English 1102: Television and Feminism

Dr. Casey Alane Wilson • Georgia Institute of Technology

Category: Review Topic 2 (Page 4 of 5)

Keeping It Interesting: The Writing in Fresh off the Boat

I chose to  talk about the writing in episode three (of Fresh off the Boat), “The Shunning”. Since the show is based on a memoir, Eddie Huang gets some credit for writing. He has also written for Bitch, Please!. The main person credited with this episode is Nahnatchka Khan, who also wrote episodes for American Dad, Malcolm in the Middle, and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 13.

It is sometimes easy to forget while watching TV how much time and effort goes into creating each and every show

The most unique component of the writing in this episode (& the thing that sticks out most to me) is the voiceover by future Eddie. Not only does it provide recaps and background information, it represents the inner dialogue of young Eddie. When Eddies gets an idea, like how he thinks getting a woman  will gain him respects with the neighborhood boys, the idea is explained in the voiceover from Eddie’s perspective.  This is  not super typical in shows, but I always prefer shows with narration like Jane the Virgin also has. It is very well done in FOTB, which is important because a memoir is personal thoughts and that can be hard to display through external dialogue, but a nice balance of voice overs and character dialogue makes for a well-done TV series. In the show you never have to worry about NOT knowing Eddie’s opinion about something or someone because the voiceover clearly states his opinions. Specifically in this episode, at then end his attraction to Nichole (neighbor) is VERY evident even though there is not external dialogue to prove so, it is all narrated by future Eddies.

 

The external dialogue of the episode is also unique because it is composed of mostly quick comments rather than long conversations. For example, when Emery is introducing his TWO girlfriends, they immediately both comment how they are okay with it (very funny scene). Also, what is becoming a common theme is Jessica (the mom) firing away quick comments to control her boys like “go to your room” or “go do *insert random task*”. This technique keeps the show fast-paced and interesting, which is what it takes in the modern television era to keep viewers.

 

The episode doesn’t use silence as  a major component because often instead of silence a couple beats of music play to bring it back to the idea that Eddies LOVES rap music. Speaking of rap, this is a major external reference in the episode. Eddies looks to rap music as his guide because it is his anthem (especially when it comes to his love life). The episode also alludes to NASCAR because that is the event that draws the whole neighborhood together for a block party and it serves as a major plot element. Eddie’s struggle for love, Jessica’s fight for her friendship with Honey, and Louis’s promotion of his restaurant in the episode all occur at the block party for NASCAR viewing (which is very stereotypically American).

AKA 99 Friends and How They’re Written

This is based off the fourth episode of Jessica Jones titled “AKA 99 Friends.” The credited writer of this series is Hilly Hicks, Jr. who has also written The Big C, Chicago Fire, and Pasadena. However the show is based off of Marvel comics so the writer is writing based off of someone else’s ideas, characters, and themes. Jessica Jones the comic was written/created by Brian Michael Bendis. The show gives credit to the comics and Stan Lee for the whole program. The dialogue is based around a slight New York City dialect and the inner voice of Jessica Jones. The only voice over is the thoughts of Jessica Jones during times of quiet, transitions, and pauses. This allows the viewer into the troubled mind of Jones and doesn’t create a weird silence while she stalks people. Also, it helps keep you keep up with what is going on and what issues Jessica Jones is going through with her PTSD.

I just thought this was a good and humorous addition to this otherwise dreary topic.

In this episode there are times of character silence that is used to allow the viewer to hear Jessica’s thoughts. Times of complete silence are almost always filled with tension or sadness, generally negative emotions. In this episode, it allows you to see a tear roll down Jessica’s face after the betrayal of a friend. Silence is also used for times of sleep which often leads to nightmares relating to Jessica’s experiences with Kilgrave. This is a marvel show, therefore there is a big ol’ load of references and allusions to ‘the big green guy’ or events that have taken place in marvel movies or other comics. Another character in the show is Luke Cage, he has his own show and therefore is kind of an allusion in and of itself.

