Comments on: [Journal] The Sort of Story I Want To Tell http://www.seanjjordan.com/2010/02/04/journal-the-sort-of-story-i-want-to-tell/ by Sean J. Jordan Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:07:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: SeanJJordan http://www.seanjjordan.com/2010/02/04/journal-the-sort-of-story-i-want-to-tell/comment-page-1/#comment-1147 SeanJJordan Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:01:32 +0000 http://www.seanjjordan.com/?p=667#comment-1147 There are certainly many challenges to writing for TV, chief among them the fact that actors have agendas and careers of their own (which was the case with the actor who plays Charlie). But, from a narrative point of view, Charlie was only occasionally used properly. Remember those dreadful episodes where he decided that he and Locke were now enemies because of some stupid altercation involving Clare's baby? Right. And there were also those bizarre sequences where Desmond was trying to keep Charlie from dying for... what purpose, exactly? Pretty much just to add to the artificial drama needed to keep the third season going while an end date was set. Even Charlie's death didn't make much sense in the context of the narrative. If you go back and watch the scene, you really have to ask yourself why he couldn't have just let the place flood and swam out with Desmond. It was a wasted opportunity. There are certainly many challenges to writing for TV, chief among them the fact that actors have agendas and careers of their own (which was the case with the actor who plays Charlie).

But, from a narrative point of view, Charlie was only occasionally used properly. Remember those dreadful episodes where he decided that he and Locke were now enemies because of some stupid altercation involving Clare’s baby? Right. And there were also those bizarre sequences where Desmond was trying to keep Charlie from dying for… what purpose, exactly? Pretty much just to add to the artificial drama needed to keep the third season going while an end date was set. Even Charlie’s death didn’t make much sense in the context of the narrative. If you go back and watch the scene, you really have to ask yourself why he couldn’t have just let the place flood and swam out with Desmond. It was a wasted opportunity.

]]> By: Collin Voyles http://www.seanjjordan.com/2010/02/04/journal-the-sort-of-story-i-want-to-tell/comment-page-1/#comment-1145 Collin Voyles Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:17:10 +0000 http://www.seanjjordan.com/?p=667#comment-1145 Now I disagree that Charlie's death was pointless. By that point in the series they had basically explored everything that they could with that character and his death was an interesting if not noble death to a redeemed person. In a series like LOST where you have a lot of different characters, their stories have to be in flux or else the audience loses interest. Once you know all that there is to know about Hurley he kind of becomes boring, so something has to change. Sometimes all it takes is putting the character into a new position and see how their personality reacts to it. All I'm saying is that writing for an episodic television story is different than writing for a book or a movie. Now I disagree that Charlie’s death was pointless. By that point in the series they had basically explored everything that they could with that character and his death was an interesting if not noble death to a redeemed person. In a series like LOST where you have a lot of different characters, their stories have to be in flux or else the audience loses interest. Once you know all that there is to know about Hurley he kind of becomes boring, so something has to change. Sometimes all it takes is putting the character into a new position and see how their personality reacts to it. All I’m saying is that writing for an episodic television story is different than writing for a book or a movie.

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