About Not Terrible
Post 1754:
Introductions can be tricky. How a main character is introduced is especially hard and super crucial, because a lot of people will switch off or keep going based on this presentation.
I’ve noticed that many intros these days ask too much or ask the wrong thing of the viewer or reader. For instance, the first scene shows the main character being unlikeable. There are ways to do this, but I think it’s important to see something redeemable or at least interesting in the character we’re meant to take a journey with. Another thing—some (shows especially) don’t get to the point quick enough.
Examples of two HBO shows that are widely lauded, The White Lotus and The Wire. I haven’t seen the The Wire in years, but I can still remember the intro. The main detective is talking to a poor kid who witnessed a murder. We will find out he’s a buffoon and flawed in a thousand ways, but he takes his job seriously and seriously cares about this kid and his job. We can forgive him forthcoming screwups because he’s good at the thing he has to be good at to make the story work. As far as the story, we know we’re dealing with a crime drama. There’s flashing lights and tape everywhere. Thanks for not making me guess what I’m doing here, writers.
The White Lotus is different. We see mostly terrible people being terrible, going to lovely places to be generally terrible. The heart of the story is more nuanced. I think there are palatable little bits and pieces and even good character moments interspersed with the pointless hedonistic pseudo-nihilism, but why would I stick around for a collection of degenerate jerks when I don’t even know their purpose?
There are great stories about terrible people, but you can’t often ask people to stick with them if they are not shown another side. There’s another new show on Apple called Your Friends and Neighbors. I lasted fifteen minutes or so, but that was enough. There was a hook at the beginning with some middling voiceover about life and how lifey it can be. But then it’s a vapid character interacting with other vapid characters. Maybe it’s insightful and trenchant and poignantly funny or something, but there’s not enough story and the characters have terrible character. I can’t stick around for that.
When I see a bad intro, I think that the writer might be a terrible person. Either they don’t know what terrible character is and are therefore most likely terrible, or they don’t care about drawing the reader or watcher in. That might be more terrible. Give me something to hold. To latch onto. Is that too terrible to ask? Cheers and see you after.