The show Luke Cage that stems from Jessica Jones

The writing of the show is very powerful in its underlying messages about modern issues that are made apparent by using an issue in the show as a reference to a real world issue such as racism. Plus, I just like the way Jessica Jones is written as a bad ass character who pretends to not care and usually doesn’t.

New Girl moving into her New apartment with New roommates!

I have finished watching the first two seasons of New Girl and there were numerous episodes that I could write about for my blog entries. Among those, I am focusing on the writing of the “Pilot”, the first episode of season 1 of New Girl for my first Blog Entry.

It was written by Elizabeth Meriwether. She wrote the plays Heddatron (2006), The Mistakes Madeline Made (2006) and Oliver Parker! (2010) and the romantic comedy film No Strings Attached (2011).

Elizabeth Meriwether, the writer of New Girl

The dialogue in New Girl is structured in conversations between the characters as the story-line is revealed. The dialogue here is very informal as it is the conversation between friends. The characters make jokes and use slang. All of the conversations are direct and there is no voice-over. This matters because it indicates that the show is emphasizing more on the conversations between the characters rather than the self talk. This means that they focus more on the relationship rather than individual characters.

Silence is used to move from one scene to another. This clearly indicates transition between scenes and therefore it is easy to follow the flow of the plot.

At the start of this show, there is a literary allusion. Jess referred her boyfriend cheating on her to the typical horror movies. Since it is the first episode of the show, there are also multiple recollection scenes. These throwback scenes allow us to know what different characters went through in the past. It helps us to understand the personalities of the characters and to predict the reaction of the characters in certain situations.

Jess finding out her boyfriend is cheating on her

I believe this episode stands out because it was a good way to start this show as it showed the background of each character. This helped the viewers to predict how the plot of this show is going to be. It also builds up the relationship between Jess and her three roommates and leaves the audience to look forward to different kinds of incidents this relationship might lead to.

She Really Wasn’t

Revisiting Orange is the New Black (kind of) after watching the first season during my junior year of high school, watching the first episode is jarring. Specifically, seeing the Piper Chapman of the pilot after seeing the Piper Chapman of later in the season is jarring.

I chose to focus on the writing of the pilot episode of the show because I want to break down the ways the rest of Orange is the New Black is set up through it (and definitely not because I didn’t have time to re-watch any other episodes). In reviewing the writing of “I Wasn’t Ready,” I will try to keep my focus on this episode, but I may have to write about future episodes. You have been warned.

“I Wasn’t Ready” was written by Jenji Kohan and Liz Friedman. Save for the opening voiceover monologue, the episode is heavily dialogue driven. In a monologue-heavy show, we learn a lot about the protagonist, so much so that all other characters serve only as auxiliaries. By depending on dialogue, the show ensures that, even if the protagonist is clearly Piper, other characters can be developed and can change as much as Piper will, and can affect Piper’s own character development. The decision to depend on dialogue allows for the existence of more multi-dimensional and fluid characters.

Image result for orange is the new black characters season 1

Piper is the clear protagonist but that doesn’t stop the other characters from being almost as fleshed out as she is.

The structure of the episode bears many similarities to shows such as The Good Place in its dependence on flashbacks to provide background information on the plot in small, often non-linear fragments. In Orange is the New Black, this tactic is also used to give viewers details about Piper’s past involvement with the drug cartel in small parcels, in order to keep the viewer hooked. By not revealing everything about Piper’s past in the first episode, the show writers ensure that they can continue to use it to drive the show along and reveal more about Piper throughout the course of the show. The pilot uses these two technical details to great effect, making for an episode that serves as an excellent foundation for the show.

However, this is only evident in retrospect. The pilot fails to stand on its own, depending way too much on the final cliffhanger to keep viewers watching the show. In many ways, the episode plays it safe (which is typical of a pilot). For example, it addresses racial division in the prison, but only with a surface level mention of it. Perhaps this is an intentional choice, made in order to accentuate how the show dives into these topics later on. But despite the writing having a limited immediate effect, Kohan and Friedman did an excellent job of setting the tone for the rest of the show.

Works Cited

“‘Orange Is the New Black’ I Wasn’t Ready (TV Episode 2013).” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/title/tt2400770/.

