredith of course, and get to peek into her head and its interesting to have a voice over at the beginning because it means you get to add in all sorts of information that is necessary to know about the character. I almost feel like its cheating though.
One thing that GA manages to do well though, is to throw the characters into action, despite it not being a fantasy show where anything can happen. GA is incredibly dramatic, and you get to see all the drama unfold in front of you in an addictive mess.
On a medical note -- let's look at Scrubs, where the tag introduces you to goofy, cute JD. Here again you get a voice over -- but this is more personal then Meredith's voice over -- its just whatever thoughts go through his mind. We get introduced to the characters quickly and efficiently, and quickly understand that this is going to be a comedy.
So from all of that, what do we get from the first tag ever?
1. Introduce the important characters, giving them details that are salient and important to the character and therefore making the characters differentialable.
2. Set up the premise of the show: what is going to happen in each episode (monster of the week, case of the week) or general theme (fish out of water, space pirates!).
Beginnings are hard -- obviously, or I would be working on my own -- so it can be useful to see how other people do it and "borrow" their ideas (though don't steal that's just annoying).
Princess (Legend of the Seeker 2x13)
If you've never seen Legend of the Seeker the basic premise is that a young man from the Westlands (a place with no magic), Richard, finds out that he is the Seeker of Truth, and must travel into the Midlands (a place where magic abounds) to save the world from a man called Darken Rahl. His companions are his grandfather, Zedd, a wizard of the first order, and Kahlan, the Mother Confessor, who's touch can make anyone fall in undying love with her, loosing their soul to her (with whom also there is also major UST because of her power). They are later joined by Cara, once part of the deadly, and leather shod Mord Sith, who torture people into obedience to them, and who serve Lord Rahl. The television show is about their adventures through the Midlands, and is thoroughly enjoyable, full of snark and fun, while also having some freaking awesome fight scenes.
Its a classic hero story, with Richard playing the part of the hero, Kahlan being a strong ass kicking heroine, and Zedd being a crazy old man. Cara's addition to the show was a whole new level of sass, snarkiness and being awesome -- setting her at odds against Kahlan.
The Episode:
"Princess" has to be considered a "light" episode. Zedd, played by Bruce Spence gets up in drag, Richard, who usually has brown hair, goes blond, and Cara, who is usually the complete opposite of a lady, has to play a princess of delicacy and grace. Even the promotions played it up as a comedic episode, none of their usual "trying to make it sound much more deadly then it is" crap, it was full on – "look what we're doing to the character's you love! You're going to laugh your ass off."
And I did.
But that's not the point.
Lets go through the major pieces of the story now (I assign positives and negatives based on what I liked and what I didn't like. The number at the end means very little without anything to judge it against. We have to start somewhere though).
The Score:
The tag encompasses a huge amount of information -- probably why this episode felt rushed at the beginning. We had to get Sister Nicci back (+2 for being much sexier then her previous incarnation), Kahlan had to be captured (-1 for awkwardness of the CGI), Cara had to be confirmed a tomboy (+3, because Cara is always awesome no matter what), we had to learn about the Margrave , and his castle (-2 for info dumping, bad writers, bad), and of course Richard had to run after Kahlan (+1 for them being cute), making Zedd yell "Richard wait!" in a totally annoying fake way (-1 for bad line, but +1 for Bruce Spence making the most of it). Then we had to have Kahlan yelling at the Margrave that Richard will find her (+2 for Kahlan fighting against the guards and being super sexy, -1 for awkwardness of her statement about the seeker), and discover Sister Nicci's sinister plan involving getting the Margrave eternal life in return for the life of the Mother Confessor (+3 for Darken Rahl's apperance, as he always makes things better, and this info dump didn't feel too uncomfortable). Oh, and lest I forget, Kahlan gets thrown in a dungeon with a woman who is Magrave's first wife, who explains the subjugation of the women folk in his kingdom (-1 for being kind of boring and being way too much information for a tag). Overall there I have to -3 for the pacing which was all off.
