Murder Most Foul-part 7 (parts 1-6 can be found here, here, here, here, here and here)
Bullet points are encapsulated scene analysis from the top of each act to the bottom. (each act is bookended by a commercial break)
1. “Fine payment for a simple murder.”
This was the point at which I went … nope. This murder is going to be anything but simple.
A very reluctant BOING!!!!
2. It’s interesting that they chose to put the kings guards in street clothes here. George told them to make it look like an accident, they’re disguising their identities–this is where the Danger Will Robinson sirens start going off.
The text is telling you VERY clearly that this murder is not going to go down the way it appears to be headed.
Rut-ro.
And also a very painful BOING!!!!!
3. “I bet they’ll believe a drunk drove his cart off the road.” “You smell like you spent the night in a tavern.”
This is a very telling exchange. Mostly because it’s a powerful comment on how the way things appear on the surface is not always the way they are. And that assuming you know what happened based only on the way things look can be a big mistake.
BOING!!!!
4. VERY NICE moment when David throws the coin in the water and Robert disappears.
Great visual.
Much of what David thought he knew about his father, and his childhood, was a lie. The coin represented that lie. And now that he knows the truth he can let go of the “thing” and hold tight to the knowledge of who his father really was in the end.
Not a perfect man. A man who made mistakes. But ultimately a man who tried to do the right thing.
Also it’s a very concrete representation that this part of the story is over and we’re moving on.
5. This was a really strong episode for Josh Dallas. There wasn’t one moment, through a wide range of emotions, where he overplayed the role. Where he did something that took the viewer out of the moment.
His hyper-focused to the point of not considering the consequences quest in the beginning of the ep built flawlessly to the explosion outside the jail cell and then released the tension leading to the self-reflection on the dock.
And it all plays out against the background of his interactions with Killian. He goes from insulting, taunting and even bullying Killian into helping him, clearly not David-like behavior, to handcuffing Killian to the bike rack and holding a knife to his throat, even less David-like, to apologizing and admiring the changes Killian has made.
Beautiful.
And if it hadn’t been for the scene that preceded this one I’d have felt like we were home free. But the placement of that scene–even without having yet unveiled the twist, creates a current of tension running under this one in the viewer’s mind. That feeling that the murder hasn’t been resolved yet.
Because as I said in the answer to an earlier ask–there’s only two reasons to revisit that scene. Either David escapes and doesn’t die (which we know isn’t true) or the murder doesn’t happen like we think.
BOING!!!!!!
Tag: Bullet points 6×12
Bullet Points: The Moment of Truth
Murder Most Foul-part 6 (parts 1-5 can be found here, here, here, here and here)
Bullet points are encapsulated scene analysis from the top of each act to the bottom. (each act is bookended by a commercial break)
1. When Act 4 runs a grand total of 5 minutes and consists of only two scenes that says something very important in terms of structure. These two scenes are the climax of the story arcs they represent. They are meant to be viewed with a period at the end. They contain completed thoughts.
That’s not to say the storylines don’t continue on, because clearly they do. But within each of these scenes is contained a final determination. Everything that comes after is a new dynamic.
2. Scene one is about Robert finally believing who he is. He can’t be bought, he can’t be shamed. He’s a father protecting his son. He was given an out when King George pretended to think he’d found James and was bringing him in for the reward and he refused to take it. Whatever he was in the past is unimportant. And not only does George know it, more importantly Robert knows it.
To thine own self be true and all that.
BOING!!!!!!!
3. “The right price fixed it last time.” Ooooof I mean that line was necessary to give Robert a chance to turn it down and prove he wasn’t the man he used to be still … ooof.
4. James got a chance to see his father redeemed although he was too young to understand and David got a chance to understand his father was redeemed even though he never saw it.
Very nice.
In the end both of his sons, on some level, were able to see the truth.
5. Just as the first scene in this very strong pair of scenes was about Robert realizing who he really is, the second scene is about David doing the same.