Fresh off the Boat – Authenticity at its Finest

The first five episodes of “Fresh off the Boat” exude a charm that (in my opinion) can be sourced from the writing. Simply put, I found that the appeal of “Fresh off the Boat” lies in the uniqueness and authenticity of its writing. The story is unique because it defies the expectations set by the title. The family’s struggle isn’t with moving to America from Taiwan; it’s with moving to Orlando, Florida from their previous residence in Chinatown, Washington DC, where they are no longer surrounded by their cultural bubble.

How did the writers come up with such an authentic story? “Fresh off the Boat” is based on the autobiography of the same name by guess who: the current writer and producer of the show, Eddie Huang. Huang is the primary writer for the first season, which centers mostly on his own struggles with fitting in with the white kids at his school. The show also has the secondary plot of his father’s struggle with running his restaurant, “Cattleman’s Ranch Steakhouse,” a real restaurant. The episodes are narrated by the real Huang, who starts off each episode with the premise of the plots and concludes with the lessons each character learned. “Fresh off the Boat” likely pulled this format from “The Goldbergs (2013)” another ABC comedy show based on the childhood of the producer/writer. Having the real protagonist narrate the show is a critical aspect because it contributes to this authenticity. These are the things experienced by Eddie, told by Eddie himself.

The real Eddie Huang

Because the show is only twenty-two minutes long, the writers cleverly use plot devices to save time and propel the plot. There isn’t much silence – moments where a character isn’t speaking are filled with the narrator explaining something. Backstories are often delivered via flashbacks from Chinatown, the Huangs’ old hometown. These devices not only create a rich story that provides insight into the characters’ thoughts but are also time efficient to provide as much important info needed as possible.

Perhaps the most authentic element of “Fresh off the Boat” are the plights of Eddie. The show focuses on challenges that are specific but relatable to most Asians (at least to me). Whether it was Eddie wanting Lunchables so he could fit in with the other kids, or his mom making him study, I saw myself in Eddie, despite not looking like him or having the same character traits. I understood what he felt, which is something I haven’t gotten from any other TV show. “Fresh off the Boat’s” writing is fantastic because (as of now), it sparingly uses creative license and focuses on the real stories that young Eddie faced. As a result, it has a unique story and clever humor that largely steers away from solely using cheap Asian stereotypes for laughs. Using his life story, Eddie Huang has written a charming tale that comments on the struggles of fitting in in America.

Eddie explaining why he needs Lunchables (S1E1)

Insight into the Writing of Grey’s Anatomy

In the second episode of Grey’s Anatomy, “The First Cut is the Deepest”, the writing styles that were present in the first episode come more into play. As it is a show taking place almost entirely within the confines of a hospital, much of the dialogue is brusque and to the point, contributing to the overall atmosphere.

The writer, Shonda Rimes, obviously did her homework into medical jargon and the appropriate terms for procedures and injuries. Despite the professional terminology being a major part of all spoken interactions, this doesn’t take away the enjoyment from a viewer (like me) who has no idea what glomerulonephritis is (after Googling, it’s a kidney disease).

This is how I feel after hearing all the doctor talk.

The writing style of the episode reminds me of reading a poem where the poet chooses not to use enjambment, instead having punctuation after every thought. That being said, the chopped articulation and quick speaking matches the pace of work that goes on in a hospital, especially for interns and in the OR. The choice to use this type of language was obviously very purposeful on Rimes’s part as it evokes the feeling of being in the scene along with Meredith and the other interns on a long shift.

Along with brief and to the point language, comes many quick scene cuts. The writing style of the episode actually helps to draw a thread through the entire (relatively scattered) plotline. In this specific episode, Meredith began by contemplating lines with her voiceover saying, “it’s all about lines”. Subsequently, she went on, throughout the episode, to discuss, whether in her head or out loud, the different types of lines that must be drawn. Through the idea of drawing a line, the episode touched on her relationship with Derek, her boss who she slept with and now wants a professional relationship with, figuring out a roommate situation and even tied in her fellow intern’s duty– having to suture wounds the whole day. The episode concludes with taking the line idea in a new way: stepping through boundaries and over lines to be able to accomplish more.