As I said, a lot of information. It did feel rushed, and in some ways I would have liked it to be slower -- since I had watched the show before I like being able to settle in -- but I understand the need to give new viewers a lead in, so they can understand what the hell is going on. Still, writing wise it did feel slightly sloppy to do it in this manner. Information dumping was pretty much all you got, rather then a tension filled tag that leads well into the first act. Still, overall, the tag got a 3, so I suppose it was positive in the end.
On to the first act.
Richard and Cara discuss how to get into the castle where magic can't be used, before Zedd shows up and tells them about the local gossip which includes all the information we learned in the tag about how Magrave wants eternal life in exchange for the Mother Confessor (-1 for repetition, though its necessary for those that might have missed the beginning). We also learn that there a group of travelers heading to the castle, including a princess who Magrave is thinking of marrying whom he has never met (+3 for Richard not getting it and not being a Mary Sue, +1 for Cara being sexy, +2 for Zedd being super amusing). Then Richard gets it -- all they need is a princess. Cara does not get it (+2 for Tabrett Bethell's face at this point, -1 for cliched response).
Anyways, they head off and stop the princess's party from heading towards Magrave's castle, and get the clothes and disguises ready for heading into the castle (+1 for Zedd being hilarious). Then Zedd tells Cara that she must unlearn everything that she is and:
Let's start at the beginning. Sister Nicci, who was killed a few episodes ago, came back. LotS likes to do this -- have characters come back that is. They did it with... well let’s just say, if a character dies, they tend to get better (I will admit that this season at least they have a pretty good reason for it, what with banelings wandering around killing people, and true, its not really in the spirit of 'Getting Better', but it’s the best description I can come up with). Richard and Cara have both died. Zedd has been far into the underworld. I suppose Kahlan hasn't been killed yet, but she's been split in two, so I think that should count. Evil people have come back, middling people, like Kahlan’s sister have come back. Its all a little murky and seems like everyone can come back from the dead depending on plot. I like the imagery of coming back from the dead -- and I think that it works only if you use it sparingly.
Returning from the dead is a way of cheating death -- certainly an understandable wish -- but it breaks many laws of the universe -- especially, as with Cara, if your throat cuts cut. Using it to pretend to kill someone, as they are doing in these episodes, is a cheap shot at publicity. You don't create any sort of tension if you know the character is going to be back in the next episode.
Denna was killed recently (I love Denna, but that might be because Jessica Marais plays her, and she's preeeeetty). I know she's going to come back which makes her death -- which came after a redemptive moment, less of an emotional blow, which you could just feel was what the writers wanted (then again, if you watched Denna's death, then you might have been confused by Zedd's response to it -- which was to pretend nothing had happened, despite the fact that he saw Denna's redemption).
When you trivialize death and rebrith like this show does, then you lose its power. Sure it might be the point -- the main characters kill people all the time in the show -- but without the punch you got from it the first few times, it feels like the writers are falling back on old cliches to make the writing work for them -- rather then letting the story take them where it needs to be.
I was having a conversation with Bryan about how people write. He is a very concept driven, plot driven writer, while I am much more of a character driven writer. I feel like the characters speak to me and tell me where things are going much more then I am directing their actions, something that he makes fun of me for all the time, because "You write the story Rosey, you are God." but for me the plot happens naturally, because the characters do things, and it evolves because I know how things should happen because I've had practice and I've read and watched a lot. The writers of LotS aren't listening to their instincts -- they're listening to what will make the next promo bold and dramatic, instead of looking at the characters and what they need to have happen.
So, there, my little rant about being back from the dead.
On to the humorous part of the episode.
Ah humor based on gender roles, when will you ever get old? Cara and Kahlan are out gathering firewood while Zedd and Richard argue about herbs. Gotta tell you, despite my messed up view on feminism (more on that at a later date), I still find this amusing. I think its more that I like to see women taking active roles and making fun of boys for being silly. I realize its an over used cliche, but it can always give me a giggle. Plus Bruce Spence was thoroughly amusing at telling Cara that she can't cook, and the look Cara gave him was priceless.
All of Cara's looks are priceless though.
Then, of course, we get to the bit about Bruce Spence being in drag. Do you know how tall this guy is (6'7", that's how tall)? He's in a dress that's too short for him, and his hair is a little curly, and he still looks better then Richard, who's hair is blond in this episode. Yes, again, humor based on gender roles. There is a bit about how Zedd gets a look over by a man and it goes on throughout the episode. I will give it to the writers though -- they are made of win.
