Writers are kind of like the gods of their creations. We speak sometimes of characters going “off script” and writing themselves against our expectations, but let’s face it, if we really wanted to we could smite that free will right out of them. We are the omniscient beings, looking into all the heads, knowing (mostly) where the paths will lead.
Jeez, that’s a lot of pressure.
No but seriously, I had to pause in the midst of writing this week’s installment of the comic in order to go back through the archives and make sure if Lacey was present or not when Frank gave Chuck and Rosa his dictate that Rosa was never to leave Chuck’s side. Turns out that
yes, Lacey was, and that makes a big difference in the subtext of the current scene even if she doesn’t end up bringing it up to Suzie out loud.
If Lacey wasn’t there, then even though I know it and the audience knows it, Lacey would not. She’s not an omniscient being. She and the other characters still have to operate within the bounds of their own limited experience, and the writer has to continually be aware of and manage that.
Omniscience, man. It’s a hell of a job.
2 thoughts on “538 – Astute Paranoia”
darius404
Well that’s a pretty damn good question! Another reminder that Chuck isn’t stupid.
Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)
Corpo sponsored snuff films … no surprise there. I wonder what voice over model they use – dispassionate wildlife commentator or enthusiastic conservationist. Or maybe Nascar ?