After watching two full episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, I have a lot of respect for a writer like Rimes who likely spent time in a hospital to write these scripts and for also having the wherewithal to draw a cohesive “line” throughout scenes that would otherwise be at odds with one another. This level of writing is part of what’s making me want to watch the whole season in one sitting!

 

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Writing is Strong as Hell!

Me watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The first two episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt center on Kimmy starting her life anew in New York City after being rescued from the doomsday cult bunker of Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. Kimmy, played by Ellie Kemper, is determined to succeed in New York, approaching every situation with her optimism and childlike behavior.

The writers of the first two episodes, Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and Sam Means, are old co-collaborators on the show 30 Rock, a show that also focuses on the struggle of a woman trying to make it in New York City. Feminist undertones are present throughout the show, probably the influence of Tina Fey. Even the theme song begins every episode with “females are strong as hell.” Kimmy’s motivation for staying in New York? To not continuously be identified as one of the “Mole Women” and give into her male oppressor by letting him continue to rule her life. Contrary to other shows, only one male character has appeared as a recurring cast, Titus, whose behavior goes against the traditional “macho” man.

The dialogue is witty and fast, playing off our expectations of the characters. For example, Kimmy misses uses old pop references like Michael Jackson because she spent time without contact to the modern world. Jacqueline’s lines usually relate to her status, citing Givenchy and her husband’s flights to London and Tokyo. This is also displayed in her actions like when she throws a full water bottle away after Kimmy rejected it. Titus’s lines are usually related to his acting career or his self-absorbance. Silences are usually reserved for times when the audience needs to learn something. In the second episode, there is silence when Xanthippe is sneaking out the house and when Jacqueline is crying. Silence is also utilized to bring attention to characters reactions to events.

Kimmy’s advice from episode two

Something I’ve noticed is that the writers seem to have written every episode like a parable, relying on familiar archetypal characters. Kimmy is the naïve girl trying to escape her past and reinvent herself in New York; Titus is a struggling actor; Jacqueline is the privileged, upper-class second wife. The writers offset Kimmy’s naivety with her experience in the Bunker with Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. Both episodes end with Kimmy resolving conflicts with a combination of her optimism and her experiences in the Bunker, leading to a believable and funny narrative. In the first episode “Kimmy Goes Outside,” Kimmy’s naivety causes her to want to return to New York, but her optimism convinces her to stay and push Titus back into his acting career. In the second episode, Kimmy tells Jacqueline and subsequently, the audience to get through troubles by taking it 10 seconds at time, a rule I’ll be keeping in mind from now on.

Let’s Go to the Beach, Beach!! (while simultaneously denying our problems and elevating our anxiety)

Rebecca and Valencia feud on the party bus on the way to the beach.

 

In Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Rebecca Bunch is prone to getting herself into, wait for it, crazy situations. In season 1 episode 9, “I’m Going to the Beach with Josh and His Friends!”, Bunch gets herself into one of those situations when Valencia invites her to go to the beach with the “crew” that consists of Josh, Greg, White Josh, Hector and Valencia. The writing in the episode is quite unique, as it usually is in the series. This episode was written by Dan Gregor, known for How I Met Your Mother (2011-2014), and Doug Mand, known for How I Met Your Mother (2011-2014).

The dialogue begins after Rebecca goes and sees a movie by herself. She walks out of the movie theater and sings about how she “totally has friends”. This dialogue shows how lonely Rebecca is because she’s dealing with the fact that she actually has no friends and can only talk to herself about the situation. Throughout the episode there is also a lot of dialogue attempting to directly address the issues that Rebecca are facing. Much of the current conflict is that Rebecca won’t admit that she’s in love with Josh Chan and hiding that truth is affecting her social life and her mental health. Paula calls Rebecca out in the episode and states that Rebecca is in love with Josh Chan and that by going to the beach she is going to be humiliated by Valencia and it’s going to be “another one of her disasters”. This dialogue is significant because it’s saying what we’re all thinking and the direct format presents reality right in front of Rebecca, which, probably, along with the fact that Paula gets mad at Rebecca for being in denial, heightens her anxiety about the situation. There isn’t a voice over which doesn’t really matter because most of the situations in the show are presented by the characters directly.

