jewels
October 19th, 2004, 09:44 PM
OK, there was something in the Farscape:PKW that made me think about just how refreshing it is to see wit in the middle of a serious situation. John made a comment about Bolivia being nice this time of year in Bolivia, in the middle of a hopeless battle where his side was outnumbered and out gunned (OK, the Butch & Sundance reference was painful as I hated the ambush ending in the movie being referenced, but the inventiveness of injecting it there sparkled.) The wisecracks are part of what made Butch and Sundance so lovable that you hated that they ended up dead. The reference in PKW just reminded me of how that injection of humor into a dire circumstance can make a show and it's characters just that much more appealing.
Farscape wasn't the first show to do that by far, but it is one of the things that made the writing so sharp-witted and the stories entertaining. Even Star Trek had it's moments--the ones that made McCoy and Spock and Scotty so loved. I'm not as versed in Dr. Who, but the good Dr. had some magical dialogue exchanges too.
Something in the rythym of the word order and interjection of Chinese in Firefly's dialogue, something in the cultural cross references of Critchon in Farscape, or Aeryn saying things like shooting made her feel better (during contractions in the middle of battle). Wisecracking in the face of certain death / capture / maiming / destruction, in many instances. Bruce the Shark's "Fish are friends, not food," and the scatterbrained Dorie from Finding Nemo. There is a smartness and an appeal to that sort of writing. Or even that sort of action. Indiana Jones switching from futile bullwhip to pistol versus the expert swordsman in the Cairo marketplace--a moment conveyed almost entirely in body language. Mal, stranded and naked in the desert, in Firefly, ruing that "this could have turned out better."
Smart writing is a joy to see fleshed out. I hate the politics of The West Wing (even the Clinton administration called it the Left Wing--hehe), but the dialogue between the characters the first few seasons just sparkled and I loved the intellect of it.
Even TOS had many moments that were fairly sharp witted or just well-worded dialogue. One of my favorites is Boomer cautioning Starbuck about "getting us in trouble" and Starbuck's reply about being "10,000 light years from nowhere," [our planets destroyed, ships shot up, etc.] "and I'm going to get us in trouble?" Sorry I don't have the exact quote, but I think you know the moment I'm talking about.
If TOS is continued, I hope that is one part of its legacy that is not forgotten: that snappy dialogue or smart bit of wit sprinkled into the serious drama, lightening the burden, smiling in the face of certain destruction, and making the characters part of our own fabric. Humor, well-timed and placed, can make a show something special.
Sorry this is such a ramble (and not a smart bit of writing) but I'm in a reflective mood and ramblings as good as it gets.
Jewels
Farscape wasn't the first show to do that by far, but it is one of the things that made the writing so sharp-witted and the stories entertaining. Even Star Trek had it's moments--the ones that made McCoy and Spock and Scotty so loved. I'm not as versed in Dr. Who, but the good Dr. had some magical dialogue exchanges too.
Something in the rythym of the word order and interjection of Chinese in Firefly's dialogue, something in the cultural cross references of Critchon in Farscape, or Aeryn saying things like shooting made her feel better (during contractions in the middle of battle). Wisecracking in the face of certain death / capture / maiming / destruction, in many instances. Bruce the Shark's "Fish are friends, not food," and the scatterbrained Dorie from Finding Nemo. There is a smartness and an appeal to that sort of writing. Or even that sort of action. Indiana Jones switching from futile bullwhip to pistol versus the expert swordsman in the Cairo marketplace--a moment conveyed almost entirely in body language. Mal, stranded and naked in the desert, in Firefly, ruing that "this could have turned out better."
Smart writing is a joy to see fleshed out. I hate the politics of The West Wing (even the Clinton administration called it the Left Wing--hehe), but the dialogue between the characters the first few seasons just sparkled and I loved the intellect of it.
Even TOS had many moments that were fairly sharp witted or just well-worded dialogue. One of my favorites is Boomer cautioning Starbuck about "getting us in trouble" and Starbuck's reply about being "10,000 light years from nowhere," [our planets destroyed, ships shot up, etc.] "and I'm going to get us in trouble?" Sorry I don't have the exact quote, but I think you know the moment I'm talking about.
If TOS is continued, I hope that is one part of its legacy that is not forgotten: that snappy dialogue or smart bit of wit sprinkled into the serious drama, lightening the burden, smiling in the face of certain destruction, and making the characters part of our own fabric. Humor, well-timed and placed, can make a show something special.
Sorry this is such a ramble (and not a smart bit of writing) but I'm in a reflective mood and ramblings as good as it gets.
Jewels