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Monday, October 10, 2011

Plot Lessons are Everywhere



...like in the TV show Nikita
Have you ever heard the idea that you should first throw small rocks at your characters, then strand them up a tree, and throw bigger and bigger rocks at them? Not to advocate physical violence, but because a character who has it easy is a boring character? Well, this episode did that perfectly.
Nikita had to do something hard, then the writers made it worse. Then they made it way, way worse:
Nikita (the protagonist) and Michael (the other protag/sometime love interest) are on a mission to kill some terrorist dude who killed Michael’s family years ago. This is already going to be very, very difficult, and the whole episode probably could have been about this. 
But then, Division (who Nikita has escaped from and who wants her dead) figures out that Nikita is there, and sends someone to kill her. Complication!
While they are lying in wait for the terrorist dude they have to kill, Nikita goes off to shoot him, but Michael sees Division coming after Nikita. But! Nikita’s earpiece has fallen out so he can’t tell her! Complication! 
So he has to go stop them himself, even though he works for them! And while he’s down there, terrorist dude’s cronies shoot him like a hundred times, but he’s wearing a bulletproof vest, so they kidnap him! And now Nikita is going to have to go save him! Complications everywhere!
See what they do? Make it hard, then make it way worse. Sorry, characters. :(

7 comments:

  1. Hi! New follower--I'm a CP partner of Gina and Leigh Ann. I've seen your name on some of the emails, and I thought I would drop by and "meet" you.

    TV shows are awesome for the continual downward spiral. I could definitely learn a thing or two from studying tv script plotting.

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  2. Yay, new blog! I've had your old one on my Google Reader for a while, on the off chance you might post there. Looking forward to seeing what you share here.

    Incidentally, when I first loaded this I thought that top photo was of you, perhaps a staged wedding photo or something. Then I looked again and it obviously wasn't. ;) Haven't seen the show Nikita.

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  3. Hi Maggie! I 'stalked' you from Mother. Write. Repeat. Thanks so much for your comment!

    It's so nice to meet you!

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  4. @Heidi--Hi! I've seen your comments on some emails--Nice to "meet" you! :)

    @Seabrooke--Hi!! I am as bad at blogging on here as I was on the other blog, so... :) Hoping having a shiny new blog will make it better. And that would have been a hilarious wedding photo...

    @Kelley--Nice to meet you too! Good luck with your MS!

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  5. New follower here *waves*

    I love the show Nikita! But maybe it's more of my obsession with Shane West. ;)

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  6. Cassie Mae--I LOVE Shane West. Sigh. :)

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  7. Maggie! I can not believe I wasn't following your blog before today! Egregious oversight now rectified!

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