There isn’t much intentional silence in the episode, but there is a little bit at the beginning. When Rebecca is walking out of the movie theater alone there is muffled chatter between the friend groups outside of the theater. This muffled speaking accentuates how alone Rebecca feels. There are several external references about Seinfeld, Magnum P.I., and The Butterfly Effect. Most of these references are for comedic purposes within the small jokes and jabs and don’t have a huge bearing on the plot. Despite this, the use of these references in creative and makes references to some niche humor.

The writing in this episode was very direct, as it is a lot of the time during the show. However, the episode dives deeper into Rebecca’s insecurities and anxieties and shows how the move to West Covina has affected her. Josh Chan’s cluelessness about Rebecca’s feelings for him and the reasons why she moved to West Covina is a recurring detail that stands out to me in the writing, especially instances where the characters indirectly reference it and it goes over Josh’s head.

Let’s Take a Look at the Writing Behind Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt!

I decided for my first blog post delving into the television sitcom, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, I would focus on the writing of the show. More specifically, I will focus on the writing of the pilot episode. The pilot episode is written by Robert Carlock, a writer for several NBC comedies and Tina Fey, a household name who is known for her work on Saturday Night Live. The writing still is not entirely unique in comparison to other shows that I watch often; however, there are some aspects that are worth noting.

First, the prevalence of comedy in this show is unmistakable. The comedy skits are everywhere. The first scene of the show which displays Kimmy with her fellow cult members would be expected to be a serious introduction to the show, but this is not the case. In about thirty seconds, the situation turns into a comedy skit where apocalyptic cults are torn apart by humor that takes advantage of all cult stereotypes. I even found the name of their supposed leader to be quite humorous, Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne. This comedy skit approach is a predictable one, taking into account the writers of the show. Tina Fey’s rise to fame is credited to her ability to write humorous skits for Saturday Night Live. Her talent for writing skits is clearly incorporated into Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Aside from the heavy use of comedy, the rest of the writing is pretty standard. There is no use of a voiceover which surprised me due to the fact that a lot of newer sitcoms choose to incorporate this. A major portion of the universe which the show takes place in is fabricated. There are many references to Kimmy’s fabricated background in the pilot. Kimmy’s cult, the cult leader’s name, and even her hometown: Durnsville, Indiana, are all fictional. Personally, I believe Robert Carlock and Tina Fey were the perfect choices to write this show. I can’t imagine how this show would have turned out if half the comedy skits were removed. The subject matter of the show is too outlandish to keep viewers hooked without the comedy. Nevertheless, Robert Carlock and Tina Fey are killing it and I can’t wait to see what’s in store!

The opening scene where Kimmy Schmidt and fellow cult members await rescue

This week’s task: “Write a Grey’s Anatomy episode that 22.22 million viewers would like”… hard chore, isn’t it?

Since its launching, Shonda Rhimes, and multiple Grey’s Anatomy credited writers, have managed to make us feel eager, miserable, ecstatic, furious, (add all the emotions you can think of), for almost 14 years (yes, it’s ABC’s second longest running show ever, in case you were wondering). However, we aren’t here to commemorate the greatness of GA (we know is the best show in history, end of discussion), the real question actually is “How did writers succeed in catching our attention since episode 1 if we get tired of everything (literally everything… food, clothing, classes, etc)? Well let me tell you a secret, a first season with trustful characters and a lot of drama is all you’ll ever need.

While re-watching Grey’s Anatomy (for the third time (yes, I’m a HUGE fan)), I’ve realized that making everything dramatic and trustworthy since the beginning is a principal element, and if you don’t believe me just ask Shonda Rhimes; creator and currently executive producer and principal writer of Grey’s Anatomy. This outstanding writer was not only responsible for the 16.25 million viewers the show got from just its first episode, but also for the success of uncountable “Shondaland’s” shows like Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, among many others.