Bullet Points: Are You Sure We’re Doing This Right
Murder Most Foul-part 5 (parts 1-4 can be found here, here, here and here)
Bullet points are encapsulated scene analysis from the top of each act to the bottom. (each act is bookended by a commercial break)
1. Regina brings Robin 2.0 to her vault because she’s hoping against hope that bringing him to the place they first had sex might reach a something inside of him on a more primal level and spark a memory.
It’s very interesting that this entire scene is about making things look good on the surface despite what might be lurking underneath.
Regina knows by this point that Robin 2.0 is VERY different from OR Robin yet she’s still in there trying to fit him into the mold of what SHE wants him to be.
Even with magic you can’t make people who you want them to be.
BOING!!!!!
2. Regina’s response to Robin 2.0 calling her out on her hypocrisy was the perfect example of what I find so frustrating about her character but at the same time it was classic Regina.
“The hearts of my enemies BUT”
There’s always a but. Always a justification. Always the belief that in her own case it’s ok to make exceptions. She’s like an alcoholic who convinces themselves they can still have a few drinks every once in awhile.
3. Regina starts to close the doors on the card catalog of hearts but interestingly, in a metaphorical sense, doesn’t get it done.
BOING!!!!
4. Instead she gets distracted by Robin 2.0 handling a “powerful” object which she takes from him and places haphazardly in an unlocked trunk. Again, just get it off the surface of things. Don’t deal with it, just conceal it.
5. I get accused of hating Regina a lot when in reality I don’t. At all. I just find her characterization extremely frustrating. She’s like that person we’ve all known at one point or another who bitches about their job, their boyfriend, their lack of social life, their cat, and anything and everything else but is unwilling to actually do anything to change their situation. It’s exhausting.
Bullet Points: Seeking Counsel
Murder Most Foul-part 2 (part 1 can be found here)
Bullet points are encapsulated scene analysis from the top of each act to the bottom. (each act is bookended by a commercial break)
One of the questions I get most asked often is what I mean when I say each scene is informed by the one that comes before it and informs the one that comes after it. Calling it basic story building is true but I don’t think it explains the concept well enough. So if you’ll indulge me I’d like to take a second here to point out how it worked in this week’s teaser. As always, please let me know if I get too far into the weeds with this stuff. I can talk about it for literally hours on end.
Normally I would do the entire teaser as one set of bullet points but I decided not to this episode for a very specific reason. The placement of the title card created a perfect illustration of the scene structure mentioned above.
1. The first part of the teaser–covered in part 1–was about actions (or lack thereof) and their consequences. In other words, what we do.
Robert’s inaction in the face of Rumple’s offer had an impact on not only his own future but that of his wife and sons as well. Emma’s action in defeating (at least temporarily) Gideon sets in motion a chain of events that will affect her future as well as those close to her. Actions have consequences. Some of them are more immediate (Emma) and some of them take longer to unfold (Robert).
2. The second half of the teaser is all about perception, our own and other people’s. In other words, who we are. Snow and Regina grapple with who this new Robin really is, Killian grapples with the fear that David doesn’t see him as worthy of Emma, David grapples with his own vision (literally) of his father.
3. Placing these two concepts on opposite sides of the title card, as opposed to separating them by a commercial break, sets up a crystal clear lens through which we will be viewing this ep.
What we do versus who we are.
BOING!!!
So here we go:
Bullet Points: You Gotta Trust Me
Murder Most Foul-part 4 (parts 1-3 can be found here, here and here)
Bullet points are encapsulated scene analysis from the top of each act to the bottom. (each act is bookended by a commercial break)
1. The Robin 2.0 storyline is a really well-drawn counterpoint to the current Captain Charming dynamic. David sees Killian as a “lying thieving pirate” because that what he needs him to be right now. Regina sees Robin 2.0 as a sweet soul who would regret killing Nottingham because that’s what she wants him to be.