Is there always going to be something ultimately hilarious about a man dressing in women's clothes? At least with Zedd there was a reason it was so ridiculous -- his dress was too short because he's way too tall -- but if, say, Richard had been the one to dress up, it would have been just as funny. Our fundamental state it to find transvestites funny (going from male to female, I don't think many people find the other way as amusing, given that women can wear pants easily). The fact that it is always played for comedy is somewhat worrying, to my addled mind at least. Still, its effective. You want cheap laughs, you certainly get them with putting a man in a woman's dress.
The thing the writers did with this episode (and Bruce Spence did with his acting) was take the inherent humor and turn it up to eleven. I'm not saying that it was fundamentally funnier because it was Zedd in a dress, I'm saying that it was funnier in moments that weren't hackneyed, and when it a situation where it should have been for laughs, it didn't feel like they were writing it that way. And I salute them for that.
To be honest the funniest thing about this episode was Cara in a dress, trying not to be her usual self -- which is to say, kind of a wild child, with no manners -- and then turning back to it and getting what they needed by being herself instead of someone else.
A brief note: I found this episode hilarious, and funny, and totally cracktastic. My issues with it are on an artistic level, not on enjoyment level. Keep this in mind.
Its a classic hero story, with Richard playing the part of the hero, Kahlan being a strong ass kicking heroine, and Zedd being a crazy old man. Cara's addition to the show was a whole new level of sass, snarkiness and being awesome -- setting her at odds against Kahlan.
The Episode:
"Princess" has to be considered a "light" episode. Zedd, played by Bruce Spence gets up in drag, Richard, who usually has brown hair, goes blond, and Cara, who is usually the complete opposite of a lady, has to play a princess of delicacy and grace. Even the promotions played it up as a comedic episode, none of their usual "trying to make it sound much more deadly then it is" crap, it was full on – "look what we're doing to the character's you love! You're going to laugh your ass off."
And I did.
But that's not the point.
Lets go through the major pieces of the story now (I assign positives and negatives based on what I liked and what I didn't like. The number at the end means very little without anything to judge it against. We have to start somewhere though).
The Score:
The tag encompasses a huge amount of information -- probably why this episode felt rushed at the beginning. We had to get Sister Nicci back (+2 for being much sexier then her previous incarnation), Kahlan had to be captured (-1 for awkwardness of the CGI), Cara had to be confirmed a tomboy (+3, because Cara is always awesome no matter what), we had to learn about the Margrave , and his castle (-2 for info dumping, bad writers, bad), and of course Richard had to run after Kahlan (+1 for them being cute), making Zedd yell "Richard wait!" in a totally annoying fake way (-1 for bad line, but +1 for Bruce Spence making the most of it). Then we had to have Kahlan yelling at the Margrave that Richard will find her (+2 for Kahlan fighting against the guards and being super sexy, -1 for awkwardness of her statement about the seeker), and discover Sister Nicci's sinister plan involving getting the Margrave eternal life in return for the life of the Mother Confessor (+3 for Darken Rahl's apperance, as he always makes things better, and this info dump didn't feel too uncomfortable). Oh, and lest I forget, Kahlan gets thrown in a dungeon with a woman who is Magrave's first wife, who explains the subjugation of the women folk in his kingdom (-1 for being kind of boring and being way too much information for a tag). Overall there I have to -3 for the pacing which was all off.
As I said, a lot of information. It did feel rushed, and in some ways I would have liked it to be slower -- since I had watched the show before I like being able to settle in -- but I understand the need to give new viewers a lead in, so they can understand what the hell is going on. Still, writing wise it did feel slightly sloppy to do it in this manner. Information dumping was pretty much all you got, rather then a tension filled tag that leads well into the first act. Still, overall, the tag got a 3, so I suppose it was positive in the end.
On to the first act.