This are just SOME of the MANY successful shows Shonda Rhimes has actually made us                                                             laugh and cry at the same time

In the first episodes of the show, “A Hard Day’s Night” and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”, the character’s development and the credibility they exhibit is a writing element that stands out. Meredith, being the daughter of a brilliant surgeon, makes us belief that she has innate medicine skills; Cristina, being first in her Stanford’s class shows us that determination and perseverance will take her wherever she wants; Izzie, being capable of working as a model and as a doctor indulges us to support her career while trying to demonstrate everyone that one can be pretty, smart and hardcore at the same time; George, well, he’s the guy that everyone likes; and Alex, what can we say? He’s certainly used as a central element in humor and drama. In general, the writing of the show carefully develops each of these characters in such way that we would trust them to basically “safe our lives”.

Just an example of the way Izzie’s character’s developed through the writing of her lines

Additionally, drama is also a main component in GA’s writing. In the very first episode we have to deal with the fact that Meredith had a one-night stand with his new boss, that Ellis has Alzheimer’s, and that interns’ lives will be a nightmare. As the season continues, the last episode “Who’s Zoomin’ Who”, with 22.22 million views (written by Gabrielle Stanton and Harry Werksman (husband and wife also credited in shows like Ugly Betty, Moonlight and Castle)) maintains a dramatic climax till the very end, where we are confronted with the fact that Derek is actually married! In other words, there’s a reason why Grey’s Anatomy viewers and ratings are still top ranked: it’s writing always leaves us wanting more.

My reaction to every Grey’s Anatomy episode

 

Slight change in direction!: Writing

So I ended up watching Fresh off the Boat, and it’s off to a great start! The cast is definitely very unique and nothing like shows I have previously seen. The writer of this pilot episode is Nahnatchka Khan. Nahnatchka Khan is was on June 17, 1973 and has also been a part of American Dad! and Don’t Trust the B—– in Apartment 23. Khan created Fresh off the Boat with the mindset that minorities are very underrepresented in television. Being part of a minority herself, an Iranian American, Khan experienced what it was like growing up in the United States as a child of foreign parents. The dialogue is very realistic: Khan takes into account how the parents would have an accent, but the children do not. Growing up in American really allowed Khan to imbibe her personal experiences in the writing to make the show more realistic, and so far, she has been very successful. In addition, Khan has found a good line between if the stereotypes she uses are offensive or not. This really adds to the quality of her content because other minorities similar to Eddie’s family would not find that Khan is taking advantage of stereotypes in order to make the content more comical. There are not any voiceovers, that are apparent at least, and in my opinion, this adds to the realness of the show. Something that really stands out to me about Fresh off the Boat is that it reminds me of the show Full House with an awesome twist to it: a large family living together solving family problems with a lot of love. Another important fact about the writing of this show is that it is the first American tv show to star an Asian-American family since All American Girl which first aired in 1994… This is definitely a jump in progress to make American television more similar to life in American, similar to the topic of our class.

I have definitely felt this before lol

#2: “Orange is the New Black” Implies There Was Black Before…

I doubt there is any show with as diverse a cast as Orange is the New Black. You get an award-winning trans actress. Groups of genuinely Dominican and Puerto Rican actresses (as opposed to the typical white stand-ins). And many women who are genuinely lesbian outside of the characters they may play on the show.

But yet, the diversity pretty much ends there.

After season four came out in 2016, many people were shocked at the lack of black writers for the show, especially given that the end of the season has a clear reference to the Black Lives Matter movement (or so I accidentally spoiled for myself in researching the writing team for this blog, ugh) that is supposedly handled insensitively. In fact, there are no black writers of any gender, nor any Latina writers, despite the large number of Latina actresses in the show.

The writing crew for “Orange is the New Black”

All is not entirely lost. The lead producer, Sara Hess, is a Korean-American, and the head showrunner, Jenji Kohan, is a Jewish American whose grandfather was a Romanian immigrant. Yet Kohan – who graduated from Columbia University – is not exactly the representative of the average American and especially not one that is residing in the custody of the judicial system, nor someone who regularly faces the injustices of American society.