The really interesting thing though is that each of them is projecting personality traits they feel they themselves lack onto the other person. David is choosing to see Killian as an immoral pirate capable of doing whatever is necessary to achieve a goal. He knows that he’s not that kind of person himself so he needs to find those traits externally. Whether or not Killian is still that person is irrelevant because the bottom line is David’s view isn’t about Killian. It’s about David.
Regina wants to see Robin 2.0 as a kind-hearted, well meaning person who would never kill in cold blood. She wants him to be above reproach and not willing to take shortcuts because those are the parts of her own personality that trouble her. Again, it isn’t about Robin. It’s about Regina.
BOING!!! BOING!!! BOING!!!!
So in addition to being about how we define ourselves this story is also about how we define others. And why. Which is in and of itself an even more fascinating question. And viewed through this lens the Dark Swan storyline takes on a whole new dimension.
Bullet Points: The Ties That Bind
Murder Most Foul-part 1
Bullet points are encapsulated scene analysis from the top of each act to the bottom. (each act is bookended by a commercial break)
This ep is a really nice example of something I’ve mentioned quite a few times lately–the idea of parallel storytelling. It can be easy to mistake certain common events within 2 storylines as an indication of parallel storytelling when just as often they’re meant to serve as compare/contrast.
There are at minimum five men in this episode dealing with the concept of redemption. Some for themselves (August, Killian, Grandpa Charming), some for a loved one (David) and one wrestling with the idea of not wanting to be redeemed no matter how high the cost he paid (Rumple). Each journey informs all the others. Which provides amazing emotional layers and is what made this such a powerful episode and perfectly set up the emotional gut punch at the end.
But none of these storylines are parallel in a way that would allow you to predict an ending to one based on the other. For example–look at Grandpa Charming and Killian. Both are men dealing with the idea of not only personal redemption but of changing the way the people they love see them. Making good as it were. Do their storylines inform each other? Absolutely. Are there common elements? You betcha. Are they parallel? No. In fact near the end of the ep Killian takes a hard right and Grandpa Charming takes a hard left and they crash into each other head on. So even though they were on similar journeys using either storyline to try to predict the ending of the other is folly.
True parallel storytelling is about a lot more than common events. It’s about larger overarching themes. Motivations. Intentions. That sort of thing.
But enough of that let’s get on to the ep.
Bullet Points: Collecting Clues
thisisevenharderthannamingablog:
Murder Most Foul-part 3 (parts 1-2 can be found here and here)
Bullet points are encapsulated scene analysis from the top of each act to the bottom. (each act is bookended by a commercial break)
1. The way they shoot the establishing scene of Act 1, uneven light, shadows on the floor, lots of extraneous sound, with the stone columns at times obstructing our view of Robert, is a reminder that we the don’t yet have a clear picture of exactly who he is. Or at the very least that the picture we think we have isn’t accurate.
Nicely done.
2. “You should be spending that on your family.”
That may well be true but keep in mind, no one likes a judge-y barkeep.
As far as an exposition scenes go this one was handled fairly well. Giving David’s age, along with Robert’s current ‘half in the bag and so broke everyone in town knows about it’ status, is great shorthand for letting the viewer know everything they need to know about the last 6 years.
They’ve been rough.
3. It’s kind of heartbreaking that all of the tables surrounding Robert are filled with people celebrating in pairs or in groups. Even the candles on the other tables are less melted down and sad looking than his. Poor guy.
Great visual representation of his current state.
4.”He deserves better than me”
Robert is self aware enough to know he’s on a bad path but he spends what little money he has on a drink anyway. Much to the barkeeps scowling disapproval. Seriously, dude, I’m pretty sure trying to push the customers towards sobriety is bad for business. If you’re looking for every person you encounter at work to be making good decisions a bar was a bad choice of employment.
That observation about what pirates do is perfect and fascinating.
cshappybeginning 