Richard and Cara discuss how to get into the castle where magic can't be used, before Zedd shows up and tells them about the local gossip which includes all the information we learned in the tag about how Magrave wants eternal life in exchange for the Mother Confessor (-1 for repetition, though its necessary for those that might have missed the beginning). We also learn that there a group of travelers heading to the castle, including a princess who Magrave is thinking of marrying whom he has never met (+3 for Richard not getting it and not being a Mary Sue, +1 for Cara being sexy, +2 for Zedd being super amusing). Then Richard gets it -- all they need is a princess. Cara does not get it (+2 for Tabrett Bethell's face at this point, -1 for cliched response).
Anyways, they head off and stop the princess's party from heading towards Magrave's castle, and get the clothes and disguises ready for heading into the castle (+1 for Zedd being hilarious). Then Zedd tells Cara that she must unlearn everything that she is and:
Zedd: Always defer to the opinion of your masculine betters.
Cara: There's no such thing.
This episode uses two main devices: back from the dead, and playing with gender roles. How well they worked is what I’m going to talk about.Cara: There's no such thing.
(+4 for being AWESOME).
Then it turns out that women in Magrave's court only can speak in a rhyming scheme (because clearly they must go out of their way to make sure women think before they speak). This leads to further hilarity (+1). And then cut to Cara heading into a ball room. There is a furious amount of fan flapping -- was the heat on or something? (-2 for being distracting). Then there's a little bit of a duel between Cara and Drusilla, mostly about who can curtsy the lowest (amusing but no points for it as its minor). Cara gets points though for her painfully stated lyrical comment -- so in character and lovely to hear (+1). The Magrave tells her that she basically sucks and we cut out of the first act. Overall, I felt the need to -1 for the lack of Kahlan. Because Brigit is so pretty.
Actually pretty well paced after the mess of the tag. We end up with a score of 10, which is much higher then the tag, and there were only a few negatives.
Luckily, Act Two begins with Kahlan in the jail cell. She talks to Magrave's wife (who, coicidentally is Susan Sarandon, which I totally did not realize) about how if they can just get out of the cell, she can take all five gaurds. Because Kahlan is a BMF (-5 for Mary Sueism, +4 for Kahlan thinking of a way out instead of waiting for Richard to get her out). Meanwhile Cara must learn to dance, while Richard is all mopey because his girlfriend isn't there, and gets kind of prissy, asking why on earth he's there (-2 for Richard being mopey about Kahlan). There is more fan flapping (-1 seriously, turn the heat down). Then there is awkward flirting with a herald by Zedd.
Richard then tries to wonder around the castle -- obviously to find Kahlan (I'm tempted to take points off for it, but there are some amusing moments were Richard doesn't even realize that women are flirting with him because he's taking on the role of a womanizer, which is so not his kind of guy and Craig Horner is so amusing and pretty good at acting in it). There is more exposition, but its done well (+1).
There is more rhyming, but Magrave is looking at Cara's breasts (-1 for mixed messages). Cara then goes on to rap about torturing people, and its so much more in her style its awesome (+1). Richard complains to Zedd about getting some (-1). Zedd then tells Richard to try and seduce the Magrave's sister, who is... not attractive. And a thoroughly amusing non-verbal conversation goes on then (+1 for Richard being amusing). Then Drusilla tries to show up Cara, but there's no way that bitch could manage it, so Zedd gets them to go out and hunt, which Cara is really in to. Then we cut to Richard and the Magrave's sister making out -- which leads to them getting caught (+2 for Craig Horner's abs). Things are not looking good for our heroes as Act Two comes to an end.
Act two comes to a total of -1. First act to be a negative, though I didn't mind it all that much, it was a little slow (wow, pacing guys, its important). Things get exciting in act three though. Have no fear.
We start with Richard getting sentenced to marriage to the Magrave's sister. They head out to hunt, and Cara is finally able to be herself (+2 because Cara as herself is awesome).
More flirting between the herald and Zedd, creating more awkwardness (-1 for the awkwardness and attempting human with it). While Drusilla screams at the idea of hunting, Cara shoots the beast, goes over to it, cuts it open and offers the meat to Magrave in a very suggestive manner (+1 for sexiness). The Magrave is not happy about Cara's forwardness, he's apparently really attracted to it (+1 for Cara getting the guy by being herself). She's stopped talking in rhyme (+2 for thaaaaaaaank god). They head back to the palace and have dinner, with more fan fluttering (-1 for distraction).