Kohan got her start writing episodes for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to mild success and eventually went on to work as head showrunner for Weeds, a show about a mother who sells marijuana to help keep her family afloat. Both Weeds and Orange is the New Black feature strong suburban female leads struggling to deal with illegal issues and their consequences and stay strong through these ordeals. But Kohan recognizes that these are not real-life situations that she has been confronted with: “I can shoot off my big mouth and write my shows and run my shows, and I can recognize how lucky I am because my position is rare and my position is privileged.”

And while the show follows the backbone of the memoir written by Piper Kerman and aims at accuracy in portraying Piper’s – the main character’s – experiences in prison, not every issue that is tackled is handled correctly, and there are some heavy topics that come up. This stems mainly from a lack of diversity of background in the writers’ room. Regardless of the talent of a white writer, she has significantly less experience with institutionalized racism than a black writer, and she can therefore write less accurately or empathetically about it. The same can be said for many of the issues facing America today – without hearing the voices of those who live with the reality every day, we are not hearing the correct story.

And we all want to hear the correct story, to understand the characters as deeply as possible. Even the theme song reminds us, with a group of diverse faces flashing on the screen, to do so.

MLA Citations:

  • Aran, Isha. “Go Ahead, Guess How Many Black Writers Work on ‘Orange Is the New Black’.” Splinter, Splinternews.com, 24 July 2017, splinternews.com/go-ahead-guess-how-many-black-writers-work-on-orange-1793857745. Accessed 10 September 2018.
  • “Jenji Kohan | TV Guide.” TVGuide.com, TV Guide, www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jenji-kohan/bio/194196/. Accessed 10 September 2018.
  • Morelli, Lauren. “While Writing for ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ I Realized I Am Gay.” Mic, Mic Network Inc., 21 May 2014, mic.com/articles/89727/while-writing-for-orange-is-the-new-black-i-realized-i-am-gay#.ZOfJRCFm5. Accessed 10 September 2018.
  • Reign, April. “Orange Is the New Black, But Where Are the Black Writers? Essence.” Essence.com, Essence.com, 24 June 2016, www.essence.com/entertainment/orange-new-black-except-its-writers/. Accessed 10 September 2018.
  • Shipley, Diane. “When Good TV Turns Bad: How Weeds Made a Right Hash of Things.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 30 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/apr/30/when-good-tv-turns-bad-weeds. Accessed 10 September 2018.

How the writing in “Grace and Frankie” comes in handy:

Grace and Frankie takes on the issues of two couples that were separated because one of the partners had been secretly in love with someone of their same sex. Throughout the first episode, we can see glimpses of what the characters are like through the way they dialogue with each other. In this way the writers, use dialogue to characterize their main characters. Given that this was the first episode of Grace and Frankie, the writing often felt slow, however I attribute this to the fact that the pilot episode often serves as the introduction to the series.

The way dialogue occurs between the characters is used to show us how they are. For example, we can see how Sol often stutters when speaking with Robert. This could indicate that he is still somehow insecure about his true sexual orientation. However, when he briefly speaks with Frankie, as a friend, he does not stutter. Through Sol’s stuttering or absence of such, we can see how complex the issues Sol has to deal with are. On the other hand, Robert is very secure when he speaks. However, when he dialogues with Grace, we can see how he often leaves many silences. These silences can indicate two things. First, it hints at how he feels kind of sorry for hurting Grace in the way he did. Furthermore, in the spots the silences are placed, we can see it as a hint that he hoped that his wife would have noticed about his true sexual orientation beforehand, given that he was sort of more open to it.

We can further see how Robert is more comfortable with his sexual orientation in how he often is the one to initiate physical contact.

When we focus on the dialogue that occurs between Grace and Frankie, we can see their true feeling behind the shocking news they just received. When they drink the Peyote tea, and take the muscle relaxers, they open a lot to each other. The dialogue that occurs here is very revealing of their characteristics. For example, we notice that Grace feels angry about the news, while Frankie feels more heartbroken.

I really enjoyed the way Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris wrote the episode. Marta Kauffman is mostly known for co-producing and being a writer in the sitcom “Friends”. Something that stands out to me is that just like “Grace and Frankie”, “Friends” uses plenty of dialogue to characterize their characters. I also imagine Frankie being an older version of Phoebe.

Friends was a popular show also written and produced by Marta Kauffman.

It Takes an Army to Create a World

The first episode is often the dealbreaker for many show viewers, and thus, it is critical to make good first impressions. Needless to say, this episode did just that. The pilot introduced us to the wild West that is Westworld, enthralled us with a complex musical score, and left aspects shrouded in mystery so that we would be compelled for answers. I was intrigued.

Creating a TV show is no easy matter, however. It requires creative minds and effective writers. In this case, those two minds were Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Lisa Joy is credited with being a writer for the shows Burn Notice and Pushing Daisies. Jonathan Nolan, brother of the well-known Christopher Nolan, has writing for The Dark Knight trilogy, Memento, and more under his belt.

We hear a dialogue only in the beginning of the episode. This voiceover is later revealed to be that of one of the creators of these droids, talking to a droid in a sort of interrogation. We have yet to discover if this will be a permanent feature of this show, or if it was just for effect in the first episode. Nevertheless, it was an addition which granted mystery and then revelation to the viewers.

The writing incorporates many strategies to keep us intrigued and wanting more. Most of the time, music, dialogue, or background noise covers up silence in this show. However, instances where silence is used are often for dramatic effect, including after a death or dramatic dialogue. We see the writers reference Shakespeare and common idioms throughout the episode, and while we never see the world outside of Westworld, references to it are made. It keeps us shrouded in mystery and compelled to watch more of the show to gain closure.

This series will clearly be complex to write. The writers have to incorporate the lives of robots, humans, and a western world which is otherwise long gone into one show. The script does this well, all the while still leaving the origins of this place, its characters, and the outside world a mystery. Many times, it’s hard to know who’s real and who’s fake. And it can’t help but leave me thinking who the bad guy really is.

Some people are thirsty for some more Westworld

 

Works Cited:

“Full Cast & Crew – Westworld.” IMDb, IMDb, www.imdb.com/title/tt0475784/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ql_1.

Episode 3 of Fresh Off the Boat: Writer’s meaning?

Within the script of Fresh Off the Boat Season 1 Episode 3 “The Shunning”, the writers appear to of cleverly included some moments that are speed through in order to represent a point. These include lines that seem to represent real life problems and how they are often ignored when brought up. Such when Grandma Huang brings up foot binding, “My feet were bound when I was seven.” This reflects the problem of elderly women in China that were the victims of foot binding often being ignored by the general population as when she mentions those lines they are quickly distracted by Louis’s interjection. At the same moment, this kind of passing on shows that this is the type of stuff they expect out of Grandma Huang as it isn’t out of place enough to them for any sort of conversation to happen. The show later  presents the close-mindedness of the neighbor women when Jessica offers them stinky tofu and their unwillingness to try present by Jessica comically saying, “How is this fuller than before?” This also seems to suggest that the Huang family perhaps moved into a more gated neighbor that’s a bit more close off from the world. The writers also cleverly choose to depict Jessica’s characteristic cheap and cold personality by letting Eddie ask her if he could buy Air Jordans without letting Jessica speak as he knew exactly what his mom would say. Later at the block party, the neighborhood women says that Jessica is cutting the cake evenly “Because of the communism in your country?” This is again is used to show the neighborhood women as being ignorant and gated, as since the Huang family are from Taiwan, they don’t come from a communist country but rather a capitalistic one. The writers later highlight the focus of Louis Huang with “You know who win every race? The advertising companies.” This showing that what’s foremost in his mind is the sucess of the restaurant. While grandma Huang response to the NASCAR race was “At those speeds it wouldn’t take much tampering to get revenge on your enemies.” This either suggest the dark personality that she has, or some dark intention that she is planning out just being hinted at. The writers do well to seek the lines in giving a different viewing experience to those that pay close attention and have active imaginations.

Implication that she was a victim of the common tradition of foot binding that was in China for much of history.

 

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