But its okay because Nicci's about to appear. Richard and Zedd look at one another in shock and Richard attempts to hide behind his new blond hair (like it would work) when the sisters of the darkness come in (+2 for preeeetty outfits). I'm adding an +2 for the right pacing in this act, and ending in the right place, and just letting things go the way they should.
So we cut out of act three and we find ourselves with an 8 for act three.
We head back in right where we left off, and now the Magrave and Nicci talk -- in front of Richard who's using a wine goblet to hide himself? (-2 for making Nicci appear stupid). We go back to the prison, where Kahlan is making a knife thing with her plate which the guard doesn't seem to notice (-1 for the actor, not the writers). Kahlan tries to convince the Magrave's wife to help her, and manages it, pretty well (+1 for good writing).
We head back to the banquet, where Cara goes for the Magrave's nuts (in a good way). Cara gets him to leave the banquet and checking over his agreement with the Keeper (+1 for Cara being awesome). Cara then sweet talks the Magrave and threatens him (+1). They get into a fight and Cara is really being herself finally (+1 its awesome). Nicci figures out that Zedd is Zedd (+1 for not making her terribly stupid). A battle begins (+2 YAY!). Act four gets no add ons or subtractions, and we end up with a 3 for it.
Act five starts out where we left off. Richard killing left and right. Cara being freaking awesome -- theatening castration, and then punching out the Magrave while speaking in rhyme (+2). Then we head back to the jail where Kahlan gets involved in the fight and takes out the gaurds with a knife she made from a plate (+2 for her being awesome). Cara heads down to the jail, and more fighting ensues (+5 for all the battles). By the time Richard gets down to the dungeon, Cara and Kahlan have managed to kill all the guards (+1 for them being BMFs). Nicci gets cornered, and realizes that if she jumps through a window she can use her magic -- which she does, escaping in a clap of lightning light (+1 for awesome departure).
The Magrave wakes up to find out that everyone has left, and there's no eternal life (+1 for just comeuppance). The four heroes head out, and Kahlan teases all of the players, and is thoroughly cute (+2). Act five gets a 12, because its a good ending, and wraps up nicely while still opening up the rest of the season.
Overall this episode gets a 35. What does this mean? Nothing really. Its just the number I got when I added everything together.
Act Breaks:
So, I've given you the break down of the episode. Let's talk about how it was written now. TV shows are based on where to cut for commercial breaks to make sure the viewer will return. It used to be a tag, three acts and then an out tag, but as the commercial side of television has worn on, the episodes have gotten shorter and the commercials need to be squeezed in more, so now we have a tag and five acts.
LotS has the right kind of atmosphere to do really dramatic breaks. Its a fantasy, were the most dramatic and ridiculous things can be said and still be taken seriously. The first break of this episode was with Nicci talking to Rahl about her evil plan to kill Kahlan. The camera moved on to her face and watched the slight satisfaction that crossed it. It falls very well into a usual scene break for any show, but it feels very LotS: "Dramatic statements made, let's head into comercial break."
The second break is another dramatic statement, with the music swelling in the background for a terrible doom for our heroes. However, it raises the stakes for the characters by making it clear that if Cara fails massively, there will be consequences. There is an up of the stakes for the third break. Richard is in trouble, Cara is the one who's going to have to make the play to help save Kahlan. Again the stakes are raised at the end of the act when the Sisters of the Dark come in, and Richard finds out that Sister Nicci is among them. They know what Richard and Zedd look like and are unlikely to be fooled by the get up the characters are in.
I do feel as if the act felt more ended at the point when Cara offer's the Magrave the liver of the beast she had just killed, but I do understand the compulsion to make the end of an act more of a dramatic "Oh shit" moment then a "Cara is fucking hot" moment.
Of course the final break comes in the middle of a battle. That I can get behind quite well. The structure of raising tension and then raising it again in order to get to a point where it has to break is a good one, and a way to keep viewers watching.
This show has the blessings of being good at dialogue (well amusing dialogue and most of the time) and also knowing how to set up an epic arc with smaller side stories to break up the major arc. You can see it in the way they break the show -- set up, build the tension, add complications, action, action, and then a softening moment at the end to tie up the loose ends. Its why LotS, despite having moments that are not good in the show, is really an excellent watch.
Devices:
Then it turns out that women in Magrave's court only can speak in a rhyming scheme (because clearly they must go out of their way to make sure women think before they speak). This leads to further hilarity (+1). And then cut to Cara heading into a ball room. There is a furious amount of fan flapping -- was the heat on or something? (-2 for being distracting). Then there's a little bit of a duel between Cara and Drusilla, mostly about who can curtsy the lowest (amusing but no points for it as its minor). Cara gets points though for her painfully stated lyrical comment -- so in character and lovely to hear (+1). The Magrave tells her that she basically sucks and we cut out of the first act. Overall, I felt the need to -1 for the lack of Kahlan. Because Brigit is so pretty.
Actually pretty well paced after the mess of the tag. We end up with a score of 10, which is much higher then the tag, and there were only a few negatives.
Luckily, Act Two begins with Kahlan in the jail cell. She talks to Magrave's wife (who, coicidentally is Susan Sarandon, which I totally did not realize) about how if they can just get out of the cell, she can take all five gaurds. Because Kahlan is a BMF (-5 for Mary Sueism, +4 for Kahlan thinking of a way out instead of waiting for Richard to get her out). Meanwhile Cara must learn to dance, while Richard is all mopey because his girlfriend isn't there, and gets kind of prissy, asking why on earth he's there (-2 for Richard being mopey about Kahlan). There is more fan flapping (-1 seriously, turn the heat down). Then there is awkward flirting with a herald by Zedd.
Richard then tries to wonder around the castle -- obviously to find Kahlan (I'm tempted to take points off for it, but there are some amusing moments were Richard doesn't even realize that women are flirting with him because he's taking on the role of a womanizer, which is so not his kind of guy and Craig Horner is so amusing and pretty good at acting in it). There is more exposition, but its done well (+1).
There is more rhyming, but Magrave is looking at Cara's breasts (-1 for mixed messages). Cara then goes on to rap about torturing people, and its so much more in her style its awesome (+1). Richard complains to Zedd about getting some (-1). Zedd then tells Richard to try and seduce the Magrave's sister, who is... not attractive. And a thoroughly amusing non-verbal conversation goes on then (+1 for Richard being amusing). Then Drusilla tries to show up Cara, but there's no way that bitch could manage it, so Zedd gets them to go out and hunt, which Cara is really in to. Then we cut to Richard and the Magrave's sister making out -- which leads to them getting caught (+2 for Craig Horner's abs). Things are not looking good for our heroes as Act Two comes to an end.
Act two comes to a total of -1. First act to be a negative, though I didn't mind it all that much, it was a little slow (wow, pacing guys, its important). Things get exciting in act three though. Have no fear.
We start with Richard getting sentenced to marriage to the Magrave's sister. They head out to hunt, and Cara is finally able to be herself (+2 because Cara as herself is awesome).
Cara: I don't need magic to make a man beg for mercy.
More flirting between the herald and Zedd, creating more awkwardness (-1 for the awkwardness and attempting human with it). While Drusilla screams at the idea of hunting, Cara shoots the beast, goes over to it, cuts it open and offers the meat to Magrave in a very suggestive manner (+1 for sexiness). The Magrave is not happy about Cara's forwardness, he's apparently really attracted to it (+1 for Cara getting the guy by being herself). She's stopped talking in rhyme (+2 for thaaaaaaaank god). They head back to the palace and have dinner, with more fan fluttering (-1 for distraction).
But its okay because Nicci's about to appear. Richard and Zedd look at one another in shock and Richard attempts to hide behind his new blond hair (like it would work) when the sisters of the darkness come in (+2 for preeeetty outfits). I'm adding an +2 for the right pacing in this act, and ending in the right place, and just letting things go the way they should.
So we cut out of act three and we find ourselves with an 8 for act three.
We head back in right where we left off, and now the Magrave and Nicci talk -- in front of Richard who's using a wine goblet to hide himself? (-2 for making Nicci appear stupid). We go back to the prison, where Kahlan is making a knife thing with her plate which the guard doesn't seem to notice (-1 for the actor, not the writers). Kahlan tries to convince the Magrave's wife to help her, and manages it, pretty well (+1 for good writing).
We head back to the banquet, where Cara goes for the Magrave's nuts (in a good way). Cara gets him to leave the banquet and checking over his agreement with the Keeper (+1 for Cara being awesome). Cara then sweet talks the Magrave and threatens him (+1). They get into a fight and Cara is really being herself finally (+1 its awesome). Nicci figures out that Zedd is Zedd (+1 for not making her terribly stupid). A battle begins (+2 YAY!). Act four gets no add ons or subtractions, and we end up with a 3 for it.
Act five starts out where we left off. Richard killing left and right. Cara being freaking awesome -- theatening castration, and then punching out the Magrave while speaking in rhyme (+2). Then we head back to the jail where Kahlan gets involved in the fight and takes out the gaurds with a knife she made from a plate (+2 for her being awesome). Cara heads down to the jail, and more fighting ensues (+5 for all the battles). By the time Richard gets down to the dungeon, Cara and Kahlan have managed to kill all the guards (+1 for them being BMFs). Nicci gets cornered, and realizes that if she jumps through a window she can use her magic -- which she does, escaping in a clap of lightning light (+1 for awesome departure).
The Magrave wakes up to find out that everyone has left, and there's no eternal life (+1 for just comeuppance). The four heroes head out, and Kahlan teases all of the players, and is thoroughly cute (+2). Act five gets a 12, because its a good ending, and wraps up nicely while still opening up the rest of the season.
Overall this episode gets a 35. What does this mean? Nothing really. Its just the number I got when I added everything together.
Act Breaks:
So, I've given you the break down of the episode. Let's talk about how it was written now. TV shows are based on where to cut for commercial breaks to make sure the viewer will return. It used to be a tag, three acts and then an out tag, but as the commercial side of television has worn on, the episodes have gotten shorter and the commercials need to be squeezed in more, so now we have a tag and five acts.
LotS has the right kind of atmosphere to do really dramatic breaks. Its a fantasy, were the most dramatic and ridiculous things can be said and still be taken seriously. The first break of this episode was with Nicci talking to Rahl about her evil plan to kill Kahlan. The camera moved on to her face and watched the slight satisfaction that crossed it. It falls very well into a usual scene break for any show, but it feels very LotS: "Dramatic statements made, let's head into comercial break."
The second break is another dramatic statement, with the music swelling in the background for a terrible doom for our heroes. However, it raises the stakes for the characters by making it clear that if Cara fails massively, there will be consequences. There is an up of the stakes for the third break. Richard is in trouble, Cara is the one who's going to have to make the play to help save Kahlan. Again the stakes are raised at the end of the act when the Sisters of the Dark come in, and Richard finds out that Sister Nicci is among them. They know what Richard and Zedd look like and are unlikely to be fooled by the get up the characters are in.
I do feel as if the act felt more ended at the point when Cara offer's the Magrave the liver of the beast she had just killed, but I do understand the compulsion to make the end of an act more of a dramatic "Oh shit" moment then a "Cara is fucking hot" moment.
Of course the final break comes in the middle of a battle. That I can get behind quite well. The structure of raising tension and then raising it again in order to get to a point where it has to break is a good one, and a way to keep viewers watching.
This show has the blessings of being good at dialogue (well amusing dialogue and most of the time) and also knowing how to set up an epic arc with smaller side stories to break up the major arc. You can see it in the way they break the show -- set up, build the tension, add complications, action, action, and then a softening moment at the end to tie up the loose ends. Its why LotS, despite having moments that are not good in the show, is really an excellent watch.
Devices:
Let's start at the beginning. Sister Nicci, who was killed a few episodes ago, came back. LotS likes to do this -- have characters come back that is. They did it with... well let’s just say, if a character dies, they tend to get better (I will admit that this season at least they have a pretty good reason for it, what with banelings wandering around killing people, and true, its not really in the spirit of 'Getting Better', but it’s the best description I can come up with). Richard and Cara have both died. Zedd has been far into the underworld. I suppose Kahlan hasn't been killed yet, but she's been split in two, so I think that should count. Evil people have come back, middling people, like Kahlan’s sister have come back. Its all a little murky and seems like everyone can come back from the dead depending on plot. I like the imagery of coming back from the dead -- and I think that it works only if you use it sparingly.
Returning from the dead is a way of cheating death -- certainly an understandable wish -- but it breaks many laws of the universe -- especially, as with Cara, if your throat cuts cut. Using it to pretend to kill someone, as they are doing in these episodes, is a cheap shot at publicity. You don't create any sort of tension if you know the character is going to be back in the next episode.
Denna was killed recently (I love Denna, but that might be because Jessica Marais plays her, and she's preeeeetty). I know she's going to come back which makes her death -- which came after a redemptive moment, less of an emotional blow, which you could just feel was what the writers wanted (then again, if you watched Denna's death, then you might have been confused by Zedd's response to it -- which was to pretend nothing had happened, despite the fact that he saw Denna's redemption).
When you trivialize death and rebrith like this show does, then you lose its power. Sure it might be the point -- the main characters kill people all the time in the show -- but without the punch you got from it the first few times, it feels like the writers are falling back on old cliches to make the writing work for them -- rather then letting the story take them where it needs to be.
I was having a conversation with Bryan about how people write. He is a very concept driven, plot driven writer, while I am much more of a character driven writer. I feel like the characters speak to me and tell me where things are going much more then I am directing their actions, something that he makes fun of me for all the time, because "You write the story Rosey, you are God." but for me the plot happens naturally, because the characters do things, and it evolves because I know how things should happen because I've had practice and I've read and watched a lot. The writers of LotS aren't listening to their instincts -- they're listening to what will make the next promo bold and dramatic, instead of looking at the characters and what they need to have happen.
So, there, my little rant about being back from the dead.
On to the humorous part of the episode.
Ah humor based on gender roles, when will you ever get old? Cara and Kahlan are out gathering firewood while Zedd and Richard argue about herbs. Gotta tell you, despite my messed up view on feminism (more on that at a later date), I still find this amusing. I think its more that I like to see women taking active roles and making fun of boys for being silly. I realize its an over used cliche, but it can always give me a giggle. Plus Bruce Spence was thoroughly amusing at telling Cara that she can't cook, and the look Cara gave him was priceless.
All of Cara's looks are priceless though.
Then, of course, we get to the bit about Bruce Spence being in drag. Do you know how tall this guy is (6'7", that's how tall)? He's in a dress that's too short for him, and his hair is a little curly, and he still looks better then Richard, who's hair is blond in this episode. Yes, again, humor based on gender roles. There is a bit about how Zedd gets a look over by a man and it goes on throughout the episode. I will give it to the writers though -- they are made of win.
Cara: I think you have an admirer.
Zedd: Is there any reason why I shouldn't?
Zedd: Is there any reason why I shouldn't?
Is there always going to be something ultimately hilarious about a man dressing in women's clothes? At least with Zedd there was a reason it was so ridiculous -- his dress was too short because he's way too tall -- but if, say, Richard had been the one to dress up, it would have been just as funny. Our fundamental state it to find transvestites funny (going from male to female, I don't think many people find the other way as amusing, given that women can wear pants easily). The fact that it is always played for comedy is somewhat worrying, to my addled mind at least. Still, its effective. You want cheap laughs, you certainly get them with putting a man in a woman's dress.
The thing the writers did with this episode (and Bruce Spence did with his acting) was take the inherent humor and turn it up to eleven. I'm not saying that it was fundamentally funnier because it was Zedd in a dress, I'm saying that it was funnier in moments that weren't hackneyed, and when it a situation where it should have been for laughs, it didn't feel like they were writing it that way. And I salute them for that.
To be honest the funniest thing about this episode was Cara in a dress, trying not to be her usual self -- which is to say, kind of a wild child, with no manners -- and then turning back to it and getting what they needed by being herself instead of someone else.
A brief note: I found this episode hilarious, and funny, and totally cracktastic. My issues with it are on an artistic level, not on enjoyment level. Keep this in mind.
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